WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO.....
"It's not just a job, It's a way of life"
Great Cats of Indiana was born
out of love for these wonderful animals, distress over what they go through, and
the desire to make a difference in their lives. Our facility is a work in
progress, the fulfillment of a goal set by our Executive Director, Rob Craig, to
make a difference in at least some of the lives of these Great Cats. Under
Rob’s leadership, and the additional guidance of Laura Proper, our Assistant
Director, Great Cats of Indiana has grown to a facility currently housing almost
50 of these magnificent animals.
The two of us, along with a handful of dedicated, committed individuals make up our “core staff”, and handle all of the day to day animal care and operational needs. This is a labor of love for all of us here, we seldom get days off, we always work too many hours, and none of us get paid a salary for the work we do. We do this because we believe the animals deserve it, and continually try to better ourselves, our facility and the care we give our residents as we strive to be the one of the best, most progressive facilities in the country.
We provide continuous, ongoing care to the animals in our facility and continue to work with others in the animal community to assure that these animals have a future. We don’t mind feeding animals in the rain, building enclosures in the heat, or repairing enclosures in the cold. We don’t mind sitting in the barn all night to make sure a sick animal is stable, missing holidays, giving up vacations or foregoing new vehicles and other gadgets because the needs of the animals always have to come first. Providing for them is a never ending promise that we made to them when we agreed to give them a second chance at the life each one so richly deserves.
When we became a part of these animal’s lives, we promised to provide for them, keep them safe and keep them healthy. We agreed to feed them, house them, provide medical care and even socialize with them. This is a responsibility we take very seriously. By taking these animals in we have agreed to give up our vacations, a night on the town, the nine to five lifestyle and any sense of a routine day to day existence. The path we have chosen is difficult at times, but we gave up these things because the animals needed us to be a part of their lives. We gave up these things because we feel they are worth it, and we feel that they deserve a chance to have a life free from the abuse, torture, pain and neglect many of them knew before coming home to our facility.
We are making a significant difference in the lives of these wonderful animals, but we are not doing enough. There are many animals throughout the country that need to come to a facility like ours. Unfortunately, many of them will continue to endure pain from abuse and neglect. Still others will be killed because they were put into a dangerous situation by their uneducated owners, or because they were taken out of a bad situation and there is nowhere for them to go.
We have the experience, ability
and desire to provide a safe, healthy home to more of these innocent animals,
but we can’t do it alone. These animals need your support. With our
professional husbandry and facility management abilities, and your support to
cover some of the many costs of day to day operations and much needed expansion,
we can make a difference. Together, we can save these animals and help assure
that our future generations will be able to see these animals in
person, not just in a book or in a picture. We are doing our part to make a
difference in their lives, can we count on you to do your part as well?
"It is an honor and a privilege to have a
tiger consider you a friend"