Exotic Feline Rescue Center facts for kids
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The Exotic Feline Rescue Center (EFRC) is a special sanctuary for big cats. It was started in 1991 in Center Point, Indiana. The center provides a safe and caring home for wild cats that have been mistreated, are disabled, or have nowhere else to go.
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A Safe Home for Big Cats
The EFRC is a non-profit charity, which means it uses donations to help animals, not to make money. It's one of the biggest rescue centers for large cats in the United States, covering more than 200 acres (0.81 km2) of land.
The center is a refuge for many kinds of wild cats, including:
A very important rule at the EFRC is that they do not buy, sell, or breed any animals. Their main goal is to give the cats who already live there the best possible life. The center also has its own veterinary clinic to provide medical care and teaches visitors about these amazing animals.
The EFRC has been featured in books and movies. The 2009 movie The Tiger Next Door showed the work done at the center.
Learning from the Cats
Scientists and veterinarians often visit the EFRC to learn more about big cats. This research helps improve the health and care of cats both at the center and around the world.
How Big Cats Communicate
Between 2008 and 2009, researchers from Indiana University studied how lions, tigers, cougars, and leopards communicate. They looked at how the cats rub against things. This behavior might leave behind special scents called pheromones, which is one way cats "talk" to each other.
Improving Medical Care
In 2009, veterinarians from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign worked on a project to make medical procedures safer for tigers. They studied the best ways to use anesthesia, which is medicine that helps animals sleep during a check-up so they don't feel pain or stress.
During these check-ups, eye doctors also measured the tigers' eyes to learn what is normal for the species. This information helps vets treat eye diseases in tigers everywhere. Dentists from The Peter Emily International Veterinary Dental Foundation also checked the tigers' teeth for free and fixed any problems they found.
Student Opportunities
The EFRC offers internships for college students who want to learn about caring for wild animals. Students at Indiana University can even get school credit for their work at the center. An internship is a great way for students to get hands-on experience in a future career.
Safety at the Center
Working with wild animals requires strict safety rules. In 2013, a caretaker was injured by a tiger while cleaning its enclosure. The worker was taken to the hospital and recovered from her injuries.
After the incident, government safety organizations investigated to make sure the center was as safe as possible for its staff. They found some safety problems that needed to be fixed. The center was required to make improvements to its enclosures and procedures to prevent future accidents and protect its employees.
