Nala
Name:
Nala
Breed:
Lion
Personality:
Nala is an extremely affectionate lion and enjoys company from just about anyone.
Sanctuary News
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a new way to help the animals of ieas!
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So many of us wish that we could give more to worthy organizations such as IEAS. We want to help, but times are tough right now, and many people don't have that extra little bit to give. Here at IEAS, we are always searching for ways that people can help out. So here is one more way that you can help the animals of IEAS through your everyday shopping!
Capital OneŽ is now providing a credit card that will allow you to easily donate to IEAS at no extra cost to you. Your first purchase will result in a $50 donation to the animals of the Sanctuary. After that, 2% of all purchases at gas stations and major grocery store purchase, 1% of all other purchases and up to 10% of purchases made at select merchants will automatically be donated to the Sanctuary. This is such an easy, automatic way to support these amazing creatures!
You will have three custom IEAS card designs to choose from! Shop with pride, knowing that every purchase you make with your new Capital One Visa PlatinumŽ Card will help provide all of the magnificent animals at IEAS with the absolute highest quality of care possible! If have any friends that are animal lovers, please let them know about this wonderful opportunity! To apply, click here.
Lone Star Adventure: Bear Sanctuary
Many of you probably know Richard Ray of the FOX 4 News team. Mr. Ray is the co-anchor of the weekend newscasts and he also does a travel and recreation feature called "Lone Star Adventures". This past week, Lone Star Adventure featured IEAS. Check out the video clip here.
For decades it has offered a home for abused and abandoned big cats, including some of the rarest species in the world. Now the facility has also started taking in big bears. In this week's Lone Star Adventure FOX 4's Richard Ray takes us to the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Wise County, Texas.
Rescued bears, orphans from Wyoming and Alaska, have transformed a sanctuary that for more than two decades has bee renowned for some of the rarest big cats in the world.
The International Exotic Animal Sanctuary opened in 1988 and has been under the current non-profit foundation since 1996 as a home for abandoned, abused and neglected animals. For years it was named the International Exotic Feline Sanctuary but the arrival of bears in 2007 sparked a name change. It is now officially known as the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary.
Organizers say tougher laws and better enforcement have slowed the trade in big cats, which in turn has lessened the demand for sanctuary space. At the same time, more calls are coming in about bears that must be placed or be destroyed.
Beginning this spring the sanctuary will open up its bear habitat for public tours. They have two five-acre tracts and a total of thirteen bears now.
Richard Ray FOX 4 News
Once Bear Orphanage becomes open to the public for tours, we will notify you via email and on our website. You won't want to miss out on this exciting opportunity. Eight black bears are currently living in Bear Orphange. Touring around these two five-acre tracts, you will have a chance to view these bears in a natural environment, behaving the same as you would see bears in the wild.
About Us
WHO WE ARE
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International Exotic Animal Sanctuary, Inc. (
IEAS) was founded in Boyd, Texas in 1988 as a 501(c)(3), nonprofit tax-exempt corporation. IEAS's current mission is the care and welfare of its animal inhabitants, as well as educating the public about their needs. The inhabitants include bobcats, cougars, jaguars, leopards, lions, tigers and bears among other species. As of March 2010, 58 felines and 13 bears call IEAS home, with spacious habitats, pools and houses. The employees and volunteers who care for the animals give of their time and talents to ensure the quality of life to which they are entitled. What we do
Our Mission: The purpose and goals of IEAS are to provide a permanent sanctuary for exotic animals that have been abused, abandoned, neglected, confiscated, or previously owned by people unwilling or unable to provide for these magnificent beings. Additionally, IEAS educates the public through school programs, tour lectures,support for conservation programs, and public appearances about the value and worth of these sensitive, intelligent and perceptive animals, so that their future, as an important part of our world, is insured. We are committed to strengthening and promoting conservation education and other avenues to foster conservation in which we can participate. Our major goal is to give the resident animals the best quality of life we can give them in captivity through our Emotional Enrichment Program, which deals with the emotional well-being of each individual animal and its individual emotional needs. We do this to fill the need to reduce stress and agitation, give each animal the best life it can have in captivity, and by understanding what is required to achieve that goal.WHY DO WE EXIST
It is a fundamental question that one can ask:
why is there a need for a sanctuary for abandoned, abused and/or confiscated exotic animals? Well in recent times one can find the answer weekly just by watching TV or reading the newspaper on occasion. It seems that there is a proliferation of incidents involving exotic animals all across the country, whether one reads about the 24 big cats confiscated in New Jersey, the tiger kept in an apartment in New York, or the incident in Arizona where a keeper was mauled and seriously injured by a tiger while she was cleaning the compound. The story that stands alone for horror, is the case where dozens of big cats were confiscated in Southern California in unbelievably terrible condition, and authorities found a number of dead cats littering the buildings located at the same facility. Click here to read more: Why Do We Exist?HOW WE DO IT
Of course, we give the animals the very best food that is appropriate for their needs, mixed with minerals and vitamins that are necessary for them to have a well-balanced diet that satisfies all their nutritional needs. We also give the animals very large habitats with a variety of elements that take into account their species-appropriate utilization of space, such as ramps, swimming pools for all tigers and jaguars, trees, perches, climbing poles, and a variety of enrichment items. In addition, we satisfy the animals' emotional needs with a unique program we call "Emotional Enrichment" . Exotic animals are as individual as humans. Sure, there are some generalizations that can be made about a specific species, but there are many more distinctions from one individual to another within that species. So, we work with each individual according to its personality and emotional needs. In general, we have our staff and volunteers treat each animal with the respect and dignity that would be accorded another human. Care is taken not to agitate, irritate, or unduly excite any animal. Our Animal Behaviorist physically interacts with a large number of the large cats. Some of them have never had direct contact with a human. Most of the cats that have had direct contact previously considered it adversarial, as training methods of domination/control were apparently used. We find that most of the cats respond surprisingly well to our method of utilizing only affection, trust, and respect in direct interaction. They obviously enjoy and want positive emotional interaction. We want to caution the reader that without extensive experience, this approach could potentially be very dangerous, and we do not advocate it for anyone that has not had a great deal of experience and training. Read more...
