Fire burns 100 acres, spares Big Cats at CARE animal sanctuary in Drought Stricken Texas.

      

http://bigcatcare.org/

Click on the link above to see the CARE main page!

 Spotty staying very close to his water and shade.

Hi, Jean Robb here. I've worked with the big cats at CARE for about fifteen years now. I've never seen a summer take it's tole on the cats like this summer. With the drought we're having in Texas this year water is really an issue. CARE is in desperate need of new water wells. Heidi Krahn the director of CARE was already concerned about the dwindling water supply at her big-cat sanctuary in Bridgeport TX. The fire really reminded us all of how important it is to get the wells in place. If the fire had spread it would have been a complete disaster .  The cats are all staying very close to the water provided to them each day as you can see in the pictures I took yesterday. I'm really worried for the cats and the center this year. I know it's a bad economy but CARE NEEDS YOUR HELP! Below are the pictures and stories about the fire!

OUR MISSION: Provide for the rescue, rehabilitation, and holistic nurturing of sick, injured, and abused Big Cats. CARE is dedicated to providing these majestic creatures with a safe habitat so they can live with dignity and comfort.

Polly staying close to his pool

Fire threatens Big Cats in Drought Stricken Texas

July 28, 2011 | Bridgeport, Texas

 HeidiKrahn shot these pictures yesterday of wildfires threatening the Center for Animal Research and Education in Bridgeport, Texas. There are 'fires daily in our area and our wells are all going dry from the drought,' she said. 'It is very scary to protect all of these incredible animals with little water. We all shower with trickles of water and go to the laundromat to do laundry just to keep the cats with cool water three times a day.'
- jmsaba, CNN iReport producer

Texas grassfire that came dangerously close to burning the 52 Lions, Tigers, Leopards and cougars at the Center for Animal Research and Education (CARE) in Bridgeport, Texas.  At least 8 fire departments responded to the blaze.

Fire burns 100 acres, spares Bridgeport animal sanctuary

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/07/29/3257147/fire-burns-100-acres-spares-bridgeport.html#ixzz1TcYUxOo8

By Terry Evans

tevans@star-telegram.com

Heidi Krahn was concerned about the dwindling water supply at her big-cat sanctuary in Bridgeport when son Dakota, 13, turned her stress-o-meter to maximum."He screamed into the house shouting, 'Mom! Fire!'" Krahn said.Dakota said he was cleaning the pool Thursday afternoon when a huge, dark cloud suddenly blocked the sun."As soon as she saw the cloud she called 911," he said of his mother.The sky behind the Center for Animal Research and Education in Bridgeport was black with smoke from a grass fire.

Samson watching the fire fighters!

The fire devoured 100 acres of bone-dry grass and scrubby mesquite groves, threatened four structures and took almost eight hours to put out, Bridgeport Fire Chief Terry Long said. The call on County Road 3422 came in about 5 p.m. Thursday, Long said. "I had a crew stay with it all night long," Long said. "We're still on fire watch there, going out and checking it every hour." Long said the sanctuary was never in danger because the fire started across the road and traveled away from it, pushed by a north-northeast wind. He said the fire started at the roadside, but he would not speculate on its source. "It's under investigation," he said.The fire did however, jump County Road 3424 north of the sanctuary, Long said. It also drew about 40 firefighters from Bridgeport, Lake Bridgeport, Chico, Paradise, Cottondale, Alvord and Decatur. They used 12 brush trucks and five tankers, Long said.The sanctuary is home to 35 tigers, seven cougars, six leopards and three lions. The cats kept their cool during the fire, Krahn said. "They weren't necessarily frightened," she said. "Mostly they were just really curious. The smoke was drifting next to the enclosures, not over them. We were very lucky that the winds were with us yesterday." Long said the weather is hammering fire departments hard. "Yesterday was 102 degrees and 20 percent humidity," he said. The heat is taking a toll on the sanctuary, too. For instance, some of the cats require air conditioning, which has run the electricity bill to $1,000 a month, Krahn said. "We have a lot of problems out here," she said. "The extraordinary heat is making it harder on animals that have trouble anyway." The biggest problem is that water trickling from one well into a holding tank is not enough, Krahn said. "We have a well company trying to hook up a new system, tying some old wells together to maybe get us through the summer," she said. Krahn said she knows that a lot of nonprofits are struggling because donations are the first thing cut out of family budgets when the economy sours.That's why for her, volunteers like the firefighters who responded to her call for help are angels."They're amazing, lifesaving," she said. "It honestly brings tears to my eyes that they're volunteers like the people who work here. They get nothing out of this but the feeling of doing something right like we do with the cats. They risk their lives to save people, and this time they risked their lives to save our cats."

Terry Evans, 817-390-7620

For information contact Heidi Krahn, Executive Director, CARE

Heidi@bigcatcare.org

CARE website www.bigcatcare.org

  

 Decatur Fire Fighters get a big thanks from Sampson after the fire was under control.... Thank you all 8 fire departments the extinguished the dangerous grass fire that threatened CARE