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MAKING DREAMS A REALITY
Have you ever dreamed of visiting a place with over 170 exotic cats, from lions to leopard cats, tigers to bobcats, 22 species in all, available for the public to see? Well there is such a place, just ten minutes from Tampa International Airport in Florida. When I found Wildlife on Easy Street on the Internet I could not believe my eyes. Despite the fact that it was three thousand miles away in America, I knew that I just had to visit this place.
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We actually visited the
sanctuary on three separate
occasions, including one tour at night, one day tour and a special expedition day, which included staying over in the sanctuary overnight.
The Wild Eyes At Night Tour takes place once a month, after dark, and is an excellent
opportunity to see some of the shyer animals.
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The following morning we returned to spend the full day with the animals. This is known as "Expedition" and is definitely an experience not to be missed. After learning the 'ground rules' we spent the next couple of hours on a tour of the entire place, meeting numerous cats as well as
lemurs, bearcats, and a variety of birds. Pisces the Fishing Cat dived into his pool to get his food, enabling us to see him swim.
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After the tour we had some 'interactive time' with a number of cats., We met several Bobcats including Raindance and Moses, as well as Esmerelda (Serval) and Elijah and Rosie (Caracals). These cats were quite used to humans, allowing us to pet them or play ball with them.
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