PrideRock Wildlife Refuge is a safe haven for Big Cats that have been abused, abandoned, confiscated or that can no longer be properly cared for by their previous owners for whatever reason. The Refuge is located on 9 acres, thirty miles east of Dallas in Kaufman county, Texas. PrideRock is a non-profit corporation and a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt publicly supported organization. The Refuge is operated by Gary and Carol Holliman and is currently home to 7 lions, 12 tigers, 8 cougars, and 8 wolf-dogs, and their own menagerie of family dogs.
It originated as the home for the Hollimans and their various four legged friends and grew into home to twenty-eight exotic cats, eight wolf dogs, two Akitas, one Great Pyrenees, and three porch dogs that were dumped on our road. We started opening our home to these critters back in 1985 when we got Natasha, a Siberian husky who lived with us until she crossed the rainbow bridge in 2001
What is the appeal for owning Exotic cats?
The appeal of the great cats is alluring and spell binding to most people. Man has had an affinity with these wonderful and mystifying creatures for thousands of years in most cultures. Images of lions, tigers and cougars have always represented royalty, courage, strength, and dignity as they have been respected, feared and admired. No wonder in today's generation of materialism in this country that wanting to own one of these magnificent animals has become an all too easy reality.
The result of this phenomena is that breeders are producing great cats in record numbers to fill a growing demand. Lion or tiger cubs can be bought for as little as $300 from the back of pickup trucks, at flea markets, in bar parking lots, etc.; anywhere a quick impulse buy from a naive consumer might occur. The result is that today in the United States, it is estimated that there are more tigers (for example) owned as pets, housed in trailers, backyards, basements, etc., than are left alive in the wild. The number of tigers alone is projected at over ten thousand, which does not account for lions, cougars, or leopards.
The problem is great cats were never intended to be pets. Very few people have the time, space, finances, and commitment it takes to own one. Consider that the cute ball of fur most people acquire, in the case of a tiger for example, at 12 months old will be a 100 pound animal capable of inflicting serious damage in play. It can weigh over 300 lbs. within another twelve months, requiring a covered enclosure that should be 20 feet by 40 by 10 feet tall, not to mention that it will eat eight to ten lbs. of meat a day. Turn your back on this animal and it may be the last thing you ever do; not because it would want to harm you, but because as it jumped on your back in play (which is its natural instinct), chances for your survival are not good. Sometime in its third year, the cub will become an adolescent and its personality will permanently change as it becomes what it was born to be; an animal that get want it wants on impulse. Then it will need a safe place to stay for the remainder of its lifespan which is somewhere around 20 to 25 years in captivity.
What happens when that cute little cub that liked to suck your finger like a pacifier becomes 400 lbs. and eats 10 lbs. a meat a day? That is the main problem. Most people who acquire a big cat don't think this far ahead. For most, it was an impulsive decision or a following through of a half-baked dream. The result either way is one more crisis with which the sanctuaries who are set us to help these animals have to deal or the poor animal ends up spending the rest of its life in a small cage hidden away in someone's back lot or basement.
About PrideRock
Like most other animal shelters or sanctuaries they started as owners of a couple of big cats and found that other individuals were contacting them to see if we would be willing to take their pet that they could no longer handle, or that needed to be placed for whatever reason. They had a hard time of saying no to an animal that needed a good home.
The animals that they have, except for the first 3 that they purchased, have come to them from theme parks that have discontinued using animals, from private owners that needed to place their animals, and from other unsatisfactory conditions.
At PrideRock, they respect the animals rather than fear them. They are very large and powerful animals, capable of inflicting fatal injury to any person. Therefore, they respect them and do not place them in a situation where they would feel the need to inflict any such injury. This can be done by careful handling of the animal as well as knowing the moods, habits and nature of each animal and taking those into consideration when dealing with them.
They do not receive any type support from the State or U.S. Government and depend solely on support from people. The 28 cats that they now feed will go through about $1,500.00 worth of chicken, horse and beef bones each month. The big cats can live as long as 20 - 25 years in captivity whereas in the wild the average life expectancy is probably less than 10 years. None of their animals are sent to zoos because zoos are only interested in animals that have a known and pure bloodline. Most of their cats do not have a known blood line. They may be Siberian/Bengal, Bengal/Sumatran, etc., and the only way to know for certain, is to do DNA testing on each cat. As a result, when an animal comes to PrideRock, this is their final home.
This is a large commitment for PrideRock both financially and with the time it takes to care for these animals.. Unfortunately, because donations are so sporadic, they both have to keep full time jobs just to support the animals. Their dream is to get the donations up to a consistent level so they can work all day at PrideRock further improving the lives of these animals.
PrideRock does not let the cats do not get outside the compound unless they are on their way to the veterinarian and safely secured in a custom-built roll cage inside a transport trailer. And they do not breed any of the cats because there are enough exotic cats in the United States that keeps all our enclosures full without the necessity of doing any breeding.
Keeping Cool in the hot days of summer
The cats at PrideRock that enjoy water, the tigers mainly, are afforded access to troughs filled with water and their pens have misters, then all the cats have shade and fans that come on when the temperature reaches 92 degrees. One goal is to raise enough money to build Tiger River. This will be a shallow pool that looks like a river that will run through all the tiger pens. The estimated cost of Tiger River is about $50,000 and they are looking for a corporate benefactor to fund this project.
Donations Needed
PrideRock depends on donations from concerned people such as yourself. You can adopt one of their wonderful animals and really make a difference.
Your Adoption Fee will help cover the cost of food and support of your new adopted family member. Every cent of your donation goes DIRECTLY to providing the necessary care, feeding, veterinarian costs, and love for your adoptee. NONE of your support is ever used for human needs!
When you adopt one of PrideRock's "Special Animals," you become a member of a rather EXCLUSIVE FAMILY of friends who are able to create a truly unique personal relationship with their adoptee. In exchange for your commitment to help, you will receive an Adoption Certificate for your chosen Adoptee which displays a color photo of your new family member; a quarterly newsletter on your Adoptee; and a PrideRock T-shirt.
You can sponsor one of their Lions, Tigers, or Cougars for only $1,200 per year or $100 per month. For questions concerning adopting one these special animals please email Gary Holliman at lion@priderock.org. You can also call us at (214) 926-0029 to Adopt an animal. Adopting an animal works the same as other adoption programs concerning wild animals which means you are supporting their care for a year. It goes without saying that, if they could, ALL of their magnificent animals would give you huge hugs for becoming an Adoptive parent. Thank you for caring enough about these animals to help in such a meaningful way! To adopt an animal please follow the link below.
Wish List
PrideRock's needs are many and varied, as they try to provide the best possible life for their exceptional residents, as well as educate the world about the plight of the captive Big Cats. If you can help with any of the following needed items, new or in good working condition, please drop them an e-mail or give them a call at (241) 926-0029.
Here are a few items that they need:
Vitamins: There are a few special vitamins their cats require regularly for their continuing good health care. The first is Syn-Flex, which they use to protect the joints of the larger cats and is available at http://www.easysource.com/synflex.
The other two special supplements that they use regularly are Crisis Care Pak and Oasis Carnivore, which are available at www.apperon.com.
Equipment: Electric & propane heaters; John Deere Gator or other 4-wheeler; generators (110v & 220v.)and, John Deere or similar riding lawn mower; tractor with front end loader; utility trailer.
Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Supplies: 50' water hoses; water hose repair kits; fescue seed; fertilizer; tarps; rakes, hoes and shovels; push lawn mower; storage sheds; wheel-barrows; Aqua-fog mister (a href="www.jaybird-mfg.com" target="blank">www.jaybird-mfg.com) and Arizona mister kits (pvc type).
Building Materials: cement; nails; self drilling sheet metal screws; 9-gauge wire; 9-gauge chain link fencing 8' and 10'; chain link fencing hardware; line and corner/end posts (13'); 2 3/8" or 3" fencing pipe; 5'x20' stock panels with 2"X 4" wire spacing; and,3/4" plywood.
Hardware: door hinges; light chains, connectors and clips; 18" diameter x 4" tall galvanized pans; 2x4's, 2x6's & 4x4's; and 40 keyed alike padlocks.
Appliances: 10x20 walk-in freezer.
Miscellaneous: rain gear & boots; work gloves; all hand tools; large and extra large Igloo houses; and landscape timbers.
PrideRock also offers a direct link to Sanctuary Supplies where you can pay for supplies that will be delivered directly to the Sanctuary. See the link below.
PrideRock is a Texas non-profit, tax-exempt charitable organization, EIN 75-2792911 and a 501 (c) (3) organization so that your donations are tax deductible. You can also make your donation by check made payable to PRIDEROCK, and mailed to:
PrideRock Wildlife Refuge
A Non-Profit Haven for Exotic Animals
P.O. Box 1594
Terrell, Texas 75160
(214) 926-0029
All photos in this article have been furnished by PrideRock..
Web Links
Donations: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?return=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2epriderock%2eorg%2findex%2ehtml&submit.x=21&submit.y=22&business=chuffer1%40direcway%2e
Sanctuary Supplies You Can Order Directly to help PrideRock: http://www.sanctuarysupplies.com/priderock/
Adopt an Animal: http://www.priderock.org/adoption_information.html
Main Website: http://www.priderock.org