Big Cat Rescue
Big Cat Rescue Corp., also known as BCR and previously known as Wildlife on Easy Street, Inc., operates an animal sanctuary in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, which rescues and houses exotic cats, and rehabilitates injured or orphaned native wild cats. It was founded by Don Lewis and Carole Baskin in 1995.
| Nickname | BCR, Big Cat Rescue |
|---|---|
| Formation | March 30, 1995 as Wildlife on Easy Street, Inc. |
| Founders | Don Lewis Carole Baskin |
| Type | 501(c)(3) organization |
Tax ID no. | 59-3330495 |
| Location |
|
| Coordinates | 28.060314°N 82.571559°W |
| Fields | Protection of endangered species, wildlife sanctuary/refuge, education |
| Carole Baskin | |
President | Jamie Murdock |
Secretary/Treasurer | Howard Baskin |
Revenue (2018) | $4,429,347 |
| Expenses (2018) | $3,201,985 |
Staff (2018) | 20 |
Volunteers (2018) | 126 |
| Website | bigcatrescue |
Formerly called | Wildlife on Easy Street, Inc. |
The animal sanctuary has been open to the public and BCR sells tickets to visitors for tours including private tours, night tours, and feeding tours. However, BCR closed the facility to the public on March 16, 2020, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and Baskin later announced that she was considering not reopening the animal sanctuary to the public.
In 2019, BCR had 51 animals—17 big cats and 34 small cats of 11 species including bobcat, Canada lynx, caracal, cougar, Eurasian lynx, jaguar, leopard, lion, ocelot, serval and tiger—down from 66 in 2018.
BCR has been accredited by Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries since 2009, and has received 4-star ratings from Charity Navigator for 2007–2022.