A few weeks ago, the Wildlife Sanctuary was able to do something very special: we released a bobcat back into its natural habitat. This guy came to us as a baby just as we were starting construction on the new location. Someone told us they had a bobcat for us, so we thought they meant the kind to help with construction. We were very surprised when it turned out to be an actual baby bobcat. He was in bad shape. His eyes were clouded over, and he had rocks and twigs in his feces. He was extremely malnourished and was obviously unable to care for himself. However, he did have a healthy fear of humans. Luckily, we were able to nurse him back to health at our 24 hour care facility with as little human contact as possible so that he would not become desensitized to people. His eyesight returned, and he put on quite a bit of weight once he had access to a proper diet. Eventually we started giving him food that he would eat in the wild to test his predatory instincts and hunting skills. He did wonderfully! This meant that he should be able to catch his own prey once released.

We decided to release him as soon as the weather cleared up. We did not want him to have to deal with horrible storms while he was just starting out on his own. This put his release behind schedule quite a bit due to the unseasonably late storms this year. However, once the rain disappeared and the temperature rose he was all ready to go.
With the approval of Fish and Game he was re-released into the same area in which he had been found.

This was a very exciting time for us at the Sanctuary because we believe that these animals should be able to live their lives out in their natural habitats if they are physically capable of taking care of themselves. That is why we specialize in taking in animals with physical disabilities who would not be able to care for themselves in the wild. We hope this is the first of many animals who will be able to return to their natural environment. We have also previously released a pair of red tail hawks. Our new facility is helping us to provide care for more animals than ever before, and we could not be happier about it!

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We are pleased to announce the arrival of a new member of our family. He is a 10 month old Kinkajou. He does not yet have a name because we are still searching for someone to sponsor him and his sponsor will have the honor of choosing his name. We received this kinkajou to be a part of our behavioral research and offsite educational programs. We believe he will be the perfect addition to our program because he loves to show off for people. His favorite activities involve going for walks, throwing food, hanging from his tail, and snuggling under blankets for a long nap.

Kinkajous are native to tropical forests of Central and South America and are related to the raccoon. They spend most of their time in trees using their tail and feet to maneuver around. They can turn their feet backwards to better aid them in climbing and running in the tree canopies. They also have a prehensile, or gripping, tail that functions almost as another arm, allowing them to balance, hang from and grip things.

Kinkajous are nocturnal omnivores who feed primarily on fruit, but have occasionally been known to eat insects and eggs as well. These “Honey Bears”, as they are sometimes referred to, also raid bee hives. They have a six inch long tongue that they use to slurp up the honey. They weigh 3-7lbs and live in vocal, social groups. Females have on average one baby in the spring or summer. The baby is born with its eyes closed, but by the end of the second month can see and hang from its tail. Kinkajous can live on average 20-25 years in captivity and have been known to live for up to 40 years.

Kinkajous have a wide variety of vocal noises which range from a soft chirp to a bark or loud shriek. Because of their shrill feeding calls they have earned the nickname of “la llorona” which translates to “the crying woman” in Spanish.

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We’re Finally Open!

You may have seen us and our adorable grizzly bear on the news lately. If you haven’t, then we want everyone to know that we are now officially Open to the Public. Anyone can now visit us between the hours of 9-5, Tuesday through Sunday. It costs $7 for adults and $6 for children to walk around and visit the animals. Additionally, if you would like a guided tour we ask that you call ahead to make an appointment and for pricing information. The guided tour usually lasts about 2 hours and includes a lot of personal information about our animals from one of our wonderful volunteers. We are so excited and we hope everyone will come out and see all of our wonderful animals and our beautiful new location.

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We have exciting news about our progress. We are getting close to our goal of opening in one month. All of our animals have settled in are enjoying their new larger enclosures. The support from the community has been tremendous. Our visitor walkways are almost complete, and a company from Yuba City is making new entrance gates for us. We are still getting situated in our new location, and preparing to open to the public is an on-going project but we are nearing the finish line. It has been very hard on us to be closed to the public for the past 5 months, and has drastically reduced our donations. We are still in need of entry signs, road base, and 100 ft of asphalt. We are also always in need of helping hands. We are going to need help with tours as well as greeting and educating the public about our animals.

The other good news is that we were recently given a double wide portable classroom which we will be able to use for education instead of a tent we were planning on using. Now we will have a durable, weather-proof location in which we can teach children about the impact they have on the world around them and what they can do to help save the animals they see at our facility for future generations.

Even more exciting news is that Chuffy, our white Bengal tiger who was recently on shaky ground has made a come-back and is now doing extremely well. We knew something was wrong when she refused to eat for two days. Now she is back to her normal self eating 12-17 pounds a day and engaging in her favorite activities which include playing with her tether ball and 80 pound boomer ball. We are so happy she is feeling well. Chuffy is one of the few animals who is lucky enough to have a sponsor. Only 11 out of 43 of our residents are currently sponsored. To learn more about how to sponsor an animal, please visit our website, or call (530) 533-1000

Many people do not know just how much tigers eat. Here at the Foundation our big cats eat 10-14 pounds of meat a day, and will occasionally gorge themselves on up to 30 pounds in one sitting! Needless to say, that adds up to quite a large feed bill. We are fortunate enough to have some local grocery stores who donate meat when it reaches the sell-by date, and some citizens who raise rabbits for us, but it is not enough to meet our enormous need. We are always happy to accept donations of meat that is fit for human consumption. (No road-kill please, we only feed our animals the best.)

If you, or anyone you know thinks they would be able to help us in any way, please do not hesitate to call us at (530) 533-1000.

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We recently obtained our permits for our entrance and began construction to widen our main entry way on Monday, January 03, 2011. Volunteers stood out on the road in 30 degree weather holding stop/slow signs to control traffic while heavy machinery from R&R Horn Inc. paved the way into the Foundation. We are ecstatic because this means we are one step closer to being able to open for the public. Curious people drive by every day wondering what exactly is going on as they pass our property, and we can’t wait to be able to let them come in and see for themselves.

Meanwhile, Charlie Brown is working on completing part of our parking lot (designed by Bob Finney engineering) including two handicap spaces in order to meet the county regulations, and Brian Smith has begun putting up some of the tin roofs that we so desperately needed. Unfortunately we are still short of material for eight of the enclosures, but hope to raise more funds to finish the project as soon as possible. Chuck and Paul from M & T Construction have also been here every day to help keep things running smoothly.

All of these things are a wonderful step in the right direction, and we are so thankful for all of the help and support we have received from the community and countless others so far. An upcoming project includes creating walkways, which the California Conservation Corp has offered to complete. Another goal is to raise money to build a visitors center, otherwise we will be checking in visitors under a tent. We also need a sign for our entrance which will have to be approved by the county. Right now our main focus is to finish all of the things required in order to open. We hope to be open to the public some time in February. Anybody that knows anybody can help.

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This year our animals are asking Santa for a roof over their heads for Christmas. In our rush to meet the deadline for moving all of our animals, we had to delay certain projects which were not absolutely essential.

We had originally planned to build solid tin roofs over each of the enclosures. However, due to the time crunch and lack of funds, we were forced to settle for a temporary solution of securing heavy-duty tarps over the top of the chain link ceilings. The tarps will keep most of the rain and wind off of the animals for the winter, but they tear and rip easily due to sun and wind damage and have to be replaced often. This ends up costing us a lot of time and money. We are spending $300-400 a month just on wooden shavings to help keep the animals dry and warm. We need our animals to have permanent solid roofs over their enclosures to protect them from the elements for many years to come.

We have already purchased the metal sheets, but now the challenge is to raise the money for 1×4 inch metal strips in 12, 15, and 20 foot lengths to bolt the roofs to. Our goal is to raise $9000 in order to complete the project. So far, we have $800.

Many of our animals have special needs and require protection from the elements. We really need your assistance in order to meet our goal and improve our animals’ quality of life. Every little bit helps, even a dollar, and you can help the animals have a cozy home for the holidays.

All you have to do to share the Christmas cheer is click the Paypal button in the right sidebar. Our residents will be sure to give you Roars of Thanks in return!

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Meet a new member of our family!

This is Dory the Black Bear. She was born in January 2010 and we are very happy to have her. She came to us because the facility where she was born burned down and she needed a new home. Luckily, we were able to take her in. Dory is named after her sponsor who fell in love with her playful antics and spunky personality. This little girl was recently featured on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Dave Salmoni (view video.) Dory loves to splash in her bath tub and play with her toys. She even stands up and walks around on her hind legs and shows off by twirling in circles. Since Dory is so playful and needs constant stimulation we are hoping to find a friend to keep her company some time soon.

Black bears are the most common type of bear found in North America so Dory will help us to educate people about some of the native species that live around us. They are omnivorous and opportunistic, so they will generally eat whatever they can find easily in their environment, but prefer grasses, roots, berries, and insects. Dory is currently eating over 20 pounds of produce a day! As odd as it sounds, not all black bears are black. They come in many colors including blonde, cinnamon, and chocolate as well. They can be distinguished from grizzly bears by their generally smaller size, shorter claws, and lack of a shoulder hump.

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We did it!

As most of you have heard, the Foundation has been going through the process of moving locations over the last year. We are very excited about this because our old facility was restricted in regards to the amount of animals and visitors we could have. This move will enable us to help more animals in need as well as accommodate and educate more visitors. We hope the new location will enable us to reach out to more people in the community and teach them about the importance of protecting our wildlife. However, moving is always a difficult and expensive process, and it is even more so when there are many large animals involved. There were times when some of us began to think we would not be able to meet the October 31^st deadline Butte County gave us. Through a lot of hard work from dedicated volunteers and members of the community we were able to meet that deadline.

We purchased the new property last year, and began construction of cages in May 2010. With all of the cages finished the animals moved in October 2010. The move went extremely smoothly and all of the animals are now settling in and enjoying their new homes. Unfortunately, this does not mean that the battle is over. Since we were limited on time, we were unable to complete certain projects, such as building permanent roofs over the chain link ceilings rather than having to tie tarps over them. We are also in the process of constructing exercise areas where the animals can safely play and run outside of their normal enclosures. We are also still in need of walkways, large ballast rock, and an entrance sign. These things are important to us, but the needs of the animals have to come first. We always make sure that they have everything they need in order to be healthy and content. When it is a financial struggle every day, projects that are not immediately essential often fall to the wayside. Since the new facility is not yet open to the public, and we do not know when we will be able to open, finances are very limited and we are more dependent now than ever on the kindness and generosity of private donors.

We at the Barry R Kirshner Wildlife Foundation, both the two and four legged residents, would like to thank the community, businesses, and families for all of their financial and physical support. Literally hundreds of people banded together in order to help us achieve this goal. We could not have done it without each and every one of you.

Roars of Thanks! We hope everyone will come visit us soon.

Images from our move:

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