This morning I went to the Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge with one of the Caldwell interns and one of the Caldwell keepers who used to be an intern there. The purpose of the refuge is "To provide rescue and rehabilitation of big cats that have been abused, neglected or displaced." We walked around and looked at the more than 40 cats that are currently housed at the refuge, many of whom were doing all they could to stay cool in the 104 degree Texas heat! We were fortunate to have an ex-intern's insight on the day-to-day functioning of the refuge, as well as the animal's personalities, training, and habitats. The refuge itself is under a lot of construction as Tiger Creek is building these big, beautiful new habitats that will give many of the tigers, lions, and pumas the space they need.

Stormy the lion (see picture) was particularly interested in us when we arrived at his enclosure. However, the heat got the best of him and after a few minutes of staring contests and one half-hearted growl at a passing child, he opted to nap in a shady corner of his exhibit instead.