Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!!

During our recent visit to Garrett's home town in Pennsylvania we got the opportunity to spend some time at one of Garrett's best friends Marty's house. Marty's mom and step dad care for abused or abandoned wild animals on their property. And when I say wild, I mean wild. We saw lions, tigers, a leopard, a cougar, wolves, a minx and a llama. It was so cool not only to see the animals up close but to hear each of their stories. There was even a white tiger that had just been brought to them from the Playboy Mansion. The other cats didn't take too well to the newest "beauty queen" on the block. We think they were just jealous though. Another really cool part of our visit was seeing Dr. Shepherd, Marty's step dad, feed Sabrina, one of the tigers, raw meat out of his hand!! Sabrina has been with the family since she was a cub. Garrett even remembers playing with Sabrina many years ago when she still lived in their house. Today she weighs almost 600 pounds. In total they care for 32 lions and tigers. Each eat about 10-12 lbs of raw meat daily. Even though many of them have been abused most are quite friendly, except for Kira. She came rushing over to the fence and roared at Garrett when he was taking pictures. Now that was a shot I wish we had gotten. He was spooked pretty good! Overall our experience was amazing, so much better than any trip to the zoo!!