Local Sanctuary Provides Homes for Captive Wildcats

When an “exotic pet” takes the form of a leaping 275-pound Bengal tiger, it becomes plain the term fails to capture a striped reality.

The Wildcat Sanctuary in Isanti County is home to about 20 big cats, examples of the risks of mixing human intention with wildness.

Tammy Quist, 32, director and vice president of sanctuary, set out to establish a permanent home for big cats after becoming aware of the plight of exotic animals in her work as an advertiser, she explained.

Quist, a graduate of Rosemount High School, said she was “smitten” by big cats during an advertising photo shoot.

But working as a volunteer at one exotic animal business, she became distressed over the cramped pens, the selling and reselling, and the owner’s decision to euthanize animals to collect pelts and skeletons.

“It just made me sick,” she said.

With the idea of starting a nonprofit, Quist returned to Minnesota and about five years ago located The Wildcat Sanctuary in Isanti County.

She was interested in forming a true sanctuary– a place where big cats would come to live out the rest of their lives, never being bred, never sold, never put to sleep.

The sanctuary, which only accepts animals in dire situations, has been at capacity for about two years.

It’s now home to bobcats, lynx, African servals — a long-legged cats with distinctive “helicopter” ears — cougars, and a single Bengal tigress, named Meme.

Twenty-years-old, Meme is old for a captive tiger and came to the sanctuary after Quist and others become aware that Meme’s owner, who felt too old to take care of the tiger, was considering shooting it.

It might be surmised that zoos would gladly take a tiger, but Minnesota Zoo officials say that’s not the case.

Because the genetic lines of big cats bred in captivity are uncertain, zoos don’t want them.

And in Meme’s case, the tigress’ age and health further complicated matters.

So the Bengal now on hot afternoon lounges in kiddy pool at the sanctuary.

To feed Meme and the other wild cats, the sanctuary orders a ton of meat every two weeks.

Although Quist believes the breeding of exotic animals needs to reduced, she has sympathy for private exotic pet owners.

The owners who have dropped off their animals at the sanctuary have had tears in their eyes, she said.

Still, Quist is strongly against private ownership of exotic pets.

Only one in a 100 truly understands the requirements of exotic pet ownership, she said.

Things often begin fine, but then the animals grow older and begin to bite and scratch.

Wildcats can’t really be trained to use litter boxes,

One bobcat at the sanctuary from the southern metro started a house fire by urinating into an electrical outlet.

Quist has advice for people considering buying an exotic pet.

“If you really love that animal to where you want to buy one, love it for what it is — it’s a wild animal,” she said.

“There are ways of being around animals without contributing to the problem,” said Quist.

Besides taking care of their own wildcats, sanctuary staff also become involved in dozens of animal “rescues” a year.

In this, they facilitate the removal of an animal for its safety or the safety of owners and attempt to find it a place to live.

One tiger in Minnesota the sanctuary became involved with had killed a previous owner in Nevada — it was probably moved here because the state lacks laws prohibiting the shipment of such animals, said Quist.

Another tiger that had killed an owner, Quist helped to relocate, instead of being the ferocious embodiment she expected, coolly walked into the holding crate.

Closer inspection revealed the tiger had four abscessed teeth and a broken tail.

“All the animal did was act like a tiger one day,” said Quist.

Quist was active last session at the Legislature during the exotic animal debate that saw a bill passed that ultimately will ban the ownership of certain exotic pets by private individuals without proper licensure.

“I think it’s a huge step,” said Quist, who argues that exotic animal breeders fuel the problems relating to exotic pets.

“These breeders are not selling 20 tigers a year to zoos. They’re selling 20 tigers a year to private individuals,” said Quist.

Currently, The Wildcat Sanctuary is located on 10 acres of land.

Quist hopes to purchase another parcel of land, 50 to 100 acres, within 90 minutes of the metro in order to expand the facility.

They hope to house a large animal veterinary hospital at a new site, increase public education, and have other goals.

To do this, the sanctuary needs to double its current $125,000 budget — the money to purchase the property is available, said Quist.

What’s needed now is committed funding, she said.

The sanctuary also is looking for volunteers with expertise in business, marketing, and public relations.