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Missouri
(Deceased Cougar)
DOB 1997

Missouri and Cody are the two cougars that Carole Lewis Baskin had to ask her Director of Education to search for so that she could be filmed actually "rescuing" something for a filming of the Jack Hannah TV show. They arrived in January of 2000 after their owner was looking to re-home the pair as a result of a divorce.

About this time Carole was claiming that the situation for big cats was so dire that she personally had to turn down hundreds of big cats each year for lack of space. Ask yourself these questions: 

  • Why was Carole not able to just pick up the phone and offer to rescue one of the hundreds of cats she said she turned down every year? 
  • Why did Carole have to send someone to look for cats to rescue if there were hundreds waiting for homes?
  • Why was Carole only interested in rescuing a cat when there was a TV show and free publicity involved? 
  • Why was Carole so specific about the cat(s) she would to rescue, preferring a smaller, declawed female that she could "get some mileage out of". 
  • Why was Carole able to make room for 2 cats accompanied by lots of publicity when she previously claimed she had no room to rescue more. (the ones she had at this time were mostly the 148 she bought or bred).

Read the emails that went back and forth between Carole, her Director of Education, and the Jack Hannah representative and then decide if Carole Lewis Baskin actually turned down hundreds of big cats a year or if this was one of her many lies to defraud the public for donations. Should a cat you have to search for, who you 'special order' for your collection, who has not been abused or neglected but simply needs a new home due to a divorce, really be touted as a rescue?  Carole chose to take this cat solely for the publicity so we would call it a re-home. 

The Evolving Stories

Wildlife On Easy Street 2001

"Cody and Missouri were rescued as a result of a divorce, in which they became the unwanted and abandoned dependants.  They arrived here on January 21, 2000 and were filmed for Jack Hanna's Wild Adventures which is to air on May 6, 2000."

Big Cat Rescue 2006 (Carole was going through some weird phase)

"Missouri is very cross eyed because most exotic cats in the pet trade have been purposely inbred to create a dependant animal contrary to what nature intended.  Cody and Missouri were rescued as a result of a divorce, in which they became the unwanted and abandoned dependants. They arrived at Big Cat Rescue on January 21, 2000 and were filmed for Jack Hanna's Wild Adventures, which aired on May 6, 2000 (and hundreds of times since in different languages all over the world.) Missouri is almost the complete opposite of Cody. She will run up to see anyone and is extra curious when work is being done nearby. 
Missouri speaks to us of the Eagle who represents Spirit.  She wants us to remember that we are all connected to each other and to the Great Spirit.  Loving yourself the way the Great Spirit loves you will heal your broken wings and allow you to fly into the illumination of lofty ideals.  Missouri may be caged in this life, but her spirit soars with Eagle and she wants you to come fly high with her.  Take heart and gather courage because the Universe is calling you to discover your true Spirit. "

Big Cat Rescue (present)

"Missouri and Cody were rescued when they became unwanted after their previous owners divorced. They arrived at Big Cat Rescue on January 21, 2000 and were filmed for Jack Hanna’s Wild Adventures, which aired on May 6, 2000 (and hundreds of times since in different languages all over the world.) 
Missouri is almost the complete opposite of Cody. She will run up to see anyone and is extra curious when work is being done nearby. She is very cross eyed because most exotic cats in the pet trade have been purposely inbred to create a dependent animal contrary to what nature intended. 
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