TAMPA, Fla. -- A major animal rescue is underway in Tampa on Thursday morning. Big Cat Rescue is helping in what's being called the largest rescue of Big Cats in U.S. history.
Big Cat Rescue will be taking in five Tigers that were being held at a facility in Colorado that went out of business. A number of animal sanctuaries around the country are participating in this rescue.
"We've actually been planning it since the middle of September. Our cats that are coming are some of the last cats to leave the sanctuary and it's a and it's a coordination effort between getting the permits, marking sure we have the space, making some there's someone that can transport the cats," said Susan Bass with Big Cat Rescue.
Big Cat Rescue in Tampa is one of the largest accredited sanctuaries in the world dedicated entirely to rescuing and providing a permanent home for abused and abandoned exotic cats.
There are a total of 110 big cats and bears from that facility in Colorado being rescued.
"Here at the sanctuary, we have about 75 cats already. So we had to scramble and move a lot of cats around. We've had to add new large feeding areas and dens for these cats since they're some of the biggest cats that we have," Bass told ABC Action News.
Names and ages of the tigers: Andy (15), Charaka (15), Gabrielle (19), Priya (13), and Seth (10).
