PENNS CREEK, Pa. — T & D's Cats of the World is known for its big cats. The animal rescue near Middleburg currently has 18 tigers. Five of those tigers had been in a small, temporary enclosure since they got here in December.
Earlier this week, the staff at T & D's moved them into their new nearly-three-acre enclosure.
"They have a nice big pond in there, and tigers love to swim, so they'll have that opportunity. They also have a wooded area and then a grassy area, lots of places to run, hide and play," said co-owner Jennifer Mattive.
But moving five big cats is no small task. Mattive says volunteers made a temporary pen and walkway for the tigers.
"They could just walk from their temporary enclosure to the building into the big tiger area, so it's pretty easy. It took us longer to put all that together. It took them 15 minutes, and they were out."
Mattive says moves like this are made when T & D's is closed.
"It's just a lot calmer for the animals, and they feel more comfortable doing that when there's not a lot of activity or people around."
The rescue recently opened for the season weekends from noon until 6 p.m.
Something new this year, T & D's is accepting high school students to its volunteer program, ages 16 and older.
"If they'd like to come out and be here on the weekends, watch visitors, and answer questions, learn a little about animal behavior – no animal interaction or feeding, but they can at least observe and figure out if this is something they'd like to do as a career."
Mattive says T & D's Cats of the World is still looking for volunteers of all ages, but she wants people to know they are not hands-on positions with the animals.
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