Indiana exotic cat rescue cares for the biggest of felines

Robert Scheer, Indianapolis Star
·2 min read
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Joe Taft isn't Joe Exotic, and that's the way he likes it. Taft, the founder and longtime head of the Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Center Point said a camera crew showed up after the early pandemic phenomenon 'Tiger King' hit Netflix. By day's end, the crew had packed up, made a donation to the center and hit the road. The reason? "They said 'you're not crazy enough to be in my film,'" Taft said with a laugh.

Previous coverage:Netflix docuseries brings big cat owners into focus

The Western Indiana facility cares for unwanted or seized big cats. This means a crew of employees cuts up road-killed deer and dead livestock donated by local farmers. Then workers make the rounds with the grub; a horse leg here, a steer head there. It's part of daily life for the 120 or so felines, ranging from former circus tigers to the occasional feline celebrity.

The 'Springfield Cougar' finds a home in Indiana

The so-called Springfield Cougar crouches in a high platform inside an enclosure on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, at Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Center Point, Ind. This young male mountain lion started his journey in Nebraska, headed east, and likely swam the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers before being tranquilized in Springfield, Illinois. In late October, it was relocated to the EFRC, and is slowly becoming acclimated to new surroundings and a diet of deer meat provided by staff members.

In October, an unwelcome mountain lion dubbed the Springfield Cougar was captured in Illinois, having made its way from Nebraska where it was originally radio collared. While not as famous as Los Angeles' P-22, the Springfield cat was tranquilized and moved to Indiana where it's getting used to an enclosure and caregivers who bring daily piles of venison.

Previous coverage:Mountain lion sedated on west side of Springfield, being sent to Indiana sanctuary

In late December, President Biden signed into law the Big Cat Public Safety Act, a broad law that bars the private ownership of six big cats: Tigers, lions, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, and mountain lions. Taft has mixed feelings about it.

Joe Taft, Executive Director, uses a two-way radio to talk with a staff member on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, at Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Center Point, Ind. Taft, 77, stands on a one acre parcel of land that he’s planning to build five indoor/outdoor enclosures on, with an attached clinic for their cats.
Joe Taft, Executive Director, uses a two-way radio to talk with a staff member on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, at Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Center Point, Ind. Taft, 77, stands on a one acre parcel of land that he’s planning to build five indoor/outdoor enclosures on, with an attached clinic for their cats.

While the EFRC will be able to keep caring for its felines, many of which came through federal seizures of privately-owned animals held in dismal conditions, part of the law indicates that the public must stay 15 feet away from any enclosure. The center relies on visitors and their donations, so Taft is unclear what enforcement of this 15-foot buffer would look like.

However the law shakes out, Taft plans to retire soon, leaving leadership at the center to other staff members. "I'm pushing 78," Taft said. "It's time the responsibility starts moving on."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Head of big cat rescue looks toward retirement

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