Working with exotic animals is far from an easy job. At any givens notice, animal rescuers must be prepared for the unknown. Wild animals are unpredictable, so staying on your toes is a prerequisite for the job. However, when an abandoned crate made its way to the rescue doorstep no one knew what was hiding inside.
20. The Animal Rescue
Image: Honest To Paws
The Carolina Tiger Rescue had an unexpected delivery dropped off at their organization one day. A dog crate that was just abandoned on the doorstep took employees at the rescue aback. Inside, however, was no dog.
19. Mysterious Call
Image: Scribol
You see, the day before the animal organization received a strange anonymous call. The woman on the other end refused to give her name but did say that she needed help. More specifically, she needed help for her friend…
18. Wild Pet
Image: Honest To Paws
The lady on the phone explained that her friend had a wild pet that she couldn’t quite control. The friend wanted to hand in the animal to the shelter however they wouldn’t accept the animal unless CTR’s curator signed off on it.
17. More Problems
Image: Scribol
Unfortunately, the curator was not at the shelter that day and wouldn’t be able to sign off. Another problem was also looming on the horizon. The organization was running out of space as they had just accepted two new tigers that were in a quarantined area. The organization gave the woman the curator’s info and the call ended there.
16. Next Day
Image: Honest To Paws
No one expected that on the next day an abandoned crate would greet them with an animal waiting inside. The crate was pretty small for the occupant that happened to be a medium-sized African wildcat. It was a shocking discovery to say the least.
15. The Animal
Image: Honest To Paws
The African wildcat that was left behind is a solitary creature that enjoys hunting on small prey. These include animals like small rodents and birds. They happen to be great hunters and can jump pretty high! The organization wasn’t sure how this could have happened…
14. CTR Manager
Image: Scribol
“We found [the serval] on our doorstep in a dog crate with a note attached,” Jessika Morgan, CTR’s communication manager told The Dodo. “[It told] us about his former home and his name.”
13. The Note
Image: Scribol
The note informed the staff that the cat’s name was Elvis and that he should be referred to as such. The note also read, “Love me tender, Elvis.” It was obvious that the owner cared about the wildcat but could no longer care for him.
12. Too Wild
Image: Scribol
“He became too large and too aggressive for his owner to handle,” Morgan explained. “It’s not his fault, he’s a wildcat with wildcat instincts, [so] we found a way to make it work. We couldn’t turn him away.”
Elvis turned out to be a real joy to the rescuers.
11. Check-up
Image: Scribol
The rescuers made sure to bring Elvis to a veterinarian that could give him a thorough check. It was soon obvious that the previous owners had no idea how to properly care for a wild cat. Elvis was incredibly underweight and malnourished. However, that wasn’t the end of the news…
10. Another Problem
Image: Honest To Paws
Upon further inspection, the CTR noticed that there was something wrong with skin around the wild cat’s neck. It seems that Elvis had worn a collar that was too small for him and it had grown into his skin. It would take a surgical procedure to remove the collar embedded in his skin.
9. Scars
Image: Scribol
On top of that, Elvis had some pretty prominent scars along his forehead. “We believe [they] came from him constantly rubbing his face on the crate,” CTR explained on their webpage. Once the rescuers allowed Elvis outdoors another shocking discovery was made…
8. Confinement
Image: Honest To Paws
“He walked in circles for a while. [That indicated] to us that he was confined to that crate for a while,” Morgan explained to The Dodo. Eventually, after enough time passed, Elvis loved being outdoors and in the spotlight.
7. Social Butterfly
Image: Honest To Paws
Even though Elvis was left at the CTR due to his aggressive nature, he absolutely loves being social. He loves being around other people, however, they still need to keep a safe distance just in case.
6. CTR Website
Image: Honest To Paws
The CTR website described Elvis and his social nature on their webpage. The following was displayed: “Elvis can be a very social serval. “[He] will often come up to the fence to greet tour guests and volunteers.”
5. Behavior
Image: Honest To Paws
He will also let guests know when he’s had enough socializing for the day. “[Elvis] will, however, remind someone if they are too close by hissing at them and backing away,” the website writes.
It seemed like Elvis was really making himself at home at the CTR until one day the rescuers noticed another issue!
4. Broken Leg
Image: Honest To Paws
They began to notice that Elvis wasn’t using one of his legs and would walk around with a limp. “It was shattered in more than a dozen places – and we still aren’t sure how it happened,” Morgan said. Unfortunately, the doctors had to amputate the leg due to the severity of the break.
3. Still Positive
Image: Honest To Paws
Despite having lost his leg, Elvis still maintained a positive attitude. Losing a leg didn’t bring him down in any way and he still enjoyed his daily activities at the CTR. Elvis has managed to overcome so much in his life and continued to have an appreciation for life.
2. Happy Elvis
Image: Honest To Paws
“Elvis lives happily on our tour path, still able to run and jump up onto his platforms,” Morgan told The Dodo. Elvis lives his life as a free cat and roams around to his heart’s desire, no longer having to be confined or underfed.
1. Elvis’ Story
Image: Honest To Paws
“Elvis’ story is a direct result of this lack of legislation,” CTR’s website wrote. “People are obtaining them as pets and then realizing, sometimes at the expense of a human life, or the animal’s life, that this isn’t a good idea. Animals such as Elvis deserve to be respected as the wild animals they are.”