Mad About Pets was fortunate to visit Critter Camp Exotic Pet Sanctuary last month, where we were positively blown away by the hard work and dedication of the operator Beth. Critter Camp cares for hundreds of unique and unusual exotic species every day, giving them a safe place to call home. Right now, Critter Camp is almost at full capacity and is looking to expand. As a finalist in the Pepsi Refresh Challenge, you have the opportunity to help give Critter Camp the much-needed funds to expand their operation and build a brand new, green sanctuary for their deserving critters to happily live out their lives. Read on for an exclusive Mad About Pets interview with Critter Camp’s very own Beth, and learn how you can help:
What is Critter Camp?
Critter Camp Exotic Pet Sanctuary cares for unadoptable, abandoned and abused small pets other than cats and dogs. Currently we care for over 300 pets of 36 different species. Critter Camp is the only such licensed non-profit volunteer-operated sanctuary in the entire country. We are located in northern Illinois, but accept animals from as far away as Texas and Florida. We also offer hands-on educational tours where folks get to meet the animals we care for, and we provide public awareness and educational presentations.
Tell us a little about your animals. Which are the most unique? Which are the most challenging?
Critter Camp Exotic Pet Sanctuary has saved the lives of thousands of unadoptable pets: elderly, aggressive rabbits, ferrets with adrenal disease and insulinoma, hedgehogs with tumors, birds that bite, mice, rats, hamsters, fennec foxes- you name it – we've saved it!
Most were going to be euthanized, some were found in trash cans and dumpsters!
The kinkajous are the most unique; they have both mauled people and are considered dangerous. Kinks are very cute when they are small, but they often turn mean out of the blue and can do major damage such as tearing an ear off of a person. The fennec foxes are also unique. They are not as dangerous but they are a challenge. They need to be free range roaming about but they are not potty trainable, so there is always a mess. Plus they get into things, so we have to basically baby-proof everything.
Where do the animals at Critter Camp come from?
The animals come to us mostly from shelters where they are going to be euthanized because they are unadoptable due to aggression, old age or chronic illness. Some have come to us from law enforcement, such as the rabbits and guinea pigs that were to be used as bait in a dog fighting ring.
How would winning the Pepsi Refresh challenge help Critter Camp?
Critter Camp relies on donations to care for the animals and, as with many non-profits, the economy has caused a decrease in donations. Fundraising takes a lot of time that could be better spent caring for more animals. Critter Camp is also at capacity for most of the animals we care for and we have plans to expand to a larger facility. Winning the contest would mean that the care of the animals would be funded for a year and we would also have money to buy the land to begin the expansion project. Basically it would mean that Critter camp could save the lives of thousands more pets!
How can readers vote, and when does the contest end?
The entry is here: http://www.refresheverything.com/helpcrittercamp
People can vote once a day, every day until the end of
People can vote by signing in with email or their Facebook account, or just by texting their vote:
Text 108022 to Pepsi (73774) to vote from your cell (there is no additional charge for this text other than what they would normally pay for a text.)
Right now the most important thing is to use or send us the Power Vote codes on Pepsi products! They can send the codes to info@crittercamp.biz These are vital to our winning!
The codes are on Pepsi, Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Maxx yellow bottle caps ( 20 oz and 2 L) and inside 12 and 24 pack boxes. These can multiply your votes up to 100x!
We'd like to also invite folks to stop by our website www.crittercamp.org and sign up for our free email newsletter - the sign up box is there on the home page, and to "like" us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/crittercamp
If we all work together we can save the lives of so many truly "thrown away" animals and give them a healthy, happy, safe place to live out the rest of their lives.
