Tigers and lions find safe haven

Who would have thought that east of Fallon dwells a quiet and peaceful sanctuary for lions, tigers, cougars and a lynx, aptly called Tiger Touch?

It all started in 1997 when John and Barbara Williamson were driving through Fallon heading back to California and they received a phone call. The message revealed some big cats were slated to be euthanized within 30 days if not removed from the property due to an unfortunate mishap involving an unattended child who stuck his hand in the tiger's cage.

The Williamsons assumed the responsibility of taking care of a tiger, a lion and three cougars when nobody was able to take the big cats. With the help of volunteers, donors, wildlife inspectors and understanding neighbors, and along with Mary Walker and Nola Fletcher, the Tiger Touch nonprofit corporation facility was built on a 10-acre private property to house the rescued cats. Since then, the Williamsons' relationship with the cats has become stronger.

Besides providing them a better life, both researchers do all the physical labor themselves, from feeding the cats to cleaning their cages and giving them much-needed interaction.

Tiger Touch currently has seven furry residents: Peggy Sue - a female Eurasian lynx who lives indoors with John and Barbara Williamson; Teddy and Sunshine - a male and female Canadian lynx, respectively; Nala - a female Barbary lion who recently lost her mate, Rocky, who was also a Barbary lion; Det, short name for Detonator - a male Bengal tiger; and Niki - a female Siberian tiger.

What makes this sanctuary unique is the fact that Nala, the lioness, and Det, the tiger, harmoniously cohabit in one big cage.

"You feed them once a day, some of them twice. Make sure that they're happy. Play with them. Give them your attention, as if they were not so much children but friends," said Tiger Touch director John Williamson in describing the experience of taking care of the big cats.

What started as a sanctuary and as a place of learning ways to protect big cats is slowly in the process of transitioning to Tiger Touch University Retreat.

"We are in a transition into a much bigger operation where we will house about a hundred cats," Tiger Touch Project Manager Barbara Williamson said. "It'll be a safe place for them, make sure the poachers can't get to them. We need to raise the money to get the land and from then own we can get architectural drawings and see where we can get the money from."

They realize that offering rescue and sanctuary is not enough and if they want to help in preservation of other endangered exotic cats, they would have to expand.

"There's this press release in 1998 regarding biodiversity crisis, it says we're going to lose half or more of the species within 30 years," said Barbara Williamson.

"We have a maximum of 18 years to fix this problem. We need to do reforestation, clean up the planet, the pollution, renewable energy resources and stop overpopulation."

The press release was from American Museum of Natural History, dated April 20, 1998, regarding the result of a nationwide survey entitled "Biodiversity in the Next Millennium" developed by the Museum with Louis Harris and Associates Inc.

The result reveals that seven out of 10 biologists believes that we are in the midst of mass extinction and the loss of species will pose major threat to human existence in the next century.

Unlike prior extinctions, the biologists believe that this extinction is not a natural phenomenon, but a result of human activity - a dramatic wake-up call.

The Williamsons' passion for protecting the tigers and lions from extinction is what's giving them the motivation in making Tiger Touch University Retreat a reality in the near future. They want to establish a safe haven for the big cats and a place where they can also educate and raise awareness on the conservation of these species.

Tiger Touch solely operate through donations, memberships and out of the Williamsons' personal funds and with a big project like the conservation center, they are trying to reach out to many people as they can in order to gather funds for their well-researched programs. Membership to Tiger Touch is a great way to show support as the dues go the construction of Tiger Touch University and other educational and enrichment programs.

For more information on different membership categories and for anybody who wants to see the cats, call 775-423-8309 or visit their website at www.tigertouch.org..