LIONS AND TIGERS AND MITCH...OH MY!!

I slept in today and consequently am a little sluggish, but it was some well needed rest after all the excitement this past week. And it didn’t end once I was back on shore yesterday.

For my sister who loves horses

For my son who Loves Dogs

I rented a car and drove about an hour north of Orlando to meet a friend of Jan Fisher’s (who she was kind enough to introduce me to over the phone) named Mitch. Now Mitch is a very special person in that his uniqueness is in his ability to create and build a rather large habitat for exotic animals. Oh, and by the way, as he said to me, “this is just a hobby.” Well, this “hobby” encompasses some 200 acres of land and hundreds of beautiful exotic animals accompanied by your everyday garden variety of dogs, cattle, horses and domesticated Russian Foxes. 

I would like to share with you just a few of the many pictures I took on my afternoon visit to his estate yesterday.  

Upon arrival I was treated to a feast before heading out to walk the grounds. One of the things I immediately noticed is that there isn’t a lack of food around here. Which is a necessary thing when you have hundreds of hungry animals wandering about. This is a picture of just one day’s supply of food for the animals. The feed system is an incredibly well thought out and organized with color-coded buckets, dietary needs, and etc. all lay out ahead of time. Check out the daily menu below...No Seafood for Tigers! LOL!

I was as impressed with the organization, production, functionality and operation of this place as I was with its’ beauty. Mitch took the time to show me how he engineered all types of special cages for the different animals for transport. It is evident he has taken great care in handling and caring for these exotics in every aspect of their journey. We took a stroll through where the tigers, lions, leopards and all the other “big cats” live. I was in awe of their size.

There are a variety of special uses for these exotic animals. Anywhere from participating in shows in Las Vegas from Cirque to Siegfried & Roy, to movies and films in Hollywood and around the world, Mitch does it all for those who seek to connect in some way to these special creatures. He’s quite famous in the exotic animal kingdom and is the one to call anytime an expert is needed in that arena. His knowledge, care and handling of these animals is a beautiful thing to observe. He also arranges visits with animals and helping  autistic and special needs kids as well.

It was a wonderful afternoon of seeing what’s possible if you have a wonderful vision and are not afraid to work hard to make it happen. 

I want to extend a warm thank you to Mitch for taking the time to share his vision and creation with me. It was a special visit that I won’t soon forget. For him, however, this is ordinary life. I’m sure he will be off to a new adventure in Tasmania, Antarctica or Africa sometime soon. One of these days I may hop along for a ride. He certainly believes in –

Enjoying the Journey!

Kenna