The Tiger King is one of the most watched shows on Netflix. Between the mullet rockin’ wonder, a faux doc, and the cat lady, it’s a cast of characters all focused on big cats. Really big cats. The kind that belong in their natural habitat and not in cages for our enjoyment and profit.
Sara Crook is a metalsmith. But, it wasn’t until she became a volunteer at the Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue that she realized the severity of the big cats for profit problem and just how important it is to have the proper tools.
The Rescue, located in Rock Springs Wisconsin, is licensed by the USDA and is a rescue and educational center. It was established in 2005 when owners Jeff Kozlowski and Jenny Meyer realized that their “take a photo with a lion,” business, while lucrative, was too stressful for the big cats. When they stopped taking photos they realized there were other formidable felines in need of a safe place to live.
This episode was recorded in July of 2012. Back then, it was estimated that between ten and twenty-five thousand big cats were being raised in backyards across the country. If that range seems large it’s because nobody knows for sure how many people are attempting to care for these wild animals. Judging from the Instagram trend of taking photos with lions and tigers, it’s a problem that won’t go away any time soon.
Contributor gianofer fields usually shares stories about Material Culture. But what happens when potentially dangerous animals are treated as disposable objects, to be mistreated and discarded when they fall out of fashion or become too big to handle? Sara Crook normally uses her tools to create wearable art. However, in this edition of Radio Chipstone Crook says the tools she uses at the rescue are intended to keep her and other staff members alive.
About the Host:
gianofer (JON nah fer) fields is an Art Historian and Material Culture contributor and curates the Radio Chipstone series. The project is hosted by the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and funded by the Chipstone Foundation; a decorative arts foundation whose mission is preserving and interpreting their collection, as well as stimulating research and education in the decorative arts.
About the Guest:
Sara Crook is a metalsmith and occasionally volunteers for the Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue in Rock Springs.
Image: Tiger photograph by Unsplash.
This segment partially comes from the Radio Chipstone Archives of WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio. See here.
