Five members of Congress have asked President Obama to protect the Florida panther. ...more

April 10, 2009

MDA Gala Draws Big Crowd Everywhere you turn, you hear about the tough times and how people aren't donating as much to local charities. That sure wasn't evident at the Muscular Dystrophy Association's sixth annual Hearts of Fire Gala on Oct. 11 at A La Carte Pavilion in Tampa. About 650 guests showed up for the event, which netted $683,000 for research and treatment and to help send children with the disease to an MDA summer camp in Brandon. Chaired by Liz Young and Suzanne Avery, assisted by vice chairwoman Marilyn McPhail, the evening featured the theme "denim and diamonds." Auctioneers peddled goods while cocktails were served during a a lively, not-so-silent auction. Dinner and a live auction followed with Denis Phillips and Wendy Ryan, both of ABC Action News, serving as celebrity auctioneers. Herman Fernandez was honored for work that led to the success of the second annual MDA Hearts of Fire Charity Golf Classic, held the day before at Tournament Players Club. Krista Fincke, 17, Jesse Stanper, 12, and Kendall Hall, 11, talked about their experience at MDA summer camp and encouraged guests to bid on packages to send more kids to the camp. ...more

October 19, 2008

With a series of storms potentially battering Florida, advances made since Hurricane Katrina to provide safe shelter for pets are evident. But what if the pet is a monkey or the animals housed in a neighborhood are lions and tigers? ...more

September 10, 2008

TAMPA Sharon Egan faced a tough choice at the "Think Like a Cat" game show auditions today. Only one cat per owner could try out for the upcoming Game Show Network special. ...more

June 28, 2008

The big cat exhibit at the San Francisco Zoo reopened Thursday for the first time since a tiger escaped and fatally mauled a teen two months ago. ...more

February 22, 2008

A tiger lurked in the tall grass at a park in India as gamekeepers tried to shoot it with a dart gun and missed. The animal suddenly sprang from the grass, sailed through the air and took a swipe at a man sitting on an elephant's back. ...more

January 11, 2008

Jane Roylance Smith, a former British Broadcasting Corp. announcer and writer who now lives in Port Richey, did volunteer work at Sumter County exotic animal park that was once home to tigers, other big cats. ...more

January 9, 2008

Lowry Park Zoo veterinarian David Murphy just wanted to dry off Lucy, a 4 1/2 -month-old Florida panther, after she fell into a pool of water Friday. ...more

November 17, 2007

Six malnourished big cats, once part of a downsized Citrus County attraction, were transported Friday night to a Pinellas County wildlife shelter in hopes of nursing the animals back to health. ...more

November 10, 2007