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Jungle Safari Jungle Safari
- From: TheirVoice
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Description:
On 2/21/2010 a caller complained about Jungle Safari Petting Zoo which was parked at SR 41 and Jacaranda in Venice Village Shopping Center because the big cats looked drugged and were in tiny, miserable cages. They were hawking a free animal sideshow to get people to pay to have their photos made with cubs.
They had dragged out baby white tigers, juvenile golden kangaroos, goats, llamas, monkeys and others for photo ops with any ignorant person who would pay to pet a baby tiger and have their picture made with a baby tiger cub.
Trailer: FLC 3679P FLC 82378 and Camper FL B572YY
We advised the caller to report it right away. In most cases these are no illegal activities, but they should be and when enough people speak up, like this animal lover did, we can put an end to the abuse.
- Blog post
- 5 months ago
- Views: 286
- Not yet rated
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Being Stupid w/ Tigers 2 Being Stupid w/ Tigers 2
- From: TheirVoice
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Description:
Another tiger tamer wannabee who probably won't live to see 50
- 7 months ago
- Views: 206
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Being Stupid w/ Tigers Being Stupid w/ Tigers
- From: TheirVoice
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Description:
Will one day be seen on 1000 Ways to Die
- 7 months ago
- Views: 129
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Abuse Suspects Abuse Suspects
- From: 11233455987
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Description:
Exotic Animal Stock Video. Lions, Tigers, Bears, Cubs & More! Choose from our online collection! www.walkingwithlions.com
Animals in their naturalhabitat!Onceinalifetimeexperience!www.BaobabExpeditions.com
Big Cats. Huge selection of Big Cat items. Yahoo.com
AnimalLover0104@aol.com is alias email First name is Janice Real email: Chuffer927@aol.com Thinks that people should be allowed contact with Class 1 animals, regardless of size. Supports white tiger breeding and exotic pet trade.
lndmonk@aol.com Has many emails Hates BCR and supports exotic pet trade Claims BCR abuses and breeds Name: Linda Hunnicutt Address: 27 Beaton Path, Leicester, NC 28748 Phone: (828) 683-2009 She uses a number of other names and aliases as well to make it look like several people are responding on an issue, rather than her, or just her.
President, Phoenix Exotic Wildlife Association
Name: Jeanne Hall Website: http://www.PhoenixExotics.org P.O. Box 1132 Chehalis, WA. 98532 Phone: 360-767-0746
Supports exotic pet trade. Hates BCR. Thinks exhibitors and white tiger breeding are ok. Leads exotic pet organization and disagrees with USDA and AZA.
- Blog post
- 7 months ago
- Views: 662
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Thailand's Tiger Temple Sues C Thailand's Tiger Temple Sues Conservationists Over Abuse Allegations
- From: Guardian
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Description:
KANCHANABURI, Thailand, February 3, 2010 (ENS) - Three advocates for wildlife conservation and welfare appeared in a Kanchanaburi court this morning to answer charges of defamation brought by the Tiger Temple, a tourist attraction in Kanchanaburi.
Edwin Wiek, founder and director of Wildlife Friends of Thailand, a wildlife rescue center near Hua Hin, has been charged along with two other conservationists over remarks in an April 2009 article published in the "Thai Post," a daily Thai-language newspaper. In the report, accusations were made concerning illegal possession of and trade in tigers at the temple, and abuse of the animals.
Monk at the Tiger Temple pulls a tiger by the tail to position it for tourist photos. (Photo courtesy Tiger Temple Truths)
The other two defendants are Sawan Sangbunlang of the Thai Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Dr. Surapon Duangkae of the Wildlife Fund Thailand under Royal Patronage. This organization closed in July 2009 due to lack of funds.
If convicted, they could face jail sentences.
Hundreds of foreign tourists daily visit the Tiger Temple to see and take pictures with the tigers. It is a lucrative business. The entrance fee is 500 baht (US$15) per person while making "special photos" costs 1,000 baht (US$30) extra. For a morning experience, people pay 4,500 baht (US$120) per person to feed the cubs and watch the cub exercise session.
The Tiger Temple's success is based around claims that its tigers were rescued from poachers and live and move freely and peacefully amongst the temple's monks, who are actively engaged in conservation and rescue work.
However, undercover investigations by the British wildlife charity Care for the Wild International, conducted from 2005-2008, revealed evidence of tigers at the facility being regularly beaten with wooden sticks and clubs, being forced to sit in direct sunshine for hours, and being kept in poor conditions with inadequate food.
The CWI investigators observed that when tigers are not obedient before, during or after the photo-sessions they are sprayed by the keepers with urine from bottles in their eyes and faces and/or hit with wooden sticks on their backs and heads.
Tigers are reported to be extremely lethargic during photo sessions, leading to concerns they may be drugged.
A British tourist, visiting the Tiger Temple on a tourist day trip from Bangkok in December 2009 wrote in an unsigned letter posted on the website Tiger Temple Truths, "The tigers heads were picked up and dropped heavily into our laps for us to pose with, but the tiger I was with didn't make a sound or move a muscle, it's like he had no idea where he was, or what was happening to him. ... I don't believe a tiger can sleep so deeply without being sedated in some way."
This tourist also observed abuse of the animals. "The Tiger Temple Thai staff were on hand to keep the tigers away from us," she wrote. "They did this by banging the ground and shoving the tigers away with tools such as spades, pickaxes and long metal poles. One Thai temple staff member went to hit the ground in front of one of the tigers with his pickaxe, in order to keep him from coming too close to us, but the pickaxe hit the tiger in the paw instead, and the tiger made a small noise of pain and leapt away to lick his paw."
Care for the Wild International's 2008 report "Exploiting the Tiger" uncovered evidence of illegal trade and breeding of tigers at the facility. A copy of a contract was found in 2008 where the Tiger Temple agreed to send tigers to an illegal tiger farm in Laos, signed by the tiger farmer, the abbot of the temple and a member of the temple board.
The CWI report states, "Whilst the Tiger Temple claims it received its first tigers legitimately as animals rescued from poachers, CWI has obtained evidence that, rather than continuing as a rescue centre, the Temple now operates as a breeding facility and is involved in the clandestine exchange of tigers with the owner of a tiger farm in Laos. These actions contravene Thai, Laos and international law (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Wild Fauna and Flora - CITES)."
Breeding tigers in Thailand requires a government license under the Thai Wild Animals Reservation and Protection Act 1992. The temple does not have such a license but has, by its own records, bred at least 10 cubs from its original animals.
To be part of a conservation breeding program, the genetic make-up and history of an animal's parents must be known. But the original animals at the temple are of unknown origin, nor have they been DNA-tested to identify their sub-species, according to the CWI report. With this background, the temple cannot participate in any recognized conservation breeding program.
Wiek disputes the Tiger Temple's claims that it can release its tigers back into the wild, because he says the tigers in its care are hybrid animals resulting from the breeding of two different sub-species and have no conservation value.
"All tigers at the Tiger Temple are hybrid tigers that originated from a commercial tiger farm in Ratchburi province. The value to conservation of hybrid wildlife is zero," Wiek says. "They don't have any value for conservation because they don't boost the gene pool and they can't interbreed with wild tigers."
"The release of hybrid wildlife back to the wild is considered a biological crime by conservation experts worldwide," said Wiek in a posting February 2 to an email list about animals in Asia. "In the past years, several tigers from the tiger temple have mysteriously disappeared once mature, and some when there were excess cubs."
Care for the Wild International says, "There is consensus amongst conservationists that releasing captive-bred tigers is almost never a viable option because of shortage of natural habitat and, in the case of animals that are used to human proximity, such as the tigers at the temple, release is potentially fatal to tigers, humans and livestock."
Click here to read Care for the Wild's report, "Exploiting the Tiger: Illegal Trade, Animal Cruelty and Tourists at Risk at the Tiger Temple, An investigation at Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno Forest Monastery, Kanchanaburi, Thailand."
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2010/2010-02-03-01.html - Blog post
- 7 months ago
- Views: 422
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Douglas Keith Terranova, of Ka Douglas Keith Terranova, of Kaufman, Texas Marcus Cook
- From: PatCuvie
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Description:
Owner of escaped circus elephant facing more than 10 alleged USDA violations
By Kasey Fowler, Staff Writer
Published: November 06, 2009 11:26 pm
The owner of an escaped circus elephant that collided with an SUV Wednesday night faces more than 10 alleged violations outlined in a complaint filed by U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The complaint alleges Douglas Keith Terranova, of Kaufman, Texas, and others violated the Animal Welfare Act from 2005 through 2008 in several instances, including failure “to handle animals as carefully as possible in a manner that does not cause behavioral stress, physical harm, or unnecessary discomfort.”
In addition, the animal rights group In Defense of Animals, based in California, on Friday filed a complaint with USDA urging the agency’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confiscate two elephants from Terranova, including Kamba, the elephant involved in Wednesday’s accident.
In her letter, Deborah Robinson, captive elephant specialist with In Defense of Animals, said the elephants are suffering because of Terranova’s handling.
“The elephants are in grave danger: they are clearly suffering from stress, which is known to have immunological consequences and to increase the risk of infectious disease,” Robinson said in her letter. “Further, they are at great risk of being killed or injured by a variety of dangers (automobiles, public safety officers, topography) every time they escape.”
Terranova did not return a phone message left Friday.
USDA spokesman David Sacks said all complaints are taken seriously and the agency will look into the situation.
“If it holds some weight, we’ll address that,” he said.
Among the violations alleged in the USDA complaint filed in July were:
• In June 2006 in Wisconsin, a rope dividing the camel and elephant enclosures was loose and a camel became entangled.
• In June 2007 in Maryland, a mountain lion’s enclosure was cleaned with a hose while the animal still was in it. The animal also was exposed to chemical detergents that could cause skin irritation or damage.
• In May 2008, an adult female tiger was pregnant with her first litter but was kept on the road with the circus. The tiger gave birth to three cubs and would not nurse the cubs and a veterinarian in Missouri provided kitten milk replacements and administered antibiotics. One cub died three days after birth, and a second cub died 10 days after birth.
• Between April and August 2008, Terranova did not trim or have trimmed the pads of an elephant’s feet. By August, the pads were overgrown, with uneven surfaces and flaps of tissue embedded with dirt, fecal matter and other material. The elephants also did not have adequate skin care, resulting in an accumulation of dead skin on their heads, backs and ears.
• In June 2008, two elephants at a circus in Kansas were spooked during a storm and walked through neighborhoods before they were recaptured.
• In August 2008, Terranova and others attempted to hide a tiger cub from APHIS inspectors. The tiger cub was in a small dog carrier in a trash-strewn transport truck, with insufficient ventilation and cooling. The interior temperature was measured at 89 degrees with 48 percent humidity. The tiger was in a harness that was too small, causing chafing. The tiger had insufficient food and water. It was thin, with a protruding backbone and hips. The tiger also was not treated for an abrasion on its face and a wound near its eye.
Kamba, the elephant in-jured in Wednesday’s accident, was taken to the veterinary school at Oklahoma State University after being looked at by Enid veterinarian Dr. Dwight Olson.
“She has been treated and released to her owner. She was treated for minor injuries and the USDA is investigating it,” said Alanna Bradley, communications specialist for OSU.
Bradley refused to release any more information on the injuries the elephant had.
According to Olson, Kamba suffered a broken left tusk, a leg injury and some scrapes.
The 4,500-pound elephant escaped from Family Fun Circus Wednesday night at the Garfield County Fairg-rounds and collided with an SUV driven by Bill Carpenter on U.S. 81. Neither Carpenter nor his wife, Deena, were injured.
Family Fun Circus issued a statement on its Web site Friday stating Kamba would not be returning to the circus for the rest of the season. The circus contracted with Terra-nova for the elephant’s services.
http://www.enidnews.com/localnews/local_story_311002715.html - Blog post
- 10 months ago
- Views: 217
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Zoo tiger dies after giving bi Zoo tiger dies after giving birth to cub
- From: TheirVoice
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Description:
Zoo tiger dies after giving birth to cub
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
The mother of the baby Bengal tiger born at Noah's Ark Zoo Farm in Wraxall has died.
Tira, who arrived at the zoo in June with another female called Kushkja, died on Sunday after suffering multiple organ failure.
Post mortem results show that she had a disease called Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) which is caused by a virus called Feline coronavirus.
The six-year-old gave birth to three cubs on July 29, but two were sadly still born. Tira then rejected the surviving cub, and now staff at the zoo are hand-rearing him.
It is not yet known if he has the disease, and staff are hoping he does not develop any symptoms as there is currently no available treatment.
The virus is fairly common in cats, but less than five per cent of cats infected with it will go on to develop symptoms.
Zoo owner Anthony Bush said: "Tira's body was severely affected by the virus, resulting in multiple organ failure – it is likely that the disease had been developing for many months. In pet cats FIP often goes undetected until the end stages of the disease as symptoms are not always very obvious.
"Suddenly the abdomen becomes noticeably swollen (caused by fluid accumulation) and the cat quickly becomes very poorly; sadly, this appears to be what happened to Tira too.
"Some of the signs of the disease are very non-specific, such as distension of the abdomen, lethargy and a lack of appetite. Of course, given Tira was pregnant when she arrived, her distended abdomen and sleepiness were to be expected.
"Understandably keepers at the zoo are devastated after spending the last few weeks working hard alongside vets to make her better, not realising that they were fighting a losing battle. When you work that closely with animals it's like losing a close friend and we are all feeling the loss."
You can watch Tira's cub on a live webcam - and you can also vote on what he should be called.
Votes on whether he should be called Tapan or Tumkur will close on Monday. - Blog post
- 1 year ago
- Views: 446
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State Vet Opposed Exotic Pets State Vet Opposed Exotic Pets
- From: TheirVoice
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Description:
K-State Veterinarian Says Exotic Animals Like Lions, Tigers and Monkeys Should Not Become Pets
MANHATTAN, Kan., July 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Tigers, monkeys and mountain lions can be fascinating, but a Kansas State University veterinarian said people cross the line of intrigue when they try to make extreme exotic animals their pets.
K-State's Gary West, assistant professor of zoological medicine, has encountered many people who own inappropriate exotic pets. He said there are many reasons why people should keep their interest to a distance when it comes to these dangerous and complex animals.
"People like exotic animals for the 'wow' factor," West said. "They are different and exciting; however, there are many exotic animals that do not make good pets."
Animals that people rarely see in person -- unless they are at a zoo or visiting the animal's native habitat -- make inappropriate pets, such as lions, tigers and monkeys. West said these kinds of exotic animals are dangerous and can cause harm to their owners.
One danger is the size of many exotic animals, like tigers that can weigh 500 pounds or pythons that stretch longer than 20 feet. Animals, such as monkeys, also can transmit zoonotic diseases, which means that the disease can be transmitted from animals to humans. West said another problem concerns sociable animals like lions and monkeys. When humans raise them, it can create behavioral issues.
"Most of the time these animals are removed from their mothers and hand raised, which is very stressful," West said. "People are often under the assumption that the mother wasn't taking good care of the animal or that the animal will become socialized to people. However, it is inappropriate to hand raise these animals unless there is a medical reason to do so."
Imprinting can be a problem when exotic animals are raised by humans, West said, because they lose their fear of humans, which makes them potentially more dangerous. It also makes the animals dependent on humans for inappropriate affection.
Exotic animals have specific needs and requirements that a pet owner may not be prepared to provide. West said most people cannot afford to adequately feed, house or give enough space to these animals. The housing situation also can be problematic because animals like monkeys should be in a social group with other monkeys or similar species. In addition, pet owners need to know about any local or state laws on what exotic animals are legal to own and if there are specific guidelines they must meet for housing and caging.
The cost of caring for an exotic animal can be expensive, West said, as many are long-lived. If people decide the pet is too large, too dangerous or too expensive to care for, few homes are available that can take in the animals and animal sanctuaries also are becoming increasingly filled, he said.
The K-State Medical Veterinary Teaching Hospital receives several calls from people concerning the health of their exotic animals, West said. The requests vary from common exotic pets like reptiles to inappropriate exotic pets like monkeys and kangaroos.
"We will see and treat any animal in need of urgent medical care, even if we don't think they should be pets," West said. "But we may decide not to provide some routine procedures for these pets, such as neutering a tiger or monkey. We want to help animals that are ill or injured, but not promote or encourage them as pets by doing procedures such as declawing mountain lions."
He said neutering or declawing an exotic animal solely to prevent injuries to caretakers would be unethical and that these procedures do not make the animals less dangerous. Declawing large cats can cause long-term complications due to the abnormal weight bearing that it creates.
While there are people and businesses that sell exotic animals, West said that does not mean the animals should be pets.
"These animal dealers usually will not take the animal back if it becomes aggressive or too large, and they do not provide the information on the animal's long-term needs," West said. "You should always be cautious of buying an unfamiliar species and think about how much it may grow and the needs it will have."
West said examples of animals whose owners have sought the help of K-State veterinarians at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital include:
* Pet red kangaroos. They can weigh more than 80 pounds and intact males become aggressive once they are mature.
* A white tiger cub from a traveling circus.
* Elephants from a traveling circus. The animals escaped and authorities wanted doses of sedatives in order to recapture the animals.
* Pythons stretching longer than 12 feet.
* Zebras.
* Lions.
* Capuchin, vervet and macaque monkeys.
* Mountain lions. Owners have asked for them to be declawed.
http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/07-23-2009/0005065111&EDATE=
http://www.bigcatrescue.org - Blog post
- 1 year ago
- Views: 348
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Dade City Wild Things Kathy St Dade City Wild Things Kathy Stearns
- From: TheirVoice
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Description:
Dade City Wild Things Kathy Stearns July 9, 2009
- 1 year ago
- Views: 349
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Lion Mangy Lion Cub at Catty S Lion Mangy Lion Cub at Catty Shack
- From: Anon
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Description:
Hello:
I was just checking out the photos on your slideshow. The one labeled "MiamiLionMangyLionCub.jpg was photographed at Catty Shack by Darcy Bateman around the middle of 2000. It's a tiger cub, hairless from ringworm at the hands of Curt Logiudice. There were 3 cubs in the litter; one died from starvation. The other two were seized by a rescue group. The female that was taken seizured the next day and nearly died, and lasted about a year before succumbing to metabolic bone disease. The male in the photo is still alive and doing well, although its bone structure is narrow.
Please change the caption to read "Ringworm-infested tiger cub, Catty Shack Ranch, Jacksonville, Florida."
By the way, the cub is about 7 months old in the photo and weighed about 35 lbs.
Thank you. - Blog post
- 1 year ago
- Views: 295
- Not yet rated
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Baby Tigers Exploited at Mall Baby Tigers Exploited at Mall
- From: TheirVoice
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Description:
Mystical Magic of the Endangered act.
Joe Exotic is actually Joe Schreibvogel, the president of G.W. Exotics – an organization with a long history of animal abuse. Please read the information below and feel free to send your thoughts to all those listed below (TV, newspaper, govt officials, corporate sponsors, etc.) It might just help for the next time since he travels the country making money off his "exotic animal mills." Go to www.joeexotic.com and www.gwpark.org and prepare to get mad!
You can call the mall at (608) 781-4700 or (608) 781-0610. Do it today since Joe will be "on the road" again after this weekend!
"Joe Exotic" is taking up residence at Valley View Mall thru Sunday (http://www.joeexotic.com/). Outside Sears, they have a large area set up that consists of four, approximately 6 foot high, pens/kennels. In 2 of the kennels, there were a few baby Tigers, and in the other 2 kennels, there were a few, what I would consider, young adult Tigers.
They are selling 8 minutes of time with the Tigers for $25 as well as a variety of pictures with the Tigers for different dollar values. Also for sale are stuffed Tigers and other items.
Walking from this area towards Center Court, you will find what appears to be an information table that will probably become an autograph signing table after Mr. Joe Exotic's shows. Walking to Center Court, you will find the entire area outside Macy's set up for a "magic show".
The Health Department and our Animal Control department are aware of the situation. The dilemma – nothing exists in County statue to make any of this illegal.
Concerns that pertain to this situation:
· Safety for both humans and Tigers including bites and rabies
· Care of the Tigers
· The nature of this business – baby Tigers are what everyone wants to see and how they appear to make their money – what happens to the baby Tigers after they grow up?
· The message this does send to people – this is why we hear of exotic animals like this being found in apartments/homes across the USA.
SAMPLE LETTER TO MALL PERSONNEL AND MEDIA:
To: 'jim.sluzewski@macys.com'; 'jcpcorpcomm@jcpenney.com'; 'tips@channel3000.com'; 'news@wkowtv.com'; 'news@nbc15.com'; 'news@wqow.com'; 'news@weau.com'; 'news@lacrossetribune.com'; 'news8@wkbt.com'; 'fox6news@fox6now.com'; 'news@todaystmj4.com'; 'wisntvnews@hearst.com'; 'newsdesk@cbs58.com'; 'jsmetro@journalsentinel.com'; 'Denise.Schaffer@co.houston.mn.us'; 'johnsrudm@cityoflacrosse.org'; 'Heather.Schmid@couleehumane.com'
Subject: Tigers in the Mall - how safe is this, really?CC: Valley View Mall
Senator Feingold
Representative Kind
All Major Wisconsin Newspapers and TV Media Outlets
Mayor Johnsrud
Macy's, Sears, Herberger's, JCPenney Corporate Offices
I read, with horror, that the Valley View Mall in La Crosse, Wisconsin is currently hosting the "Mystical Magic of the Endangered" act. Unfortunately, with so little legislation in place to safeguard citizens and allow businesses, malls, fairs, etc. to accurately check out exactly who and what they're getting involved with, the public is being exposed to tremendous danger and the animals on display are suffering horrific lives that few are aware of.
Exotic Joe is actually Joe Schreibvogel, President of the infamous G. W. Exotic Animal Park in Wynnewood, OK. His USDA license is License 73-C-0139 and his USDA violation file is attached (please take the time to read it since it lists many of his animal cruelty violations). He has been slapped with violations and even fined $25,000 which, in the world of USDA animal violation fines, is a huge amount. At any one time, he has housed more than 170 big cats and 1,400 animals on 16 acres. I am a senior keeper at an accredited big cat rescue sanctuary. We currently provide a home for about 125 rescued wildcats on 42 acres and feel we are maxed out given the space we have. With 1,570 animals crammed onto 16 acres at G. W. Exotic, you can imagine the poor quality of life and lack of care these animals must endure.
If you check out Joe's website at http://www.gwpark.org/ you will see a website filled with people holding, handling, posing with baby exotic animals. Where do you think all these animals wind up when they are adults? Though he'll claim he doesn't breed or sell, the evidence below is quite the contrary. What quality of life must these animals suffer when they are trucked all over the country for these "magic" shows?
What you know as "puppy mills" is what Joe runs, the difference being he churns out dangerous carnivores. Joe is a major supplier fueling the exotic animal trade. It's very easy for him to book gigs and travel with these babies since he ties his act to "protecting endangered species" or whatever the buzzword of the day is. But, make no mistake, this is a modern day snake oil salesman making money off the backs of these innocent animals with more and more being churned through his "park." All the while, he is exposing the public to a tremendous amount of danger.
I'm sure that if the Valley View Mall, as well as the anchor stores, knew of this man's horrendous reputation, they would not have risked the negative publicity he can generate in order to draw in unsuspecting customers. Isn't it time our state and national representatives enact legislation to protect the general public from this type of deceptive practice and eliminate the public safety risk and the animal abuse it encourages? The maulings and killings become more and more prevalent. Haley Hilderbrand, a high school senior was killed when she posed with a tiger for a photo only a couple of years ago and yet the namesake bill sponsored after her death still lingers in Congress.
My hope is that each of you I have copied in this letter will do your best to prevent this from happening again. Don't these animals and your customers/constituents deserve due diligence?? They can't defend themselves, but you can certainly defend them.
Sincerely,
Julie Hanan
Lutz, FL
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON JOE SCHREIBVOGEL, G.W. EXOTIC ANIMAL PARK:
The following quotes are from G.W. Exotic Animal Park:
· "… I do not in any way breed, sell, ship out, lease, or loan out any of my animals …"
—[J1], letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, December 6, 2002· "[A]ll of our cats are fixed or split up so they can't breed, … we do not buy, sell, or trade any animal…."
—[J1], e-mail message to PETA, August 30, 2003· "I never sell or donate to anyone."
—[J1], letter to Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Renewal of Commercial Wildlife Breeders License, November 21, 2001Contradictory incidents since 2001:
· GW sold one male and two female lion cubs for $1,500 each to the Amarillo Zoo in Texas. All three were born at GW in September 2005 and were declawed before they were 1 month old. Parents of the cubs were all GW residents who were allowed to breed.
· TV news reported an astounding 18 new tiger cubs and one very pregnant tiger at GW. The pregnant tiger, Sasha, was GW's first rescued, and never spayed, tiger.
· A female cougar, born at GW on March 14, 2000, was shipped to the Seoul Grand Park Zoo in the Republic of Korea.
· A cougar, born at GW, was shipped to the Sofia Municipal Zoo in Bulgaria.
· Two cougars born at GW were shipped to the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand.
· GW reportedly tried to sell an infant baboon named Savannah, born April 24, 2003, to an undercover activist who visited the facility.
· GW sent a lion cub to Capital of Texas Zoo (Cedar Creek, Texas). The cub was then loaned to Bobbie Colorado, who appears weekly on an Austin TV station. While in the custody of Bobbie Colorado, the lion cub was killed by a dog.
· GW transferred a tiger named Blondy to the Hillcrest Zoo, a roadside zoo in Clovis, New Mexico, that has been repeatedly cited for a multitude of violations of the Animal Welfare Act, including failing to provide sufficient food to three zebras who all died within a two-day period.
· In 2003, GW obtained four snakes, four flying squirrels, two sugar gliders, and 10 alligators from Strictly Reptiles, a Florida wholesale distributor of reptiles.
· GW has purchased animals including a bear cub, a tiger cub, miniature horses, and birds from exotic animal auctions, such as Lolli Bros., which states on its Web site: "From Apes to Zebra—We sell it all!! In addition to 'live' animal sales, we also offer a phenomenal selection of excellent of Taxidermy [sic] at each sale."
- Blog post
- 1 year ago
- Views: 1547
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Animal cruelty allegations mad Animal cruelty allegations made against Busch
- From: Anon
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Description:
Animal cruelty allegations made against Busch
Published: 6:24PM Sunday May 31, 2009
Serious allegations, including claims of animal cruelty, have been made against TV's world famous Lion Man.
ONE News has obtained documents, and spoken to workers at the Zion Wildlife Gardens, about occasions when big cats were hurt and people put at risk over a period of five years.
The allegations surfaced after Craig Busch publicly criticised safety standards at Zion, following the fatal mauling of a keeper last week.
ONE News has spoken to staff who claim Busch cruelly killed unwanted cubs.
One worker claims he saw Busch put a cub down using a rock the size of a softball.
"He lay the cub on the ground...he was in a standing position and he threw the rock down on the ground onto the cub. It took three or four times before he was satisfied it was dead, cause he actually... semi missed&he clipped it cause I remember seeing the thing bounce with the impact of the rock," alleges one anonymous worker.
ONE News put these specific allegations to Busch. He declined to appear on camera, but through a spokesperson says he denies he has ever mistreated any animals.
Earlier in the week at a press conference Busch was adamant the welfare of the cats was a top priority.
"There is no way I am going to allow those tigers or any cat there get put down, no way," he says.
Busch also claimed safety standards at Zion Wildlife Gardens have slipped since he was sacked last year.
"They need to pull their socks up."
However some staff allege last October it was Busch who put lives at risk insisting two keepers run alongside a tiger on a lead as part of training.
Staff spoken to by ONE News say running with a cat can incite it to attack. In one case a tiger did just that, biting a worker.
"The tiger jumped him down on the first run and went over to grab him by the throat, lucky I was there and I hit the tiger a few times," says the worker.
A third park worker alleges he saw Busch beat two of the cats with a short wooden handle.
"He laid into it and laid into and laid into.. the male lion come and laid on top of her to guard her cause she was whimpering ... and he said 'you want some too' and gave him a couple of blows too."
Staff spoken to by ONE News say they didn't speak up at the time because they were scared to do so.
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/animal-cruelty-allegations-made-against-busch-2764199 - 1 year ago
- Views: 432
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Vernon Yates Producing More In Vernon Yates Producing More Inbred Cubs
- From: TheirVoice
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Description:
Vet, hospital team up to
save cubUpdated: Thursday, 30 Apr 2009, 9:40 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 30 Apr 2009, 4:54 PM EDTST. PETERSBURG - A tiger cub may find a new lease on life at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg.
"Fabian" is one of two cubs born on Easter Sunday at a wildlife sanctuary in Seminole. He's now been taken by Safety Harbor veterinarian Dr. Don Woodman.
The cub's parents never appeared to be more than just friends.
"They are roughly 19 years of age and they've been housed together for 14 years, is my understanding, and never shown any real inclination to breed. Easter Sunday, I got a phone call -- there was a surprise," Dr. Woodman told FOX 13.
Both of the baby tigers were born with a cleft palate. Essentially, there's no roof to their mouths.
Several veterinary specialists recommended euthanizing the cubs -- a step Dr. Woodman wasn't willing to take.
"I was born with a cleft palate and I just didn't have it in me to euthanize an animal simply because they were born with a severe cleft palate," he explained.
So Dr. Woodman turned to All Children's Hospital and pediatric plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Gallant, who was willing to perform corrective surgery. Unfortunately, the second cub did not survive, but Fabian will undergo surgery in about two months.
Dr. Woodman and his wife are caring for the cub both at his animal hospital and at home. Fabian has to be fed with a squeeze bottle and a feeding tube because he's unable to nurse as he would in the wild.
The Woodmans are optimistic, saying Fabian is a fighter.
Baby Tigers Treated at All Children's Hospital
When it comes to some unique patients at All Children's Hospital, the cat's out of the bag.
Make that cats - Chester and Fabian. They're tiger cubs, born Easter Sunday at Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation in Seminole, FL. A local veterinarian contacted to check out the newborns quickly discovered they both had a problem - cleft palate, a hole in the roof of the mouth that makes it difficult for babies of any kind to suck, swallow and grow. Tiger cubs born with this defect usually don't survive, and might ordinarily have been euthanized on the spot.
But this vet just couldn't do that.
Dr. Don Woodman, from the Animal Hospital of Northwood in Safety Harbor, was born with a cleft lip and palate that was repaired by Virginia surgeons forty years ago. He knew - in theory - the cubs' cleft palates could be fixed.
But as Woodman began checking with veterinarians across the nation, he could find no one who had attempted a cleft repair in a big cat. Undeterred, Woodman turned to an expert in human cleft repair - Dr. Michael Gallant, a pediatric reconstructive surgeon at All Children's Hospital. For more than thirty years, Gallant has been changing the faces of newborns at All Children's with miraculous results.
Could he help a pair of tiger cubs?
Maybe - but first, he'd need more information. And the best way to get it would be through an MRI study. Gallant approached administrators at All Children's Hospital, which agreed to scan one of the cubs, so long as it could be done without additional costs or impact to patient care.
On Wednesday night April 22, the Woodmans brought the cubs through a rear hospital entrance close to the MRI unit. A group of doctors and hospital staff volunteered their time to help out, including pediatric anesthesiologists Linda Jo Rice, MD and Michael Garcia, MD; pediatric radiologists Kevin Potthast, MD and James Anderson, MD; MRI Radiology Technologist Deb Brannon; Speech-Language Pathologist Margie Wells-Friedman and orthodontist Amy Anderson, MD, members of the All Children's Cleft Palate Team.
It's hard to ask a baby - or a ten-day old tiger - to hold still for an hour-long MRI scan. So Fabian had help sleeping through the study, thanks to Drs. Rice and Garcia.
Dr. Potthast and MRI Technologist Brannon collaborated to customize the scans to a tiny tiger's anatomy. And, all the while, Dr. Woodman stood at his furry little patient's side in the MRI Unit.Meanwhile, Chester was surrounded by his own group of specialists. As he nestled in the lap of Susan Woodman, vet tech and wife of Dr. Woodman, Dr. Anderson used a special material to cast a mold of Chester's upper jaw and cleft. It allows Anderson to fashion a cleft feeding appliance like ones occasionally used for babies. Much like a retainer, it snaps into place, covering the cleft with a hard surface that will make it easier to suckle.
Then, it was time for Chester's dinner. Until this point, the Woodmans and their staff had been feeding the cubs their formula through a tube into their mouths. Speech Pathologist Wells-Friedman showed Susan how to use a baby bottle with a special nipple designed for human infants with cleft palate. Bottle-feeding will be much easier than the tube approach once the tiger's teeth begin to come in.
Sadly, five days after their visit to All Children's, one of the tigers - Chester - passed away due to respiratory arrest. Despite the best efforts of Animal Hospital staff, he could not be revived.
It will take some time for Drs. Woodman and Gallant to evaluate the cleft repair possibilities for Fabian, but they are hopeful the surgery can be done. Fabian will need to grow before surgery - at least two months from now. In the meantime, he's getting the best of care at Animal Hospital of Northwood - with All Children's ready to help if needed.
http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/local/pinellas/tiger_cub_cleft_palate_043009
While the doctors and hospital are to be commended for their compassion, Vernon Yates of Wildlife Rescue should be ashamed for allowing yet another "accidental" mating that has resulted in more tigers being bred for life in a tiny, concrete jail cell in his back yard in Seminole, FL. Given the fact that tigers can breed several times a year, the far more likely scenario is that this poor captive tigress has been getting pregnant and then killing and eating her own cubs all these years, which is what captive cats often do. Real sanctuaries do not breed, buy, sell, trade nor enable those who do. Find out what a real sanctuary looks like at SanctuaryStandards.com
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Nay Aug wildlife housing has l Nay Aug wildlife housing has long, troubled past
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Nay Aug wildlife housing has long, troubled past
Princess Penny, a 21-month-old elephant, unties the shoe of a visitor. Times-Tribune archive - Sept. 1, 1966 Share This Story: 
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Yahoo! BuzzBY LAURA LEGERE
STAFF WRITERThird of three parts
The Nay Aug Zoo was a center of civic pride for decades after it opened in 1920. In 1924 and 1935, new elephants were purchased using money raised by schoolchildren, a penny at a time. In 1955, about 500 people visited each day. Footage compiled by Hank Robinson into a film about the history of the zoo shows the park crowded with visitors during a summer day in the 1960s. Copies of his film are available at all Lackawanna County public libraries.
When Genesis Wildlife Center was officially opened in November 2003 in one of the former zoo’s buildings, Mayor Chris Doherty called up that past.
“Even I remember coming here as a kid,” he said at the center’s unveiling. “The zoo was a big part of the city’s identity. The thing I didn’t anticipate with this project was how much of an emotional hold it had on people.”Critics of the wildlife center say the “emotional hold” of the park’s past — and a selective memory about the zoo’s history of mistakes — helps explain how the city has been able to persist in keeping exotic animals in an aging structure there.
“The mayor has very good company in our collective nostalgia for Nay Aug the way it was,” Eunice Alexander, a former Scranton resident, said. “I think it colored our thinking as a people. It just seems like we’ve allowed ourselves to think that we could have this.”
Ms. Alexander pointed out a “long history of keeping animals in too-small areas” at the park during a period when “we didn’t know any better.”
“But now, we know better,” she said.
A familiar debate
The debate over the future of the Genesis Wildlife Center is strikingly similar to the debate over Nay Aug Zoo that raged a quarter century ago, and another debate that flared two decades before that.
In 1983, the Humane Society of the United States named the zoo to a list of the nation’s 10 most substandard zoos. Sue Pressman, director of captive wildlife protection for the Humane Society, noted “the exhibits at the Scranton Zoo are so outdated and sterile that there can be no understanding of the animals’ natural behaviors.” She called even the newest exhibits “archaic” by the standards of modern zoology.
The chairman of the local Zoological Society at the time defended the zoo by pointing out it was licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and it was visited by hundreds of thousands of people each year.
“I think the city is getting more than its money’s worth,” said the chairman, W. Boyd Hughes.
Two decades earlier, in 1963, the Humane Society of Lackawanna County criticized the Zoological Society for its approach to renovating the zoo’s heating system, leaky roof and a drafty lion and tiger cage.
It had been a particularly dramatic year at the zoo: a bull elk gored to death a 10-week-old baby elk; a monkey bit the fingers of a zoo attendant who tried to capture it after it escaped; four monkeys and possibly a burro died from exposure to winter weather because the building was insufficiently heated; and a female lion killed two cubs after a faulty door allowed her to get into their cage.
“Zoos start in a spate of excitement and money, and gradually, both diminish,” Hilda Ziegler, the Humane Society’s secretary, said in her criticism of the renovations at the time. “The needs of the animals do not diminish when the money does. It is necessary to look ahead not only to next year but to the next 20 years.”
Tragic history
Before it closed in 1989 because of financial struggles, Nay Aug Zoo’s history was filled with stories of animal escapes, abuse by visitors and occasional tragedies.
In April 1964, two adult bears mauled to death a 2-year-old cub that had gotten into their cage. According to Scranton Times accounts at the time, three boys witnessed “the maelstrom of tangling fur, claws and teeth” as the young bear was killed.
Later that year, a 75-year-old zoo attendant was fatally gored by a bull elk that charged him while he was trying to protect employees fixing a water line. He died after suffering a crushed chest, collapsed lung and severe punctures of the abdomen.
In 1966, a capuchin monkey, described by zookeeper George Lowry as “on the ferocious side,” was shot and killed after it escaped from the zoo. That same year, a baboon was found dead in its cage with a fractured skull, evidently from being hit in the head with a metal bar.
In 1967, a 4-year-old alligator escaped for two days into Roaring Brook, where Mr. Lowry shot it twice in the head with a rifle, mortally wounding it. Less than a week later, someone entered the zoo and let a mountain lion out of its cage. The lion was tranquilized nearby, but during the excitement, an employee left open the cage holding a pony and two llamas, all of which briefly escaped.
The same month, Princess Penny, an elephant, choked on a stuffed toy that had been thrown into her paddock, and a zoo attendant had to retrieve the toy from her throat.
In 1970, a group of boys released two 350-pound Himalayan black bears from their dens. The bears were shot by police as they began wandering in the park near Lake Lincoln. A year earlier, a white fallow deer was found dead in the children’s zoo, near about 20 stones and a bloody 3-foot tree limb that had evidently been used to kill it.
‘Not a good zoo’
By the end of 1989, the joint city-and-county-run zoo was in debt and struggling to finance a plan to turn the zoo into a facility that better conformed to the natural environment of the hilly park or one that featured only animals native to North America. After a concerted effort to place the remaining animals in other zoos, the number of animals had dwindled from about 200 in the 1960s to three: two bears and an elephant.
By the time the last animal, Toni the elephant, was moved to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., it was acknowledged it had been unsuitable for the elephant to be kept without peers. It was also noted that a stiffening of the lower joint in her left front leg might have been exacerbated by standing on the concrete of her pen all day.
That year, for the second time in five years, the zoo was listed among the nation’s 10 worst zoos in an article published by Parade magazine. Although many defended the animals’ treatment at the zoo, Eleanor Ginader, a board member of the local Zoological Society said, “Truly, it is not a good zoo. We’d be the first to admit it.”
Three years earlier, in 1986, she had explained the problem with the zoo and a hope for its future.
“I’m sure that the Nay Aug Zoo in the 1930s was one of the finest examples of zoos at that time, but it is still a 1930 zoo,” she said. “It has not been updated; it has not kept pace with the times; it’s not had the money; it’s been one financial crisis after another, and so we have to change.”
She added, “We either have to have something that’s one of the best, even though it’s small, or we don’t have anything at all.”
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Genesis Wildlife Center: A dec Genesis Wildlife Center: A decent life for wildlife?
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CONCRETE JUNGLE: Inside the Genesis Wildlife Center
Published: Sunday, April 05, 2009
Updated: Sunday, April 5, 2009 11:30 AM EDT
A series of reports by The Times-Tribune about the conditions and operations of the Genesis Wildlife Center in Scranton's Nay Aug Park.Genesis Wildlife Center: A decent life for wildlife?
BY LAURA LEGERE
STAFF WRITERPublished: Sunday, April 05, 2009
Updated: Sunday, April 5, 2009 11:15 AM EDTFirst of three parts
Margaret Miller, the 64-year-old director of the Genesis Wildlife Center, escorted a visitor into a side room full of caged birds that nattered and squawked when she entered.
She stood in the narrow middle of the room partitioned by parallel 2-by-4s suspended thigh-high, each board labeled in handwritten pen "Do Not Cross." As an additional precaution, Ms. Miller likes to have a volunteer sit in the room to prevent people leaning over the wobbly boards and sticking their fingers into the birds' cages. The birds are apt to bite, she said.
"Isn't that right?" she asked the birds. The birds bobbed their heads.
Genesis Wildlife Center aims to be a sanctuary for animals that once were unwanted or abused. But a lack of adequate funding, modern facilities or a long-term plan means chronic problems often are overlooked or patched with makeshift solutions.
Since 2003, when the menagerie was moved to the city-owned building that once was part of the Nay Aug Zoo, the center has struggled to make a home fit for the animals, revealing limitations in both the facility and the way the center is run.
Care fails inspections
The center strains to meet even the minimum standards of animal care set by the federal government under the Animal Welfare Act.
Inspections by the U.S. Department of Agriculture between June 2005 and September 2007, obtained by The Sunday Times in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, describe an array of infractions.
- Read the Inspections (.pdf)
In June 2007, four "grossly overweight" primates were given a "morning snack" of waffles coated with marshmallow topping. They had become "very sedentary" in their cages after apparently gaining back the weight lost on a previous diet.
In November 2005, a member of the public accompanied an employee and volunteer inside the tiger and cougar enclosure, where she was allowed to pet the tiger. Neither animal was restrained or under a handler's control.
In June 2005, most of the medications stored in the office were noted to be expired, including an antibiotic that had been expired for a year but was being administered to a coatimundi, a long-tailed mammal in the raccoon family. The outdated medicines were still on site during an inspection two months later, when staff members threw them out.
None of the animals was examined by a veterinarian during the six months between October 2005 and April 2006, despite the center's program calling for the animals to receive monthly checkups.
Throughout the 27 months of inspections there were numerous examples of noncompliance concerning the building, including dangerous or frayed wire in the animals' metal enclosures, an exposed heater, peeling paint and wallpaper, and gaps and weeds around the perimeter fences that posed a risk to animal or human safety.
In the nine inspections during the period when records were released, Genesis was found to have 17 examples of noncompliance with the Animal Welfare Act. During two of the nine inspections, the center was found to be violation-free. A Freedom of Information Act request for records of USDA inspections performed in 2008 and 2009 is still pending.
'Is it going to kill them?'
Ms. Miller, who owns the animals, said she generally receives clean inspections. When she is cited, the violations most often have to do with maintenance of the city-owned building, "things that I have no control over," she said, like the aging structure, the weeds around it, and the occasional mice that get inside.
"I think I'm doing a terrific job, and most people do. If I was doing something wrong, they would close me," she said. "And if (the animals) get a waffle every once in a while, is it going to kill them? No. No, it won't."
She explained that the citation for having a visitor inside the tiger and cougar cage was a misunderstanding: The woman was the mother of the center's lynx caretaker at the time and she was trained to work with big cats, though she was not wearing any identification when the inspector saw her.
"I don't take people in with the cats because the cats would kill you," Ms. Miller said.
Not all of Genesis' inspectors have recorded violations. The state Game Commission, which regulates the center as a wildlife menagerie, has never issued a citation "for any deficiencies or blatant violations" in seven years of at least twice-annual inspections, said Mark Rutkowski, a conservation officer for the region.
A June 2008 inspection report — the only one released in response to a Right-to-Know records request — indicated the center passed all 22 categories on which it was evaluated, including providing bedding, clean water and adequately sized pens for the animals.
- Read the Inspection Report (.pdf)
Mr. Rutkowski said visitors' complaints to the Game Commission about the center often are about what he calls "aesthetics."
"When people go there, they go there looking for these well-groomed animals you might see at the Bronx Zoo or Philadelphia Zoo, and that's just not what the center is," he said.
But the center's most vocal critics say their concerns go beyond aesthetics: they fear it is unsafe for both people and animals and sends the wrong message to the public.
"The way they display those animals, the huge message you get from that place is these wild animals make good pets," said Mary Sweeney, a former Scranton resident. "A big part of the attitude is, 'Aren't they cute.'"
Eunice Alexander, who grew up in the Hill Section next to the Nay Aug Zoo, said there is little educational value in displaying animals in small cages with concrete floors.
"You can't really do education divorced from any kind of habitat context," she said. "You're showing them that animal seems to be OK in nothing."
Backlash over breeder
The most sustained roar of public criticism leveled at Genesis Wildlife Center began a year ago and was caused by two tiger cubs then big enough to emit only fledgling mews.
Ms. Miller acquired the cubs two months after her beloved Siberian tiger, Reba, died. Many visitors were happy for the chance to see baby animals, but others questioned whether a small, aging facility that admittedly struggled to afford to stay open was an appropriate place to bring 11-week-old tigers.
Captive wildlife and animal sanctuary experts now say the transfer of the cubs had far graver implications.
Ms. Miller obtained the tigers from G.W. Exotic Animal Park, which formerly billed itself as a sanctuary but now considers itself a "conservancy and educational zoo" in Wynnewood, Okla. Sanctuary representatives say G.W. Exotic is notorious for inhumane treatment of its animals.
In 2006, the USDA fined the park $25,000, suspended its license for two weeks and put it on an 18-month probation for violating at least 14 regulations of the Animal Welfare Act.
The park is particularly infamous among animal sanctuary experts for breeding exotic animals indiscriminately to entice visitors who want to play with new cubs. For sanctuary accrediting agencies, such as the American Sanctuary Association and the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, breeding breaks the cardinal rule of true sanctuaries because it adds to the population of unwanted captive species.
Lisa Wathne, a captive exotic animal specialist with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said acquiring cubs from the park makes Genesis complicit in G.W. Exotic's behavior.
"Genesis is essentially enabling them to continue breeding these animals," she said.
Vernon Weir, director of the American Sanctuary Association, said Ms. Miller's move is particularly problematic because of a surplus of adult tigers in the country.
"There probably wasn't a single day in the last 10 years when someone didn't call me about an adult tiger that didn't have a place to go," he said. "For them to get tigers from this breeder down in Oklahoma is ridiculous."
Ms. Miller said she had "nothing to do with" G.W. Exotic's practices as a breeder or its past USDA violations. She explained that she found a listing for the cubs in the Animal Finder's Guide, a publication for those who raise captive wildlife. She was asked to make a donation to the park to reserve the cubs, and never got the money back.
She said she does not breed animals at her center — the male tiger and monkeys are neutered, she said, and the male lemurs were "fixed" after several reproduced. She also countered the claims that she is complicit in G.W. Exotic's breeding.
"Do you think he's going to stop? He's not going to," she said of G.W. Exotic. "I wanted two baby tigers that I wanted to save out of there. Does it mean I approve? No."
Now she says she is "truly sorry" she brought the tigers to Genesis, in part because of the public criticism and in part because of the cost. The tigers each eat about 20 pounds of meat each day and a pallet of meat costs about $3,600.
Asked why she acquired the cats, knowing the high cost of feeding them, she said she had leftover meat when Reba died and other cats to feed.
"I had children coming and asking about Reba and not understanding death or where she was or why she went. And some of the cards from the children, that probably influenced me," she said. "But if I could have flashed forward and seen everything, I probably would not have taken them."
Higher standards
Around the country and the world, zoo, aquarium and sanctuary accrediting agencies have worked to set a true standard for humane, viable animal care and distinguish what they call "pseudo-sanctuaries" from real ones.
Accredited sanctuaries are marked by their exceptional care, their avoidance of any trade in animals, and their dedication to creating havens for animals that have been exploited. Once a sanctuary is accredited, it often is easier for it to receive funding and other grants.
Sanctuary accreditation exists because simply complying with the Animal Welfare Act "is so inadequate in terms of what these animals need," said Kim Haddad, a board member of the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries and the manager of the Captive Wild Animal Protection Coalition.
"Our standards are much, much higher" than USDA regulations, she said. "They take into account the natural history of the animal, the animal's life experience."
According to Mr. Weir, the director of the American Sanctuary Association, accredited sanctuaries should have steady finances, strong nonprofit boards, plenty of room for animals to roam and enrichment activities to stimulate them. They also should have a robust education program that focuses on why exotic animals should not be pets.
Both organizations also indicated their willingness to work with sanctuaries to help them meet such standards, if the sanctuaries disavow breeding and trade.
"The whole idea behind it, it's not to shut every place down that's not perfect," Dr. Haddad said. "It's to say, 'Here's how you do it right.'"
Genesis Wildlife Center is not accredited as either a sanctuary or a zoo, although Ms. Miller said she would like to work toward it. She had papers in her office about accreditation through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, but had not heard of the American Sanctuary Association or the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.
She is in the process of cutting back at the center, working to place some of her tropical birds at an Ohio sanctuary.
"I'm thinking about not doing this (anymore)," she said.
She has been flustered by a stream of public criticism and believes she is being personally attacked, even as she draws consolation from students, volunteers and supporters she works with daily.
She said she wants everything for her center that critics want: a space that serves the needs of her animals and benefits the community.
"I would like it to be a place that, when people visit, they walk away saying, 'Wow, did you see that amazing little wildlife center at Nay Aug Park?' Not, 'The building's falling down. They're not adequately staffed. They don't have funding.'
"Why would you want people to walk away thinking something like that?"
Read more from the Concrete Jungle series
Contact the writer: llegere@timesshamrock.comClose 'zoo' at Nay Aug
Published: Monday, March 09, 2009
Updated: Monday, March 9, 2009 4:13 AM EDTBack when Scranton's government operated a zoo at Nay Aug Park, the obsolete, wholly inadequate facility became a major embarrassment and a metaphor for the blighted park and the city itself.
The Doherty administration has strived mightily to restore the park, making it once again a source of pride. Yet it allows a reincarnation of the decrepit zoo to drag down the effort.
Although the Genesis Wildlife Center is not technically a zoo, it serves that purpose in terms of its role in the park. And, although it is not operated by the city, the center operates in much the way the city operated the former zoo — hand to mouth, month to month.
The center has a dedicated director and volunteers, and it might well do some good work. But it is far removed from the modern zoos that grace the parks of progressive American cities — the sort of parks to which the Doherty administration otherwise aspires.
Mr. Doherty saw the center as a means to establish a zoo-like presence at the park without binding the city government to a project that it could not afford. The question that the mayor and City Council should consider, going forward, is whether the center enhances the park. The answer, unfortunately, is that it does not.
If Mr. Doherty and council think a zoo is fundamental to the ongoing renaissance and long-term stability of the park, they should methodically go about establishing one. That would involve substantial planning, expert opinions, and a step-by-step implementation plan, including long-term sustainable funding.
The most likely objective conclusion, unfortunately, is that Scranton simply cannot afford to operate a zoo according to modern standards for humane treatment of animals and for amenities required by human visitors. That is why the city does not have its own zoo now.
If the government studies the matter and reaches that conclusion, it should help the wildlife center with a relocation, and use the old zoo grounds to enhance the park in a different way.Nay Aug tiger cub fights infection
Published: Sunday, January 25, 2009
Updated: Sunday, January 25, 2009 8:11 AM ESTIn the six months since Nay Aug Park welcomed two new tiger cubs, both big cats have grown up quickly, but the male continues to be plagued by health problems.
Ivan, a Siberian tiger now 7 months old and 130 pounds, has not been able to fully fight off ringworm he arrived with from Oklahoma. Margaret Miller, director of the Genesis Wildlife Center, said the fungus keeps reoccurring, and Ivan is under regular veterinary care. Otherwise, he is a healthy growing tiger, but Ms. Miller is worried his immune system could be compromised.
"With him tiring easily, that scares me," she said.
The other tiger, an Indochinese named Alea, has a clean bill of health, and she and Ivan are inseparable. Both often share a pen now with the cougars at Genesis.Tiger cubs debut at Nay Aug with video
A male tiger cub at the Genesis Wildlife Sanctuary on Friday, July 25, 2008. Linda Morgan/Staff Photograph BY JEREMY G. BURTON
STAFF WRITERPublished: Saturday, July 26, 2008
Updated: Saturday, July 26, 2008 1:00 AM EDTIf the newest stars at the Genesis Wildlife Center were feeling any effects of a cross-country trek, they didn't seem to show it.
But two bottles of formula and some ground beef are apparently enough to conk a couple of tigers right out.
The Genesis sanctuary on Friday introduced two new tiger cubs, two months after the death in May of 15-year-old Siberian tiger Reba, a park favorite.
The Indochinese tigers, a male and a female, arrived Thursday night from G.W. Exotic Animal Park, a conservancy and educational zoo in Wynnewood, Okla.
"Long drive there, long drive back, but it was well worth it," volunteer Robin Perri said.
With the acquisition of two new cubs, some have criticized the aging, outdated facilities as inadequate for such animals. Throughout the afternoon, though, visitors crowded in front of the enclosure for a glimpse at the cubs. Little kids grinned, and adults marveled.
"Oh my goodness gracious, isn't he cute?"
"Wave to him!"
Staffers said the cubs were doing well and enjoying the attention.
Linda Layland, of South Scranton, said her 6-year-old granddaughter, Stephanie, bawled over the death of Reba.
On Friday, Ms. Layland carried her 18-month-old grandson, Jeremy, who doesn't make a habit of sitting still for long but spent a half-hour watching the two cubs feed and play.
"The kids need something like this," she said.
For now, the 11- and 12-week-old tigers will be housed in an enclosure next to the 3,700-square-foot cougar pen, and they will rotate time outside until a partition can be built between the big cats. Eventually, they will all share the single space, possibly also with the wildlife center's Siberian lynx.
Mayor Chris Doherty is expected to announce a contest to name the two cubs.
Many residents' concerns stem from the rocky history of the former Nay Aug Zoo. Twice in five years in the 1980s, Parade magazine named it among the worst zoos nationwide. The facilities date from 1938, with renovations in the 1970s, 1990s and in 2003, when the Genesis sanctuary moved there. In 1981, two Humane Society officials called the zoo "archaic" and recommended it be closed, which it was in 1991.
Genesis is not by definition a zoo, and its volunteers feel like they are catching flak for a burden that isn't theirs.
"All the things the public wants, I want, too. But it's not my building," Genesis director Margaret Miller said.
Ms. Miller said the new cubs don't represent a change in mission or direction. As a rescue, it's rare for the center to acquire young, healthy animals, but Ms. Miller said they are simply replacing what was lost.
Reba's death cast a pall over the center. The staff was devastated; the cougars didn't eat. Ms. Miller said the cubs bring an infusion of energy and excitement.
"They fit in here just perfectly," she said.
Contact the writer: jburton@timesshamrock.comAbout the Genesis Wildlife Center animals
A pig nose turtle swims in a tank at the Genesis Wildlife Center at Nay Aug Park. April 1, 2009. PAMELA SUCHY / Staff PhotographerPublished: Sunday, April 05, 2009
Updated: Sunday, April 5, 2009 9:20 AM EDTMore than 50 animals from over 20 species reside at the Genesis Wildlife Center. Click each for more information.
WILD CATS
Bearcat (1)
Cougar (1)
Cougar (1)
Fennec foxes (2)
Genet cats (2)
Lynx (1)
Tigers (2)
PRIMATES
Capuchin monkeys (3)
Lemurs (5)
Long-tailed macaques (2)
Patas monkey (1)
Rhesus macaques (2)
Spider monkey (1)
AQUATIC LIFE
Fish (1)
Galapagos tortoises (2)
Pig-nosed turtles (2)
Red-eared slider turtles (About 20)
Red-foot tortoise (1)
Russian tortoises (2)
Spiny soft-shell turtle (1)
OTHER
Fruit bats (5)
Two-toed sloths (3)
Various tropical birds
SOURCE: GENESIS WILDLIFE CENTER'It's like I lost a part of me' with video and photos
Published: Thursday, May 08, 2008
Updated: Thursday, May 8, 2008 1:00 AM EDTBut as the sun beat down on the zoo area, the Elmo doll lay alone in the middle of the cage, which still contains mattresses and blankets for each of Reba's animal roommates.
BY STACY BROWN
STAFF WRITER
Visitors to the Genesis Wildlife Center in Nay Aug Park stared into an empty cage Wednesday, as if expecting Reba the tiger to toss around the Elmo doll she often played with to the delight of those young and old.
But as the sun beat down on the zoo area, the Elmo doll lay alone in the middle of the cage, which still contains mattresses and blankets for each of Reba's animal roommates.
Reba, the beloved Siberian tiger, died late Tuesday. She was 15.
After Reba had been cremated early Wednesday, Katlynn, the cougar whom Reba helped raise, moved about slowly, apparently grieving for her companion. Katlynn barely mingled with the cage's other cougar, Dakota.
"Katlynn licked Reba's head as she died last night," said a tearful Margaret Miller, director of the wildlife center. "This is what people don't see: The real animals and what they're really like."
Ms. Miller raised Reba after she obtained her from a small zoo in Marshalls Creek in 1993.
"When I got her, she was nearly dead," Ms. Miller recalled. "Her mother didn't have any milk, one other cub had died, and Reba was in an incubator. I held Reba in the palm of my hand; she was so small.
"It's like I've lost a part of me."
Reba featured in a 2007 video about the Genesis Wildlife Center:
Contact the writer: sbrown@timesshamrock.com
Reba, a park favorite since her arrival here in September 2003, suffered a seizure three weeks ago and was taken to the University of Pennsylvania, where doctors performed an MRI, a CT scan and blood test, all of which failed to show why the tiger was ill, Ms. Miller said. The average life expectancy of a Siberian tiger is 8 years in the wild, but 20 to 25 years in captivity, she said.
"It was a fluke blood clot that caused the seizure," she said.
Tears flowed freely among the workers and passers-by at the Genesis Wildlife Center on Wednesday.
"I can't believe we won't see her anymore," said Jesse Walker, a Dunmore resident and frequent visitor to the Wildlife Center. "I heard about Reba dying, and I felt bad. I wanted to see if I could see her just one more time, but it was too late."
Ms. Miller said all the animals will eventually die, but the staff provides regular, first-rate care for all of them.
While the city pays heating bills and contributes $50,000 annually and the use of the building, Ms. Miller has said she needs about $150,000 more a year to run the facility.
The center has relied heavily on donations, and Ms. Miller has said that she often pays for some expenditures out of her own pocket.
One expense Ms. Miller would not have minded paying, if it were at all possible, was whatever the cost would have been to keep Reba alive.
"She was so adorable. Everyone loved her and she loved everyone," said Fern Norton, wildlife center volunteer. "Margaret (Miller) is devastated, as are all of us."
http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/multimedia/GWCFOIA.PDF
http://thetimes-tribune.com/articles/2009/04/05/news/sc_times_trib.20090405.a.pg1.tt05genesis_s1.2420904_top2.txt - Blog post
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Kathy Stearns Using Cubs Kathy Stearns Using Cubs
- From: Anon
-
Description:
At Dade City rescue center, you can feed a tiger or cuddle a kangaroo
By Helen Anne Travis, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Saturday, February 28, 2009
Nakita, a 14-week-old female Siberian tiger, is one of the new additions to Dade City’s Wild Things, which is part of the Stearns Zoological Rescue & Rehab Center. For a fee, you can handle her for 10 minutes.
[KERI WIGINTON | Times]function fbs_click() { u=location.href; t=document.title; window.open('http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u='+encodeURIComponent(u)+'&t='+encodeURIComponent(t),'sharer','toolbar=0,status=0,width=626,height=436'); return false; } DADE CITY
The jaguars rolled on their backs like house cats. The lions basked in the sun, and the tigers rubbed their furry cheeks against their cage, practically begging you to pet them.
Now, you can.
At Stearns Zoological Rescue & Rehab Center, a zoo north of downtown, guests can bottle feed Nakita, a 14-week-old tiger cub, or hold Mahina, a 15-pound albino baby wallaby (a "joey" if you want to get technical).
The interactions cost a little extra, last about 10 minutes and are highly supervised.
Handlers keep Nakita on a short leash. They watch her closely as little kids try to angle a baby bottle just so into her mouth. The 30-pound cat's claws are kept short, but the zoo staff warns you may get scratched when she wraps her huge paws around your forearm.
Mahina, on the other hand, is more likely to burrow her small pointed head in your neck. Wrap her up in a warm blanket, and she thinks she's in her mother's pouch. If she gets really comfortable, you may get a kiss.
Both creatures have been equally popular with guests, depending on their preferences.
"You can cuddle (Mahina) like a baby," said zoo owner Kathy Stearns. "The tiger is the more exotic, forbidden thing."
The animals are just two of the 170 she keeps in her 22-acre backyard, which also serves as the zoo's grounds. Some of the cougars, tigers and exotic birds are rescues who could not be returned to the wild. Others were adopted from breeders and zoos.
Stearns opened her backyard to the public in 2007 after several years of offering private tours. She had a few reptiles for guests to touch, but Mahina and Nakita are the first mammals in her petting zoo.
Nakita won't stay there for long.
According to Florida law, the tiger cub can have limited interaction with guests until it weighs 40 pounds, said Gary Morse, public information officer for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Nakita will hit the weight limit in about a month.
But her interactions with humans over the past few weeks should be a benefit in the years to come. She'll be more equipped to handle the stresses of life in a zoo and will be less likely to bite humans.
"Generally, socialized animals do better in captivity than those that are not," Morse said.
Nakita goes on long walks with her trainers before guests come by. The goal is to wear her out so she's calmer around visitors. But like any young animal, she has tons of energy in reserve.
Earlier this week, Nakita suddenly tensed up while chasing a rubber ball around a kiddy pool. She lowered her striped body in the water and tensed for a strike at keeper April White.
White noticed the stalking tiger and nonchalantly prevented the attack with a firm, "No."
Other commands Nakita had to learn before she could play with the zoo's guests: "down" and "no bite."
Helen Anne Travis can be reached at htravis@sptimes.com or (813) 435-7312.
Fast facts
If you go
Tours of Stearns Zoological Rescue & Rehab Center leave from Dade City's Wild Things, 37237 Meridian Ave., at 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Call (352) 567-9453 for reservations.
The tour lasts about three hours and costs $22.95 for adults, $12.95 for children younger than 12, and free for children 2 and younger.
Time with Nakita or Mahina is an additional $12.50 per person, minimum two people.
Visit dadecityswildthings.com.
[Last modified: Feb 27, 2009 10:33 PM] - Blog post
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German Lobito Lozada Unloading German Lobito Lozada Unloading Lion
- From: TheirVoice
-
Description:
Typical irresponsible owner; buys a cub and then dumps him
From: German Lobito Lozada [mailto:germanlobito@yahoo.com.mx]
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2009 11:47 PM
Subject: Lion
Hello!
My name is German and I live in Mexico, I have a lion but its getting bigger
and I dont know what to do with him...
Can you help me guys???
Do you know some place in Mexico for lions???
Ill apreciate your answer
Thank youGerman Lobito Lozada
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- 1 year ago
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Ending an Era of Anima Abuse Ending an Era of Anima Abuse
- From: TheirVoice
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Description:
Ending an Era of Anima Abuse
Wildlife crusader is facing legal, neighborhood troubles
[CITY Edition]
St. Petersburg Times - St. Petersburg, Fla.
Author: SUSAN EASTMAN
Date: Jul 11, 1993
Start Page: 1
Section: COMMUNITY TIMES
Text Word Count: 1306
Document Text
In some circles, Bert Wahl and his panther are living symbols of wildlife conservation.
In February, the 300-pound panther glided across the floor of the Florida Senate to call attention to the plight of the endangered species. It had its picture taken with movie actress Mariel Hemingway and Britain's Prince Charles. When the state unveiled the new Florida panther license plate, the animal shared the stage with Gov. Lawton Chiles and other dignitaries.
But most of Wahl's neighbors say living next door to the conservation crusader and his animal menagerie, which includes four panthers and two bobcats, is a major pain.
"When the cougars come into heat, you can't sleep at night," neighbor Meg Pylant complained. "They howl and screech. They call for the male. It's constant."
"It's not like a neighbor dog barking, which can be a nuisance," said Steve LaBour, a spokesman for Mayor Sandy Freedman. "These are wild animals, and they make wild animal noises."
People who live near Wahl's headquarters on Hiawatha Street have compiled thick notebooks of evidence that they say show Wahl's Wildlife Rescue Inc. facility is violating city codes and state and federal wildlife guidelines.
Neighbors videotaped the center. They complained to the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission. They complained to police and the city's code enforcement office. More than two dozen neighbors petitioned the City Council to shut down the facility.
"We have tried to reason with him, but forget it," Virginia Schwab said. "We have gone through the legal process."
A few weeks ago, Wahl's panther was stretched out across a sofa in George Kickliter's law firm. He wasn't there as part of a conservation lesson. He was there because Wahl is waging a battle for the survival of the non-profit wildlife rescue and education company he started in 1982.
Wahl claims he has rescued 11,000 animals in the 11 years he has operated in Hillsborough County. But now, he said, his work is being hampered by his legal troubles.
"We have been under the gun," Wahl complained. "The city and the state have been constantly haranguing us. Now, instead of helping animals, we are trying to keep the wolves from the back and the front of the door."
Last week, state officials removed two deer, an otter and a tortoise from Wahl's care and cited him for keeping animals in improper cages. The city already had declared Wahl a public nuisance and had moved to foreclose on his property.
"There is no question in our mind that Mr. Wahl is trying to do good," LaBour said. "It is just our feeling now that he has been successful and has grown bigger than the neighborhood can stand."
Saturday afternoon, about 45 people showed up at a local church to discuss Wahl's problems. Most think Wahl is getting a raw deal.
"It is a long story of lies, deception, deceit, and it is all funded by your tax dollars," said Mark Moretti, who does charitable work for Wildlife Rescue Inc.
"Why is he being harassed? Simple politics," Moretti said.
Wahl began his wildlife program in a house he bought in Seminole Heights in 1982. At first, Pylant said, most of the neighbors sympathized with Wahl's efforts to rescue injured animals.
The problems started when Wahl acquired a panther cub and began the education programs that have brought him much public recognition and praise.
Schwab claims Wahl said he planned to move to a more rural setting as the operation grew, but when he bought two other houses in the neighborhood, she began to question his plans.
To feed the animals, fresh red meat is chopped daily at sinks that are 8 feet from Schwab's bedroom and work room, she said.
Flies congregate on the front porch. When Schwab does yard work, the flies light on her back. The odor of the animals, even if controlled, is noticeable, she said.
"I cannot continue to live like this," Schwab said. "It just is not fair."
Wildlife officials said they took some of Wahl's animals last week because he had not corrected problems he was told to fix during an inspection earlier this month.
The seizure follows criminal misdemeanor charges levied against Wahl for violating state regulations when he caged a black bear in Polk County, and two clouded leopards, two deer and an otter on Hiawatha Street.
The deer were being kept in a back yard that game officials said was filled with debris, according to an inspection report. The otter was being kept in an air carrier with no pool, according to the report, and Wahl did not have proper approval to house the leopards.
Each of the charges could result in a $500 fine and/or 60 days in jail. Wahl and the manager of Wildlife Rescue Inc. also are charged with denying inspectors access to the facility.
The city began fining him $250 a day in March, and recently began trying to foreclose on the three properties Wahl owns in Seminole Heights to satisfy the accumulated fines.
City Council member Scott Paine said he met with neighbors and Wahl in an effort to resolve the problems.
"We could not get him to see that this was a problem," Paine said.
Paine said the state's actions made him wonder whether Wildlife Rescue Inc. is living up to the image it has acquired in the community.
"It was created to address a very worthy cause," Paine said. "But that is not an excuse for not complying with the law."
Calling the state's actions capricious, arbitrary and absurd, Kickliter, Wahl's attorney, said he will move to have the charges dismissed.
"It is incredible to me that a game officer can come to your house and demand entry when a police officer or a sheriff officer cannot," Kickliter said.
He said the alleged violations are minor offenses that can be corrected easily. He noted that the animals taken by wildlife officials were basically in good health.
"It is a shame to see him being seized, piecemeal, for the slightest technical violation," Kickliter said. "The animals are healthy, thriving, well-cared for. There is no abuse and no cruelty."
In the long-term, Kicklighter said, Wahl knows he needs to move his operation. Kickliter suggested that the city, state and the neighbors help Wahl find an appropriate setting where he can continue his work.
"He is providing a valuable public service," Kickliter said. "Fining him and making him bankrupt is not the answer."
The animals taken last week were in good health, agreed Jerry Thompson, the inspections coordinator for the state game commission, except for the gopher tortoise. The reptile had injuries to its feet, claws and head, he said. A veterinarian will evaluate how long the animal has had the injuries, he said.
As Wahl gave a tour of his facility last week, he climbed into a cage with the panther he raised from a cub, stroking the animal's head and putting his finger in its mouth.
His relationship with the male panther has astounded animal experts.
Robert F. Sisson, who served as the chief of the natural sciences division of National Geographic magazine, wrote to Wahl that he had "never seen such complete oneness between an animal and its human companion."
Wahl said the panther gets attention, but the real mission is to teach people how to live in peace with the raccoons, opossums and other animals that carve out homes in urban settings.
"This is an issue Wildlife Rescue would like to get involved in," Wahl said. "But we are embroiled in our survival." - Blog post
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