Glen Oak Zoo lion dies

 

Glen Oak Zoo lion dies

 

 

 

Posted: Thursday, June 29, 2006 at 6:12 PM

 

PEORIA -- Glen Oak Zoo is mourning the loss of another lion.

 

Leah, the last member of a three lion pride at the zoo, was approaching 20 years old when a golf ball sized lump appeared on her shoulder in march.

 

After removing the growing lump, Leah's health declined rapidly because of her old age.   

 

Captive lions live about 16 years which is much longer than their wild relatives.

 

Zoo officials do not yet know how long they will have to wait for new lions.

http://www.hoinews.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=12096

Philadelphia Zoo gains grrrrand new digs

Zoo gains grrrrand new digs

 

Asian Highlands exhibit brings big cats, visitors face-to-whisker

 

By Amelia Nielson-Stowell

Deseret Morning News

      Standing outside the new digs for snow leopard Dawa, you can hear the big cat breathing, smell her wet fur and see her tail wrapped neatly between her paws.

Scott G. Winterton, Deseret Morning NewsKazek, a tiger on loan from the Philadelphia Zoo, yawns.      It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience to stand mere feet from an 83-pound carnivorous feline, and an endangered species. But the new $6 million Asian Highlands exhibit at Hogle Zoo, which opens today, puts the public and big cats practically nose-to-whiskers.

      "We've used a lot of glass to let people get up close and personal with the animals," said Craig Dinsmore, the zoo's executive director. "The philosophy behind Asian Highlands is we wanted to design homes for our animals, not just exhibits."

      Unlike most zoos, which put the carnivorous cats hundreds of feet away and separate humans and felines by vast yards, large ditches and chain-link fences, Asian Highlands takes a unique approach, putting human and beast face-to-face. Through landscaping and architecture that utilizes thick glass, strong mesh and the Utah hillside, the cats are clearly visible from numerous viewpoints.

      For the felines, the zoo's hills — usually flattened for exhibits — proved to be an advantage when creating the replica Himalayan village. The cats love jumping and climbing, and it's instinctive for them to go to higher ground, said Stephanie Natt, animal-care supervisor and a primary caregiver for the Amur leopard, two Amur tigers, two snow leopards and three Siberian lynx.

      The cats' hillside home is a naturalistic environment, complete with pools, waterfalls, trees and shady huts. The area features 15,000 square feet of outdoor habitat and five separate yards. "This is so different from any other exhibit we've done," Natt said.

      Dinsmore agrees. "The main thing for me that I'm so proud of is we have dramatically improved the quality of life of the places where the cats live," he said.

       The cats' old building confined them to indoor cages with concrete floors. That is not what the "new zoo" will reflect, Dinsmore said. The new approach to Asian Highlands is what he hopes to do with future exhibits.

      Asian Highlands showcases the region where the animals are from. New education aspects put a kid-friendly feel on the exhibit and tell a story of the tigers, leopards and lynx through an eco-explorer that teaches about the felines, a sense station to hear, smell and feel like a big cat, three large touch-screen kiosks, a fact-spewing grandma and a mini stage that will showcase the felines' training and enrichment exercises.

      "The animals are so important, and they're vanishing so quickly," Natt said. "I hope people will want to learn about them."

      Three of the four species — the Amur tigers, Amur leopards and snow leopards — are endangered because of shrinking habitats, mostly due to logging.

      The Asian cats were transferred to their new prowling grounds last week. Amur leopard Vladamere came from the Erie Zoo in Pennsylvania; Amur tiger Kazak came from the Philadelphia Zoo; snow leopard Himesh came from the Knoxville Zoo in Tennessee; and the Siberian lynx brothers Romo, Leonid and Koyla came from the Miller Park Zoo in Illinois. Amur tiger Basha and snow leopard Dawa have both been raised at Hogle Zoo.

      Natt advises that it may take a few weeks for the cautious and elusive creatures to become fully adjusted to the new noises and neighbors, so all species may not be on display for some time.

      Hogle Zoo has been building the two latest exhibits for the past two years. The attractions were built through a $10.2 million general-obligation bond that was approved by Salt Lake voters in 2003. The first display was Elephant Encounter, which opened in June 2003. Dinsmore credits Elephant Encounter with increasing attendance at the zoo, which is up by 1,500 people some days compared to previous years. The zoo hopes Asian Highlands will have the same effect.

Deseret Morning News graphic      "We're really hoping this will be a year-round appeal to people," he said. "These cats are really going to be in their prime in the winter months. They can really thrive in the Utah winter climate, so we're hoping this will make a winter visit to the zoo more attractive than ever."

 

 

E-mail: astowell@desnews.com      

 

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,640190838,00.html

For the cats,

 

Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue

an Educational Sanctuary home

to more than 100 big cats

12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL  33625

813.493.4564 fax 885.4457

http://www.BigCatRescue.org MakeADifference@BigCatRescue.org

Sign our petition here:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/344896451?ltl=1140270431

Subscribe to our Podcast

 

This message contains information from Big Cat Rescue that may be confidential or privileged. The information contained herein is intended only for the eyes of the individual or entity named above.  You are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, disclosure, and/or copying of the information contained in this communication is strictly prohibited. The recipient should check this e-mail and any attachments for the presence of viruses. Big Cat Rescue accepts no liability for any damage or loss caused by any virus transmitted by this e-mail.

 

Leopards Etc Takes Big Cats on the Road

Big cats keep Peninsula kids on toes

 

By Todd R. Brown, STAFF WRITER

 

 

 

MILLBRAE — Keep it down to a dull roar in there.

 

That was fitting advice Wednesday afternoon at the Millbrae Library, where five big cats prowled and growled in front of about 80 children and their parents.

 

But it was the kids who were the loudest animals there.

 

"Ooh!" they gasped, as Nakuru, a 10-year-old serval cat, jumped eight feet into the air to capture his prey — a piece of chicken on a stick.

 

"Oh!" the crowd howled as the African cougar made another sprightly try.

 

"Hiss!" Nakuru said to the less-than-instinctively-stealthy news photographer snapping away at him.

 

Not all the cats were so touchy about their onlookers. Oksana, a 12-year-old Siberian lynx, seemed more interested in peering at the brightly lit ceiling and lapping at her front paws.

 

But the bobcat's apparent indifference wasn't enough to allay some human observers' ancient fears of the predators.

 

"I was a little horrified. They were growling and licking," said Anne Taylor, who brought her three children from St. Robert School in San Bruno to view the critters. "But it was really fun."

 

The one-hour program was led by Rob and Barbara Dicely. They operate "Leopards, Etc." out of the town of Occidental in Sonoma County and have done big-cat educational outreach for 16 years.

 

The couple has 23 cats they get from zoos and breeding facilities as babies. The cats grow to about 100 pounds, which the couple said is the upper limit for manageability.

 

"We don't have jaguars or pretty much anything over a hundred pounds," said Rob Dicely, 60. "I weigh 200 pounds. A cat that's a hundred pounds or so, I can physically pick it up and move it somewhere.

 

"A 400-pound lion — there's not much I can do if it wants to do something."

 

Lauren Kawano, 6, of Millbrae said her favorite feline visitor was 7-year-old Kgosi, a king cheetah.

 

"Can you tell?" said her mother, Dianne Tong, pointing to Lauren's cheetah-spotted skirt and matching socks.

 

"This is real educational," Tong  said. "It's more than you see at the zoo."

 

The Dicelys also brought 2-year-old mountain lion Shoshone, whose habitat once ranged from Canada to South America and led different Indian tribes to give it a variety of names, including cougar and puma. They are still found on the Peninsula.

 

The couple also brought 12-year-old African leopard Umfazi, which, pound-for-pound, is the strongest type of big cat.

 

Its relative, the snow leopard, is also the most endangered; Barbara Dicely estimated there are 3,000 to 5,000 left in the Himalayas. She said there are still about 12,000 African cheetahs but that farmers and ranchers kill about a thousand a year to protect their livestock.

 

"It's kind of sad," said Anne Taylor's daughter Lauren, 10, of the cats' fate. "They're really pretty and stuff."

 

The Dicelys' cats were headed next to the Brisbane Library on Wednesday night and to the Half Moon Bay Library at 2:30 p.m. today.

 

The visits are part of the San Mateo County Library's Summer Reading Program, titled "Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales" and focusing on educating kids about animals.

 

Just to set the record straight, Barbara Dicely said Kgosi the cheetah wasn't really growling — he was purring.

 

Dicely said she likes to tell people, "My cat can purr louder than your cat."

 

Mee-oww!

 

 

Learn more about "Leopards, Etc." online at http://www.leopardsetc.com.

 

 

 

Staff writer Todd R. Brown covers Brisbane, Colma, Daly City, Millbrae, San Bruno and South San Francisco. Reach him at (650) 348-4473 or tbrown@sanmateocountytimes.com.

 

http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/ci_3993264

 

For the cats,

 

Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue

an Educational Sanctuary home

to more than 100 big cats

12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL  33625

813.493.4564 fax 885.4457

http://www.BigCatRescue.org MakeADifference@BigCatRescue.org

Sign our petition here:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/344896451?ltl=1140270431

Subscribe to our Podcast

 

This message contains information from Big Cat Rescue that may be confidential or privileged. The information contained herein is intended only for the eyes of the individual or entity named above.  You are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, disclosure, and/or copying of the information contained in this communication is strictly prohibited. The recipient should check this e-mail and any attachments for the presence of viruses. Big Cat Rescue accepts no liability for any damage or loss caused by any virus transmitted by this e-mail.

 

Police Group Shows Ignorance About What Happens To Big Cats

Police Group Shows Ignorance About What Happens To Big Cats

 

WILD THINGSTHE NORTHWEST DISTRICT POLICE STATION WAS OVERRUN BY EXOTIC ANIMALS AS PART OF A DEMONSTRATION FOR A GROUP OF POLICE EXPLORERS

 

BY REBECCA DELLAGLORIA

 

rdellagloria@MiamiHerald.com

 

Mordred, a 3-month-old cougar cub, saunters out of the back of the air-conditioned SUV he's been riding in, coming face-to-face with an eager mob of onlookers.

 

So, he does what comes naturally: He strikes. Playfully, swatting one bystander after another with his declawed paw, before taking on a cat more than twice his size -- a tiger named Simba.

 

The display was all in fun, part of a demonstration for a group of Police Explorers in Northwest Miami-Dade June 20, outside the Northwest District Station in Miami Lakes.

 

As for the frisky felines? Mordred is the offspring of Chantel, a proud cougar momma belonging to exotic animal enthusiast Alan Rigerman; Simba, a 6-month-old tiger, was on loan from her owner, Frank Pahon of South Miami-Dade.

 

All this to entertain and teach a group of 14- to-21-year old Youth Explorers who get to experience different kinds of programs and community service activities.

 

''I've been doing this all my life, and I wanted to share it with you,'' said Rigerman, a retired science teacher from Hialeah-Miami Lakes High. ``This is fun for me, believe it or not.''

 

Rigerman, who volunteers his services -- and an array of exotic wildlife, including lizards, snakes and tortoises -- for youth demonstrations across the county, loves to share his passion for all things exotic. And he does it for a pittance: a letter that helps him keep his license to house and show exotic animals.

 

Although, he does admit, he's always available for parties.

 

During his presentation, Rigerman informed the youth (cougars are also known as mountain lions, but not quite the same as the Florida Panther); and showed off his handling skills -- ''This is not going to hurt the tiger, really,'' Rigerman assured, as he pulled out a plastic stick used to discipline the beast.

 

Mordred, on his way to total domestication, climbs up the shoulders and nibbles the head of Edgar Lesmes, the police officer in charge of the Explorers program.

 

Simba, well, not so much.

 

''I've never been so close to these animals,'' said 16-year-old Nicole Olivares, an American Senior High student, who handled the young cougar, even petted its belly. ``It's scary, but at the same time it's cool. They're beautiful.''

 

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/miami-dade/cities_neighborhoods/northwest/14910491.htm

 

For the cats,

 

Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue

an Educational Sanctuary home

to more than 100 big cats

12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL  33625

813.493.4564 fax 885.4457

http://www.BigCatRescue.org MakeADifference@BigCatRescue.org

Sign our petition here:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/344896451?ltl=1140270431

Subscribe to our Podcast

 

This message contains information from Big Cat Rescue that may be confidential or privileged. The information contained herein is intended only for the eyes of the individual or entity named above.  You are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, disclosure, and/or copying of the information contained in this communication is strictly prohibited. The recipient should check this e-mail and any attachments for the presence of viruses. Big Cat Rescue accepts no liability for any damage or loss caused by any virus transmitted by this e-mail.

 

Wildcats Find New Sanctuary at Shambala

Wildcats Find New Sanctuary

Shambala founder says people who buy wild animals as pets are selfish.

6/29/2006
Signal Staff


ACTON — Wildcats — such as lions, tigers and bobcats — are not pets, emphasizes Tippi Hedren, founder and president of the Roar Foundation and the Shambala Preserve located near Acton, a sanctuary that currently houses endangered exotic cats, many of which have been mistreated in the past.
    “Don’t ever consider a wild animal a pet,” Hedren said. “It doesn’t matter whether it is a little squirrel in your backyard or a Siberian Tiger. They deserve their freedom.”
    Shambala recently took in two 6-year-old tigers who lived on Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos. Jackson used the same veterinarian as Shambala, Martin Dinnes, who recommended that when Neverland’s zoo closed, the tigers be taken to Shambala, Hedren said.
    The tigers, the female Thriller and the male Sabu, have been on the facilities since early April. Like all of the cats at Shambala, the tigers will spend the rest of their lives, which are often around 20 years, at the sanctuary.
    Hedren said the tigers were not mistreated while at Neverland as an animal rights organization had alleged.
    “Do those beautiful animals look like they were mistreated?” she asked pointing to the two tigers lying contentedly in the shade of their new habitat. “They were perfectly taken care of.”
    In December, the Department of Agriculture sent an inspector to Neverland in response to a complaint from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, but the inspector found no signs of mistreatment.
    Hedren, who is best known for her starring role in the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock film, “The Birds,” and as the mother of actress Melanie Griffith, opened the preserve in 1972 after falling in love with wildcats while filming two films in Africa during the late 1960s, she said.
    “At the time, environmentalists were saying if things continued as they were, by the year 2000 (exotic cats) would be completely gone,” Hedren said.
    She and her husband at the time, Noel Marshall, decided they wanted to produce a film featuring the magnificent endangered creatures, which eventually led to the purchase and founding of Shambala after they rescued many wildcats to use in the film. After a long production process, the film, “Roar” starring Hedren, Marshall, Griffith and wild lions from Shambala was eventually released in 1981.
    Hedren founded the Roar Foundation in 1983, which raises all the funds to keep the Shambala Preserve open. The foundation must raise more than $1 million annually to maintain the facilities, Hedren said. The current construction of a new tiger compound for Thriller and Sabu will cost close to $70,000.
    Jackson’s former tigers are only two of the 71 wild cats living at the 42-acre sanctuary. Most of the cats are the result of illegal breeding and sale within the United States. The exotic animal industry is just after the illegal drug industry in size, Hedren said.
    “Every animal here has a story,” said Hedren, who has lived in a small house on the preserve facilities since 1976.
    Hedren shared the horrors that many of the cats had gone through while owned by private citizens. More than 80 wildcats were found in a feces and trash-filled facility outside of Colton. The animals were kept in very little space with no water. Fifty-eight dead tiger cubs were found in the freezer. The owner had been trying to breed them.
    Many people think a cute cub would make a great pet, but then mistreat or abandon them once they get older, bigger and more fierce, Hedren said. One of the sanctuary’s lions was found walking down a street in Missouri after being abandoned by its owners.
    “People who buy these animals as pets are selfish,” she said. “There is nothing they can give a wild animal that they need other than medical care.”
    In the past and currently, Hedren has been working to get legislation passed that will stop the breeding, sale and mistreatment of the creatures. Not only is it dangerous for the animals, but it is extremely dangerous for the people who buy the wild animals, she said.
    She campaigned in front of Congress for the Captive Wildlife Safety Act, introduced by Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, which passed and was signed into law by President George W. Bush on Dec. 19. The legislation bans the interstate trade and transportation of wild big cats.
    Hedren is authoring the tentatively titled Shambala Wild Animal Protection Act of 2006, which would ban the breeding and selling of wild cats. Currently, less than 20 states have laws on wild cat breeding, Hedren said.
    “(Legislation) is the only way the breeding will stop,” she said. “But, it’s the enforcement of it that makes it work.
    “The sad thing is even after the bill is put into fruition and enforced there will still be 20 years of accidents because the life span of the big cats in captivity can be 20 plus years.”
    For more information on the Roar Foundation and the Shambala Preserve and their many education and fundraising opportunities, visit www.shambala.org or call 268-0380.

 

http://www.the-signal.com/News/ViewStory.asp?storyID=9905

Province provides aid to animal refuge

Province provides aid to animal refuge

 

Date Published | June 27, 2006

 

 

Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci feeds a baby moose at the Wild at Heart Refuge Centre while talking to employee Sarah Moulaison. The centre is operated by veterinarian Dr. Rod Jouppi, three staff members and many volunteers.

 

Advertisement 

BY HEIDI ULRICHSEN

 

Twenty-five years ago, Lively veterinarian Dr. Rod Jouppi treated his first wild animal, a rough-legged hawk.

 

 

“I probably did everything wrong. At that time there wasn’t much known, but I was successful,” he says.

 

 

“I released the hawk. He didn’t say thanks, he didn’t give me any money, but I think I got enough personal satisfaction to continue treating wildlife for the next 25 years.”

 

 

Jouppi’s passion for taking care of sick and injured wildlife has grown over the years, and led him to found the Wild at Heart Refuge Centre.

 

 

The back of his animal clinic has become overrun with cages holding everything from injured birds to baby raccoons. There’s even two baby moose - Norm and Cliff – who live in a large cage in the backyard.

 

 

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation gave Jouppi $165,300 Tuesday to construct better facilities for the 400 animals he cares for each year. The money will also be used to build an education centre where people can get a peek at the patients. The project is expected to be completed in October 2007.

 

 

Jouppi donated two acres of his own land to build a 2,400 square foot building, which will hold an intensive care and surgery unit, as well as the education centre.

 

 

The vet will work with local school boards and post-secondary institutions to develop educational programs for students.

 

 

“There will be a lot of one-way glass and video systems so that we can actually educate people without distressing the wildlife,” he says.

 

 

“Along with that, we’re going to have an outdoor area where we’re going to have avaries, small enclosures and a large flight pen about 100 feet long so that eagles and hawks can go through rehabilitation and learn how to fly again.”

 

 

If he manages to get more funding, Jouppi will build a large pen for deer, moose and elk where they can browse in a natural setting.

 

 

Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci, who made the funding announcement, remembers bringing injured and orphaned wild animals to Jouppi when he was a teacher at a nearby school.

 

 

The vet never charged the school for his services, says Bartolucci.

 

 

“He said we need to foster a love of animals, and if we foster a love of animals, we foster respect for animals,” says the MPP.

 

 

“I think this is the example everyone should live by when it comes to the care, concern for and treatment of animals.”

 

 

The animals at the Wild at Heart Refuge Centre are cared for 24 hours a day by Jouppi, three staff members and about 30 volunteers.

 

 

Before Norm the moose was joined by Cliff, volunteers slept with him in his cage at night so he wouldn’t get lonely.

 

 

University of Guelph wildlife biology student Sarah Moulaison has worked at the refuge centre for the last few summers. She’s excited about the construction project.

 

 

“We can have habitats that are closer to what they have in the wild, and it will be easier for us to work in.”

 

Funding for young northerners who wish to remain in Northern Ontario while completing their internships and work placements was made at another funding announcement attended by Bartolucci Tuesday.

 

 

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation is investing $1.6 million for 94 internships and work placements.

 

 

Adam Malolepsky, who completed an internship with the Regional Business Centre and who has now been hired as a full-time account manager with Atlas Copco, is grateful for the skills and experience he’s gained through his placement.

 

 

“I think it’s great that full-time employment is made available here in the north,” said Malolepsky.

 

 

http://www.northernlife.ca/News/LocalNews/2006/06-28-06-animal-aid.asp?NLStory=06-28-06-animal-aid

 

Nicotera: The circus is back in town

Nicotera: The circus is back in town

 

By Lorraine Nicotera

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

 

The circus is back in town.

 

    This year, they brought back their elephants Jewel and Tina, after a two year gap.

 

    According to Cole Brothers, they are trying to make their acts "fresh and new."

 

    According to the International Society for the Protection of Exotic Animal Kind and Livestock. (ISPEAK). these two elephants are what remains of their original nine.

 

    Two were sold after repeated rampages in 1995.

 

    One died in 1997 due to poor foot complications.

 

    Two died in 1999 that had extensive health problems.

 

    2001 One was put to sleep due to severe leg injury died

 

    2003 One elephant was retired

 

    ISPEAK states that in the past, the circus vet stated that elephant Jewel has a bulge in the base of her tail that could rupture if doing leg stands.

 

    Weymouth's own Senator Hedlund has been a big advocate for these elephants. He has introduced SB 2457 that will prohibit non-human primates, wild cats, bears, elephants, giraffes, rhinoceroses, and hippopotamuses in traveling shows and circuses in the state of Massachusetts. Senator Hedlund has done some extensive research on this issue and, it appears, has compassionately come to the conclusion that there is a darker side to animal circuses. I am happy to have him on our side.

 

    "The animal circus industry works hard to promote itself as an exciting brand of family entertainment, but there is a darker side to the circus that most visitors never see..." Thus starts the section on the website www.Circusspotlight.org that will give us the reasons how animals are mistreated in their training and life in the circus.

 

    If you are on the fence about all this, or even open-minded and are willing to see both sides, then I suggest that you think of these points:

 

    Even if the circus loves their animals and treats them well, is it right to capture or breed a wild animal, an animal that has not been genetically manipulated by humans over thousands of years to become domesticated, and keep him in a cage and force him to adhere to human rules? As a wildlife rehabilitator, the concept of being wild is so important that a rehabber would rather put an unreleasable animal to death, rather than "keep" her as a pet. Rehabbers understand that wild animals are happiest when they are in their native habitat, able to make their own choices on food, friends and fun.

 

    Jonathan Balcombe, in his book "Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good," writes, "The cliché that animals' lives are a constant struggle for survival should have gone the way of the big game hunters. ... the mass media often perpetuate the stereotype that life is harsh and joyless for wild creatures.... that from the moment of birth, (wild) animals struggle against the odds." He then writes, "For many, interpreting nature as cruel and harsh serves an insidious purpose: the continued exploitation of animals by humans."

 

    As a society, and these animal circuses encourage us to think so, we like to think that wild animals welcome the safe, secure life of a circus, where they don't have to be worried about poachers, or droughts, or predators or disease. But the wild isn't wild to them, it is their home.

 

I ask the reader if you were to think about your own life along the same lines you think about these "lucky" wild animals in the circus, would you prefer a life in a prison giving you three meals a day, a steady job, your own room, someone else's rules to follow; to your free life now, where at any given moment you can get into a bad car accident, or be abducted or robbed, or struck by lightening, or drown at the beach, or your house be burglarized. Because these are the risks we take by being "free." And most of us wouldn't give up our independence for any guaranteed security if it meant giving up our basic freedoms.

 

 

    These exotic animals are wild animals, they are not dogs or cats, who are accustomed and bred to live side by side with humans. These are individuals who are independent beings who are happiest when they make their own choices, even if it's in the big scary "wild."

 

    Please support Senator Hedlund's bill. Please help these animals be happy again. If you go to the circus, let them know they don't need the wild animals to be a fun time, for it's no fun for the animals. Let them know you want to be entertained by humans who want to be there.

 

    And visit www.CircusSpotlight.org for more information about wild animals and what really constitutes a happy life for them.

 

 

     Lorraine Nicotera is vice president of the South Shore Humane Society. She has been a vegan for about 11 years, and a wildlife rehabilitator. She can be reached at Cottonfeathers@aol.com

 

http://www2.townonline.com/braintree/opinion/view.bg?articleid=525114

 

Exotic cat back with owners?

Exotic cat back with owners?

 

30-pound African serval roamed Atlanta for about a week

 

By S.A. REID

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

 

Published on: 06/26/06

 

An exotic cat on the loose for about a week is back with its owner.

 

The African serval named "Webbie" has been caught, but details of its capture were unavailable. Owner Fred Boyajian was unavailable for comment.

 

"We're not commenting other than we have all of our cats," said Susan Staley, who answered a call to a phone number listed on a missing cat flyer posted around the Mount Paran neighborhood.

 

The 3-year-old, tawny colored serval with large tufted ears and black spots escaped from its pen at Boyajian's Buckhead home about a week ago. Boyajian is a licensed breeder whose lynx escaped last year for two weeks before its capture.

 

A native of sub-sahara Africa, servals have long limbs and feed on rodents.

 

Stephen Smith said the 30-pound cat he and his family spotted at their backyard Saturday afternoon resembled a miniature cheetah. They fed the cat tuna and watched it play with their dog LuLu's yard toys.

 

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/0626cat.html

 

For the cats,

 

Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue

an Educational Sanctuary home

to more than 100 big cats

12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL  33625

813.493.4564 fax 885.4457

http://www.BigCatRescue.org MakeADifference@BigCatRescue.org

Sign our petition here:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/344896451?ltl=1140270431

Subscribe to our Podcast

 

This message contains information from Big Cat Rescue that may be confidential or privileged. The information contained herein is intended only for the eyes of the individual or entity named above.  You are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, disclosure, and/or copying of the information contained in this communication is strictly prohibited. The recipient should check this e-mail and any attachments for the presence of viruses. Big Cat Rescue accepts no liability for any damage or loss caused by any virus transmitted by this e-mail.

 

Serenity Springs Owner Foreclosed and Heart Attack

 

Serenity Springs Owner Foreclosed and Heart Attack

 

By Deborah Frazier, Rocky Mountain News

June 26, 2006

 

Nick and Karen Sculac, owners of Big Cats of Serenity Springs, have another sad animal sanctuary story.

But they're counting on a happy ending.

 

Big Cats of Serenity Springs, located in Calhan about 65 miles southeast of Denver, is home to 105 lions, tigers, leopards and other large felines.

 

The Sculacs started the refuge 14 years ago, taking in cats from failed sanctuaries and from private owners - including fighter Mike Tyson - who had lost interest in their toothsome exotic pets.

 

"They don't come with dowries, not even Tyson's," said Karen Sculac. "Other refuges don't take cats without dollars, but I can't put a price on their heads."

 

That was fine until last year, when Nick Sculac had a massive heart attack and mothballed his contracting business that kept fresh meat in the large cats' bellies.

 

This year, the bank foreclosed on the Sculac's 8,000-square-foot home. The couple moved into a small house on the sanctuary's already-paid-for 15 acres.

 

"We're not going to a homeless shelter, and neither are the cats," Karen Sculac said.

 

Nick Sculac, 54, known in southeastern Colorado as "The Tiger Man" for his cheery pickups of fresh livestock carcasses for his brood, has six stents in his arteries and a slew of medicines.

 

He's hoping for a full recovery by next year and has paid all his medical bills with cash. But he grieves that he's got to stay away from his furry wards.

 

"If they bite me, I'll bleed to death because of the blood thinners," said Sculac, who once romped with lions and tigers that embraced him with paws the size of baseball gloves.

 

Each week, the cats devour 1,683 pounds of meat, and the Sculacs' savings account is as dented as the metal barrels the lions toss around their enclosures.

 

A vendor who trades in meat that's past the deadline for human consumption and Red Bird Farms in Denver help, but sometimes those supplies run short.

 

Karen Sculac said she then buys chicken quarters by the case at the local discount store.

 

The Sculacs said their refuge, one of only two licensed big cat sanctuaries in the state, isn't closing.

 

But if Big Cats of Serenity Springs did close, state officials wouldn't be surprised.

 

"It's tragic, but it's a tough world and sometimes the animals are better off being euthanized," said Rick Enstrom, a Colorado Wildlife Commissioner.

 

In 2003, the commission banned new nonprofit exotic animal refuges to prevent Colorado from becoming the dumping ground as other states banned refuges.

 

But that didn't stop the Sculacs or Pat Craig's Rocky Mountain Wildlife Conservation Center near Greeley from taking in more animals every year.

 

The Conservation Center, which houses 152 lions, tigers, bears, wolves and other wildlife, ran $150,000 short last year.

 

Craig launched a media campaign for donations.

 

It worked, as it had before, said Enstrom. He said the Sculacs haven't resorted to emotional pleas to raise money - but they could.

 

"When something does happen to the Sculacs or Craig, we will have an emotional and financial train wreck," said Enstrom. "The refuge owners can't do it all their lives. And, they run out of money."

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