Catskill, NY - A newly formed local group is concerned with the well-being of the animals that are sold when Catskill Game Farm closes for good this fall and the owner sells them off.
Advocates for Game Farm Animals is a regional coalition of animal sanctuaries, non-profits and individuals, who have asked the park's owners to consider "a compassionate retirement" for the animals.
The group said there has been no reply.
AGFA Chairman James Van Alstine said they are concerned about the possible sale of animals to private owners, second rate zoos or worse.
"Our worst fear is that either directly or indirectly many of the animals may wind up in canned hunts, what are largely called hunting preserves or shooting clubs, where clients pay for the privilege of shooting an exotic species animal on private land," he said. "That's a legal practice, but even among hunters, it is usually considered quite unethical."
AGFA would also hope to convince the owner to consider the possible tax advantage of donating animals.
When the facility is closed, the owner has said she would auction off the animals.
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/CGF_offer-30Aug06.htm
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Oregon Zoo intent on lion's return
Wildlife - Officials are working out what it will take, and cost, to bring lions back to the zoo
WADE NKRUMAH
The Oregonian
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
What's a zoo without the king of the jungle? For now, the Oregon Zoo's only wild cats are cougars, leopards, ocelots and tigers.
But Tony Vecchio, zoo director, said he's eager for lions to return, hopefully by summer 2009. But like everything else, it's a matter of money.
He said finding money would fall to the Oregon Zoo Foundation, a nonprofit fundraising group. The foundation's development committee would create a plan to seek support from corporations, foundations and individuals, he said.
The group "probably would get a fair amount of money in hand before announcing a campaign," Vecchio said. For now, plans are in early stages, he said.
He said bringing lions back to the zoo could cost from $1 million for a lions-only exhibit to as much as $5 million as part of an African Predators Exhibit.
The zoo last had lions in 1997. They were in what Vecchio called "an old feline building," which also housed cougars, snow leopards, tigers and other wild cats.
The building -- built in 1959 when the zoo moved to its Washington Park site -- was demolished in 1998 to make way for the Steller Cove Exhibit. Steller Cove houses sea lions and otters as part of the zoo's Great Northwest Exhibit.
All the wild cats in the old building were placed in other zoos, Vecchio said, leaving the Oregon Zoo with no wild cats when he arrived in early 1998.
"We know how much the public loves cats, and cats are such a conservation story that we started bringing them back almost immediately."
Tigers were the first to return, around summer 1998. Then leopards in 1999, and cougars and ocelots this month. Bobcats are scheduled to arrive next spring, Vecchio said.
"I think we've heard pretty clear from our visitors that the lions are something they want to see here and expect to see."
Vecchio said that when deciding which animals to house at the zoo, officials balance public interest with conservation values.
"In this case," he said, "the lions and the whole idea of African predators fits both of those needs pretty strongly."
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/oregonian/ index.ssf?/base/portland_news/1156904741219130.xml&coll=7
WADE NKRUMAH
The Oregonian
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
What's a zoo without the king of the jungle? For now, the Oregon Zoo's only wild cats are cougars, leopards, ocelots and tigers.
But Tony Vecchio, zoo director, said he's eager for lions to return, hopefully by summer 2009. But like everything else, it's a matter of money.
He said finding money would fall to the Oregon Zoo Foundation, a nonprofit fundraising group. The foundation's development committee would create a plan to seek support from corporations, foundations and individuals, he said.
The group "probably would get a fair amount of money in hand before announcing a campaign," Vecchio said. For now, plans are in early stages, he said.
He said bringing lions back to the zoo could cost from $1 million for a lions-only exhibit to as much as $5 million as part of an African Predators Exhibit.
The zoo last had lions in 1997. They were in what Vecchio called "an old feline building," which also housed cougars, snow leopards, tigers and other wild cats.
The building -- built in 1959 when the zoo moved to its Washington Park site -- was demolished in 1998 to make way for the Steller Cove Exhibit. Steller Cove houses sea lions and otters as part of the zoo's Great Northwest Exhibit.
All the wild cats in the old building were placed in other zoos, Vecchio said, leaving the Oregon Zoo with no wild cats when he arrived in early 1998.
"We know how much the public loves cats, and cats are such a conservation story that we started bringing them back almost immediately."
Tigers were the first to return, around summer 1998. Then leopards in 1999, and cougars and ocelots this month. Bobcats are scheduled to arrive next spring, Vecchio said.
"I think we've heard pretty clear from our visitors that the lions are something they want to see here and expect to see."
Vecchio said that when deciding which animals to house at the zoo, officials balance public interest with conservation values.
"In this case," he said, "the lions and the whole idea of African predators fits both of those needs pretty strongly."
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/oregonian/ index.ssf?/base/portland_news/1156904741219130.xml&coll=7
Trouble at wild-animal parks?
Study cites lax US regulations for private exhibitors.
By Mark Clayton | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
August 31, 2006
The grainy picture, taken at a private wild-animal park, shows a girl reaching out to pet, or grab, the tail of a full-grown leopard. How will the leopard react?
As the debate over private ownership of exotic pets intensifies in the US, attention is also beginning to fall on private wildlife exhibits that display "big cats" like lions, tigers, and leopards.
Licensed by the US government, these parks are required to put "significant barriers" between visitors and big cats. But there's enough gray area in the law so that some facilities permit close contact with the animals, including touching them - sometimes with tragic results.
In the year since 17-year-old Haley Hilderbrand was fatally mauled while posing for her senior photo with a leashed tiger at a Kansas wild-animal park, pressure has grown at federal and state levels to explicitly ban public contact with big cats at facilities that are licensed and regulated by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
In April, Kansas became the first state to ban direct contact between humans and potentially dangerous animals at wildlife exhibits. It also joined 21 states that prohibit private ownership of certain big cats.
Last month, Rep. Jim Ryun (R) of Kansas introduced legislation in Congress to beef up the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), which governs animal safety at USDA-regulated facilities. His bill would prohibit direct contact between big cats and the public and require the USDA to write public-safety regulations for exhibitor licensees.
Activists say AWA rules are too weak to ensure that the animals are securely kept and well maintained - or to protect humans from the animals on display. "We're not even that critical of the USDA because it doesn't really have the authority it needs to deal with the public-safety problem," says Greg Wetstone of International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), a Yarmouth Port, Mass., animal rights group.
About 5,000 lions, tigers, and other big cats are kept by nearly 700 USDA big-cat licensees in the United States. Someone seeking a license to exhibit tigers is subject to requirements similar to those for someone seeking a goat license, IFAW reported last week, after a year-long investigation of such facilities.
As a result, in states where private ownership of exotic animals is banned, people can legally keep their animals by getting a USDA license as an exhibitor. In a rising number of cases, license applicants are mom-and-pop outfits building animal collections.
"These animals are dangerous, and it takes a lot to contain and feed them," says Mr. Wetstone of the IFAW, which included in its report the grainy photo of the girl touching the leopard. "So some folks decide to make a few bucks and escape state rules barring them as pets. They go get a USDA license."
The IFAW report - which looked at 42 wild-animal exhibits in 11 states, all USDA-licensed - cites these problems.
• Most of these big-cat facilities are "structurally unsound."
• Most allow public contact between people and big cats.
• "Vermin and grossly inadequate sewage disposal" are often evident. Meat fed to big cats is often rotten.
• Many facilities have no attendants at big-cat exhibits, and some "allowed children to work as attendants."
In the past decade, there have been 13 big-cat-related incidents in Florida, 12 in Texas, six in California, and five each in Illinois, Nevada, Minnesota, and Kansas. Since 1990, 13 people have died in these incidents, IFAW says.
A USDA spokesman says AWA regulations are adequate to keep the public safe and are zealously policed by its team of inspectors.
"There is no public-safety crisis," says Darby Holladay with USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. "Whenever any incident occurs, the USDA animal-care program looks into it. If there's a possible violation of the Animal Welfare Act, enforcement action is taken."
The process can be slow. In the case of the park in Kansas where Hilderbrand was mauled, the USDA has yet to decide on whether to revoke the operator's big-cat license.
Critics of the IFAW report say it fails to deliver specific violations at specific facilities. "I don't think it's a well-informed report," says Marcus Cook, spokesman for the Feline Conservation Federation, which represents big-cat exhibitors. "If they know something, let's report it. If you've got a valid complaint, let's make it to the USDA. Don't just throw a bunch of numbers out there."
An IFAW member says the group has more than 2,000 photos documenting the violations cited in its report. "Our staff member was at [one] facility when a leopard bit the finger off an untrained worker," says Josephine Martell, a principal author of the report. "You can't just say, 'here's the tiger. Take care of him. I'm going to get some coffee.' But that's what's happening."
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0831/p02s01-usgn.html
By Mark Clayton | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
August 31, 2006
The grainy picture, taken at a private wild-animal park, shows a girl reaching out to pet, or grab, the tail of a full-grown leopard. How will the leopard react?
As the debate over private ownership of exotic pets intensifies in the US, attention is also beginning to fall on private wildlife exhibits that display "big cats" like lions, tigers, and leopards.
Licensed by the US government, these parks are required to put "significant barriers" between visitors and big cats. But there's enough gray area in the law so that some facilities permit close contact with the animals, including touching them - sometimes with tragic results.
In the year since 17-year-old Haley Hilderbrand was fatally mauled while posing for her senior photo with a leashed tiger at a Kansas wild-animal park, pressure has grown at federal and state levels to explicitly ban public contact with big cats at facilities that are licensed and regulated by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
In April, Kansas became the first state to ban direct contact between humans and potentially dangerous animals at wildlife exhibits. It also joined 21 states that prohibit private ownership of certain big cats.
Last month, Rep. Jim Ryun (R) of Kansas introduced legislation in Congress to beef up the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), which governs animal safety at USDA-regulated facilities. His bill would prohibit direct contact between big cats and the public and require the USDA to write public-safety regulations for exhibitor licensees.
Activists say AWA rules are too weak to ensure that the animals are securely kept and well maintained - or to protect humans from the animals on display. "We're not even that critical of the USDA because it doesn't really have the authority it needs to deal with the public-safety problem," says Greg Wetstone of International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), a Yarmouth Port, Mass., animal rights group.
About 5,000 lions, tigers, and other big cats are kept by nearly 700 USDA big-cat licensees in the United States. Someone seeking a license to exhibit tigers is subject to requirements similar to those for someone seeking a goat license, IFAW reported last week, after a year-long investigation of such facilities.
As a result, in states where private ownership of exotic animals is banned, people can legally keep their animals by getting a USDA license as an exhibitor. In a rising number of cases, license applicants are mom-and-pop outfits building animal collections.
"These animals are dangerous, and it takes a lot to contain and feed them," says Mr. Wetstone of the IFAW, which included in its report the grainy photo of the girl touching the leopard. "So some folks decide to make a few bucks and escape state rules barring them as pets. They go get a USDA license."
The IFAW report - which looked at 42 wild-animal exhibits in 11 states, all USDA-licensed - cites these problems.
• Most of these big-cat facilities are "structurally unsound."
• Most allow public contact between people and big cats.
• "Vermin and grossly inadequate sewage disposal" are often evident. Meat fed to big cats is often rotten.
• Many facilities have no attendants at big-cat exhibits, and some "allowed children to work as attendants."
In the past decade, there have been 13 big-cat-related incidents in Florida, 12 in Texas, six in California, and five each in Illinois, Nevada, Minnesota, and Kansas. Since 1990, 13 people have died in these incidents, IFAW says.
A USDA spokesman says AWA regulations are adequate to keep the public safe and are zealously policed by its team of inspectors.
"There is no public-safety crisis," says Darby Holladay with USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. "Whenever any incident occurs, the USDA animal-care program looks into it. If there's a possible violation of the Animal Welfare Act, enforcement action is taken."
The process can be slow. In the case of the park in Kansas where Hilderbrand was mauled, the USDA has yet to decide on whether to revoke the operator's big-cat license.
Critics of the IFAW report say it fails to deliver specific violations at specific facilities. "I don't think it's a well-informed report," says Marcus Cook, spokesman for the Feline Conservation Federation, which represents big-cat exhibitors. "If they know something, let's report it. If you've got a valid complaint, let's make it to the USDA. Don't just throw a bunch of numbers out there."
An IFAW member says the group has more than 2,000 photos documenting the violations cited in its report. "Our staff member was at [one] facility when a leopard bit the finger off an untrained worker," says Josephine Martell, a principal author of the report. "You can't just say, 'here's the tiger. Take care of him. I'm going to get some coffee.' But that's what's happening."
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0831/p02s01-usgn.html
Bobcat death prompts call for closure of Wisconsin zoo
A nationwide animal rights group is calling for Irvine Park Zoo to close its bobcat exhibit.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says the zoo is, quote, "plagued with problems from incompetence to neglect, creating a dangerous environment for the bobcats."
The letter comes after a zookeeper forgot to lock a secured door between the bobcat and cougar cages. One of the two bobcats then wandered into the cougar cage and was killed.
Mayor Hedrington calls the accusations of neglect completely exaggerated and over dramatized.
http://www.weau.com/news/headlines/3781492.html
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says the zoo is, quote, "plagued with problems from incompetence to neglect, creating a dangerous environment for the bobcats."
The letter comes after a zookeeper forgot to lock a secured door between the bobcat and cougar cages. One of the two bobcats then wandered into the cougar cage and was killed.
Mayor Hedrington calls the accusations of neglect completely exaggerated and over dramatized.
http://www.weau.com/news/headlines/3781492.html
Lion falls sick, Indian zoo in pain
HT Live Correspondent
August 30
LUCKNOW Zoo is sad nowadays. The reason is 18-year-old lion Ramu who isn't well these days. He may die any moment.
And that's the cause of agony among zoo caretakers. Ramu's end is not just a lion on the deathbead, but the end of an emotional bonding with his caretakers. His pranks always drew vistors' attention.
Mubarak Ali, Ramu's cartaker, says, "I have been looking after him since the time he came to the zoo. Now that he is not well I am not being able to live in peace.
He is like a family member to me. I feed him with my own hands. I visit him at night just to see if he is doing fine." Mubarak cannot eat when Ramy doen't have a bite. "He is more like my child," he says. Similarly, a sweeper Chotte Lal says, "We are very attached to all the animals. In fact, we develop a mother-like bond with them while bringing them up. It hurts when an animal falls sick."
Ramu is almost 18 years old now. He was bought to the zoo in 2001 from Kanpur. Zoo director Eva Sharma says, "Ramu has always been a very caring animal. Like all the other lions, he did stay in the shade. But, whenever he came out, he was darling of the crowds.
However, the authorities have placed a younger lion in his enclosure to keep visitors' entertained.
Narrating an anecdote Eva Sharma adds, "Ramu was very friendly with Baby (a tigress), who stayed in the enclosure next to Ramu. Both of them got along very well and their closeness reflected in the way they interacted with each other.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/
5922_1781928,0015002500010002.htm
August 30
LUCKNOW Zoo is sad nowadays. The reason is 18-year-old lion Ramu who isn't well these days. He may die any moment.
And that's the cause of agony among zoo caretakers. Ramu's end is not just a lion on the deathbead, but the end of an emotional bonding with his caretakers. His pranks always drew vistors' attention.
Mubarak Ali, Ramu's cartaker, says, "I have been looking after him since the time he came to the zoo. Now that he is not well I am not being able to live in peace.
He is like a family member to me. I feed him with my own hands. I visit him at night just to see if he is doing fine." Mubarak cannot eat when Ramy doen't have a bite. "He is more like my child," he says. Similarly, a sweeper Chotte Lal says, "We are very attached to all the animals. In fact, we develop a mother-like bond with them while bringing them up. It hurts when an animal falls sick."
Ramu is almost 18 years old now. He was bought to the zoo in 2001 from Kanpur. Zoo director Eva Sharma says, "Ramu has always been a very caring animal. Like all the other lions, he did stay in the shade. But, whenever he came out, he was darling of the crowds.
However, the authorities have placed a younger lion in his enclosure to keep visitors' entertained.
Narrating an anecdote Eva Sharma adds, "Ramu was very friendly with Baby (a tigress), who stayed in the enclosure next to Ramu. Both of them got along very well and their closeness reflected in the way they interacted with each other.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/
5922_1781928,0015002500010002.htm
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
California officials say backyard zoo must go
Aug 29, 2006 9:43 am US/Pacific
(CBS) LOS ANGELES - County officials say a Siberian Lynx, a squirrel monkey and dozens of other wild animals that have been living in a backyard in Altadena for the last eight years must go.
Paul Hahn and David Riherd run Animal Guys Inc., an education and entertainment company, from the backyard of Riherd's parents’ home with Los Angeles city permits, the Pasadena Star-News reported.
The men, who met at Cal State Northridge, were unaware they needed county permits to operate the private zoo, according to the newspaper.
According to county zoning laws, the zoo can't operate in a residential area.
Now the men are looking for a new home for their animals, or to disband the herd.
Pairs from the zoo's 12-member staff of biologists, ecologists and animal trainers daily take some of the animals to parties, classrooms, television studios and libraries for demonstrations and talks about ecology, the newspaper reported.
The company also does nonprofit work, bringing the animals to public schools to teach children about ecology.
The men told the newspaper they have between three and six months to find a new home for the herd, but they are worried about the cost and that they won't have enough time.
http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_241124513.html
(CBS) LOS ANGELES - County officials say a Siberian Lynx, a squirrel monkey and dozens of other wild animals that have been living in a backyard in Altadena for the last eight years must go.
Paul Hahn and David Riherd run Animal Guys Inc., an education and entertainment company, from the backyard of Riherd's parents’ home with Los Angeles city permits, the Pasadena Star-News reported.
The men, who met at Cal State Northridge, were unaware they needed county permits to operate the private zoo, according to the newspaper.
According to county zoning laws, the zoo can't operate in a residential area.
Now the men are looking for a new home for their animals, or to disband the herd.
Pairs from the zoo's 12-member staff of biologists, ecologists and animal trainers daily take some of the animals to parties, classrooms, television studios and libraries for demonstrations and talks about ecology, the newspaper reported.
The company also does nonprofit work, bringing the animals to public schools to teach children about ecology.
The men told the newspaper they have between three and six months to find a new home for the herd, but they are worried about the cost and that they won't have enough time.
http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_241124513.html
Leopard attacks zoo worker
Odessa, Ukraine: On Monday a leopard in Odesa attacked a worker at the zoo in the port city.
The man had entered the cage to feed the big cat. He is currently in a local hospital with 30 stitches on one of his arms. Doctors say that his life is not in danger. Officials say the man may have failed to follow security procedures prior to feeding the leopard.
http://5tv.com.ua/eng/newsline/230/0/30084/
The man had entered the cage to feed the big cat. He is currently in a local hospital with 30 stitches on one of his arms. Doctors say that his life is not in danger. Officials say the man may have failed to follow security procedures prior to feeding the leopard.
http://5tv.com.ua/eng/newsline/230/0/30084/
Editorial brief: Open the hunting cans, once and for all
Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, Fort Wayne, IN
Indiana ought to take the hard line on closing fenced animal-shooting enclosures. It’s the right thing to do, and it’s the right move politically, too.
Until recently, this issue was all glory for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and its director, Kyle Hupfer. Last year, the DNR passed emergency and temporary rules to halt “canned hunting.” The governor and attorney general both approved the new rules. And Hupfer says there will be no more fenced "hunting" enclosures established.
But now he’s waffling about whether there ought to be a years-long phase-out period. The answer is no. Canned hunts ought to stop in Indiana. The spectacle of herding a deer into a corner and executing it appalls nonhunters and embarrasses real hunters.
Today’s briefs by Bob Caylor for the editorial board
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/15388830.htm
Indiana ought to take the hard line on closing fenced animal-shooting enclosures. It’s the right thing to do, and it’s the right move politically, too.
Until recently, this issue was all glory for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and its director, Kyle Hupfer. Last year, the DNR passed emergency and temporary rules to halt “canned hunting.” The governor and attorney general both approved the new rules. And Hupfer says there will be no more fenced "hunting" enclosures established.
But now he’s waffling about whether there ought to be a years-long phase-out period. The answer is no. Canned hunts ought to stop in Indiana. The spectacle of herding a deer into a corner and executing it appalls nonhunters and embarrasses real hunters.
Today’s briefs by Bob Caylor for the editorial board
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/15388830.htm
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Indiana tiger pair to breed in Honolulu
From staff reports
FortWayne.com
Posted on Mon, Aug. 28, 2006
Two big cats from the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, born in 1999, will be the first Sumatran tigers to give birth at the Honolulu Zoo.
Berani, a 235-pound male Sumatran tiger, and his 187-pound mate, Chrissie, have been approved to have two more litters. They live with another female tiger, Djelita.
The cubs will stay with Chrissie for two years, the same time as in the wild, before being sent to other zoos. A tiger can expect two to six cubs in a litter. Chrissie had three cubs in her first litter.
Breeding the tigers will advance worldwide conservation efforts, as there are only 500 Sumatran tigers left in the wild. There are 200 Sumatran tigers in captivity, and 60 in U.S. zoos.
Before the two tigers can breed, however, major changes need to be made to their exhibit space. This creates a problem because female territories don’t overlap. Chrissie and Djelita can never be put together, so they alternate between the exhibit and sleeping stalls.
Each female will have her own space in the new exhibit, while Berani will move between the territories.
After Chrissie gives birth, Berani will be paired with Djelita because males do not participate in rearing cubs.
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/news/local/15381126.htm
FortWayne.com
Posted on Mon, Aug. 28, 2006
Two big cats from the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, born in 1999, will be the first Sumatran tigers to give birth at the Honolulu Zoo.
Berani, a 235-pound male Sumatran tiger, and his 187-pound mate, Chrissie, have been approved to have two more litters. They live with another female tiger, Djelita.
The cubs will stay with Chrissie for two years, the same time as in the wild, before being sent to other zoos. A tiger can expect two to six cubs in a litter. Chrissie had three cubs in her first litter.
Breeding the tigers will advance worldwide conservation efforts, as there are only 500 Sumatran tigers left in the wild. There are 200 Sumatran tigers in captivity, and 60 in U.S. zoos.
Before the two tigers can breed, however, major changes need to be made to their exhibit space. This creates a problem because female territories don’t overlap. Chrissie and Djelita can never be put together, so they alternate between the exhibit and sleeping stalls.
Each female will have her own space in the new exhibit, while Berani will move between the territories.
After Chrissie gives birth, Berani will be paired with Djelita because males do not participate in rearing cubs.
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/news/local/15381126.htm
Monday, August 28, 2006
Opinion: Indiana canned hunt settlement unacceptable
FortWayne.com
Posted on Sun, Aug. 27, 2006
What looked like a satisfying end to a despicable business now appears to be a diversion to benefit high-fenced hunting preserve owners. A proposed settlement allowing the illegal operations to continue for another decade is an unacceptable resolution.
Kyle Hupfer, director of the Department of Natural Resources, announced a year ago that the state would no longer tolerate the "canned hunting" operations that cater to wealthy hunters who pay to shoot animals within confined areas.
"This is something that is just extremely unethical," Hupfer said at the time, winning accolades from hunting and conservation groups alike.
But the DNR director told The Journal Gazette's Niki Kelly last week that the hunts will likely continue for another 10 years – the result of a settlement negotiated with Rodney Bruce, a southern Indiana hunting preserve owner who had sued to remain in business. The agreement also extends to five other canned hunting operations. Hupfer insists the agreement is fair to the preserve owners, who have much invested in their businesses and who are entitled to property rights.
He also suggests that an unfavorable ruling in the lawsuit could prove costly to the DNR, although that point is unclear. What seems more likely is that Hupfer has been pressured by legislators sympathetic to the canned-hunting operators to allow them plenty of time to recoup their interests.
There's good reason the preserve operators are celebrating the settlement – it's a clear victory for them. The fact that they are enthusiastically promoting the upcoming hunting season is an affront to all those who have worked to preserve sportsmanlike behavior in hunting. And the settlement is a clear loss for anyone who supports time-honored concepts regarding wildlife and the doctrine of fair chase – giving animals a sporting chance to escape.
Doug Allman, an advocate with the Indiana Deer Hunters Association, is right when he says the settlement is the wrong approach.
"It's bogus for us to say it's wrong and unethical but then look the other way for 10 years," Allman told The Journal Gazette.
As for lawmakers, he suggests that if they approve of the practice of canned hunting, they should vote to legalize it and make themselves accountable to voters.
The proposed settlement goes far beyond fair in offering protection for this illegal business. It should be scrapped and the lawsuit allowed to proceed. A case in Montana ended with a federal court ruling that the state not only had a right to shut down high-fence hunting operations, but also a responsibility to do so.
In Indiana, the preserve owners had fair warning. The DNR should stick with its early intentions to enforce the law and shut down these businesses.
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/15375226.htm
Posted on Sun, Aug. 27, 2006
What looked like a satisfying end to a despicable business now appears to be a diversion to benefit high-fenced hunting preserve owners. A proposed settlement allowing the illegal operations to continue for another decade is an unacceptable resolution.
Kyle Hupfer, director of the Department of Natural Resources, announced a year ago that the state would no longer tolerate the "canned hunting" operations that cater to wealthy hunters who pay to shoot animals within confined areas.
"This is something that is just extremely unethical," Hupfer said at the time, winning accolades from hunting and conservation groups alike.
But the DNR director told The Journal Gazette's Niki Kelly last week that the hunts will likely continue for another 10 years – the result of a settlement negotiated with Rodney Bruce, a southern Indiana hunting preserve owner who had sued to remain in business. The agreement also extends to five other canned hunting operations. Hupfer insists the agreement is fair to the preserve owners, who have much invested in their businesses and who are entitled to property rights.
He also suggests that an unfavorable ruling in the lawsuit could prove costly to the DNR, although that point is unclear. What seems more likely is that Hupfer has been pressured by legislators sympathetic to the canned-hunting operators to allow them plenty of time to recoup their interests.
There's good reason the preserve operators are celebrating the settlement – it's a clear victory for them. The fact that they are enthusiastically promoting the upcoming hunting season is an affront to all those who have worked to preserve sportsmanlike behavior in hunting. And the settlement is a clear loss for anyone who supports time-honored concepts regarding wildlife and the doctrine of fair chase – giving animals a sporting chance to escape.
Doug Allman, an advocate with the Indiana Deer Hunters Association, is right when he says the settlement is the wrong approach.
"It's bogus for us to say it's wrong and unethical but then look the other way for 10 years," Allman told The Journal Gazette.
As for lawmakers, he suggests that if they approve of the practice of canned hunting, they should vote to legalize it and make themselves accountable to voters.
The proposed settlement goes far beyond fair in offering protection for this illegal business. It should be scrapped and the lawsuit allowed to proceed. A case in Montana ended with a federal court ruling that the state not only had a right to shut down high-fence hunting operations, but also a responsibility to do so.
In Indiana, the preserve owners had fair warning. The DNR should stick with its early intentions to enforce the law and shut down these businesses.
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/15375226.htm
Handling LSU's mascot, Mike the Tiger
MIKE THE TIGER, LSU — Perhaps the most awe-inspiring mascot in the country, this 400-plus-pound Bengal tiger occupies a 13,000-foot campus palace. Only two upper-class veterinary students are chosen to feed and clean up after him, at $7 an hour.
They apprentice for four months, studying his moods and sleep patterns to know when a creature trained to kill might not be feeling well. They operate the electronic filtering and other aspects of Mike's $3.2 million den.
They have to have more than smarts.
"Typically they are students who come to me and say, 'I have wanted to take care of Mike the Tiger since I was a child,' " said Mike's vet, Dr. David Baker, director of LSU's Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine. "We want them to have that closeness, affection and love for Mike."
Mike V, 16, paces the paw steps of Mikes going back 70 years. Legend says the Tigers score for every growl of his before game time.
His closest humans must also manage his many off-field appearances.
"In these days of animal rights, it's hard to justify having any animal kept for rah-rah value, and we're using Mike to educate people about conservation issues," Baker said.
None of Mike's caretakers have gone into exotic animal medicine. Baker says nurturing him makes them into more observant and responsible vets for far less dangerous animals.
Tip: "There is never a time when there is nothing between us and the tiger." — Dr. David Baker
http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/other_college_sports/ article/0,2585,BDC_22976_4948812,00.html
They apprentice for four months, studying his moods and sleep patterns to know when a creature trained to kill might not be feeling well. They operate the electronic filtering and other aspects of Mike's $3.2 million den.
They have to have more than smarts.
"Typically they are students who come to me and say, 'I have wanted to take care of Mike the Tiger since I was a child,' " said Mike's vet, Dr. David Baker, director of LSU's Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine. "We want them to have that closeness, affection and love for Mike."
Mike V, 16, paces the paw steps of Mikes going back 70 years. Legend says the Tigers score for every growl of his before game time.
His closest humans must also manage his many off-field appearances.
"In these days of animal rights, it's hard to justify having any animal kept for rah-rah value, and we're using Mike to educate people about conservation issues," Baker said.
None of Mike's caretakers have gone into exotic animal medicine. Baker says nurturing him makes them into more observant and responsible vets for far less dangerous animals.
Tip: "There is never a time when there is nothing between us and the tiger." — Dr. David Baker
http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/other_college_sports/ article/0,2585,BDC_22976_4948812,00.html
'No-win' deal would extend canned hunts in Indiana
By Niki Kelly
The Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, IN
Posted on Sun, Aug. 27, 2006
INDIANAPOLIS – Kyle Hupfer, director of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, made the pronouncement last August: no more hunting of white-tailed deer and other animals behind high fences.
The Department of Natural Resources passed emergency and permanent rules, and the governor and attorney general signed off.
The legislature tangled with the issue but failed to intervene.
And yet a year after Hupfer delivered those stern words on hunting ethics and fair chase, he is nearing a settlement with a handful of shooting preserve owners that allows the controversial activity to continue for at least a decade.
"It's a no-win situation," he said. "I think we are working on something that, while no one's going to jump for joy, it finishes the issue for all time in the state and we move on."
Hupfer insists he still adamantly opposes high-fenced preserves – also called canned hunting.
"We need to remove high-fenced hunting from the state of Indiana. I would say the only difference is we need to do it as quickly as we possibly can without overly putting risk on the DNR," Hupfer said.
He also points out that the state has now officially "frozen the field" or stopped new preserves from starting up. The only question that remains is what to do with the existing businesses.
"Whatever settlement we're going to reach, the Fair Chase Alliance would have jumped at before I was DNR director," Hupfer said of a group of sportsmen and conservationists against canned hunting.
"We've taken this argument a long distance, and I don't think that this is the time to get greedy," he said. "I think this is the time to be reasonable, be fair."
Times gone by
The issue began to fester in the late 1990s when a few facilities began springing up under the guise of a game breeder's license. The owners charged thousands of dollars for hunters to come in and shoot prized deer bred specifically for large antlers.
There are about 350 deer or elk farms throughout Indiana, many of which have the game breeder's license. But only a handful offer hunting.
Many outdoors groups opposed the operations from the beginning, saying no Indiana law specifically authorized the activity. But preserve owners argued nothing explicitly prohibited it either.
And some of the breeders received conflicting advice from former DNR administrations.
The biggest and best-known preserve was Bellar's Place in Miami County. That is until owner Russell Bellar was convicted of federal wildlife violations. He pleaded guilty in 2005 after testimony at his trial included the fact that deer were sometimes drugged and placed in smaller pens to be shot by celebrities and other affluent hunters.
Bellar then became a rallying cry for the Fair Chase Alliance to get rid of canned hunting in Indiana.
Hupfer, a lawyer and longtime hunter, came in as director in January 2005. He spent months having hearings on the subject, doing research and talking to everyone involved.
That led to the August news conference where he said nothing in Indiana law allows shooting preserves to exist.
"This is just something that is extremely unethical," he said then. "In order to preserve the hunting tradition, we must ensure that all hunting in Indiana is done in an ethical manner and in a way that conforms with long-standing fair chase ethics."
At the time, Hupfer said he would give legislators one session to intervene before he began enforcement, noting there had been confusion on their legality in the past.
The fighting begins
Soon after Hupfer's announcement, one owner – Rodney Bruce, who runs Whitetail Bluff in Corydon – filed suit in Harrison County and won the first legal round, receiving a preliminary injunction barring the DNR from taking any action to stop deer hunts at his southern Indiana preserve.
Hupfer called the injunction hearing "enlightening," including some documentation that former DNR officials sent to Bruce telling him he was allowed to offer private fee-hunting.
Former DNR director John Goss – who now heads the Indiana Wildlife Federation – disputes the letter, saying it has been blown out of proportion and was never an authorization of canned hunting.
In early 2006, lawmakers tried to tack amendments on numerous bills making the DNR compensate the owners for lost revenue, but the session ended March 14 with no changes to state law either legalizing canned hunting or supporting the owners.
But conversations with legislators appear to have swayed Hupfer, as they brought up issues of property rights and the taking of a person's business.
Another possibility is that the owners could win the suit altogether and force the state to pay an expensive settlement.
"I don't have some luxuries that a person who isn't in this position has. I have a responsibility to look out for the best interest of the resources, and not put this agency at undue risk," he said.
He argued that even if there is a 5 percent chance at a potential liability for the state, "that risk is not outweighed by the risk of allowing these folks to do what they've been doing for a few more years."
Divergent views
But that's not how some Hoosier sportsmen see it.
Doug Allman, an advocate with the Indiana Deer Hunters Association, has been fighting the issue for years and is disappointed with the idea of a settlement.
"To me this is about principle. It's either right or wrong," he said. "If our legislators want to put the pressure on, then they need to (legalize) it and have their fingerprints on it and be held accountable by the voters.
"It's bogus for us to say it's wrong and unethical, but then look the other way for 10 years."
He is one side of a growing split among hunters and conservationists – some want an all-out ban with immediate enforcement, and others are willing to let the preserves die quietly a few years from now.
Gene Hopkins, legislative chairman and past president of the Indiana Bowhunters Association, favors a five- to seven-year extension.
"The reason for allowing them to continue is to recoup their investment," he said.
Hupfer identified a handful of owners the agency is negotiating with: Bruce Brandbenburg, who runs Shale Hollow Whitetail in Underwood; Bruce in Corydon; Richard Davis, who runs White Oak Elk Ranch in Sellersburg; Lee Fritz, who runs Backwoods Whitetails in Bremen; Ken McIntosh, who runs Midwest Woodlots in Pierceton; and Richard Reed, who runs R&R Elk Ranch in St. Joe.
Several other deer farms are marked as hunting preserves on a spreadsheet from the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, but Hupfer said the others have either stopped hunting or gone out of business altogether.
His original target was to have the settlement done before hunting season – with the preserves usually starting elk hunting by Sept. 1 and deer by Oct. 1. He expects the five other owners to intervene in the Harrison County court case and ask for the same injunction Bruce received.
The DNR will not fight such a move, he said, as a result of the ongoing good-faith negotiations.
Settlement details
A proposed settlement from June that has been passed around the hunting community contains some of the key points of a possible agreement but also shows where the DNR and owners diverge on key issues.
Hupfer said initial talks centered on a five- to 20-year phase-out for those hunting operations in existence before Jan. 1, 2006, but he thinks the number has settled at 10 years. He said any agreement would require the owners to admit the activity is illegal and to cease at the end of the established window.
He also said he would like to include a requirement that they are allowed to use only Indiana-raised deer, which would further restrict importing deer.
The preserves would likely also be allowed to hunt wild boar, elk and a few other species in addition to white-tailed deer. But Hupfer said he would not allow hunting of exotic animals, such as zebras and giraffes.
Other issues in the mix include hunting dates, allowable weapons and bag limits.
And one section of the proposal even limits the ability of those involved in the settlement to directly or indirectly lobby the legislature on the issue.
Hupfer said the agreement could be jeopardized because the Humane Society of the United States has filed to intervene in the case and is trying to compel the DNR to enforce the law instead of settle. A court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 8.
Marching orders?
Allman said he blames Gov. Mitch Daniels, not Hupfer, for backing down, saying his office has pushed a settlement even though lawmakers could not get enough votes to pass such an option.
A form letter sent by the governor's office when he receives correspondence on the subject said Hupfer is "looking to eliminate the practice in Indiana for future generations, even if the result involves some kind of settlement," and that Daniels supports this approach.
The letter also notes that previous administrations did not take steps to eliminate the facilities and discontinue expansion.
Campaign finance reports show few donations from the preserve owners to Daniels.
In fact, not counting contributions from Bellar of $4,500, the others have given only $600.
John Okeson, senior legislative counsel in the governor's office, has been working on the issue since it arose in the General Assembly.
He said that Hupfer and Daniels believe as a matter of sportsmanship this activity should not be tolerated. But he conceded the issue is fraught with emotion and financial investment, and Indiana's proposed settlement would fall somewhere in between what other states have done on the issue.
"Because of the facts of the situation there are some issues that are not clearly resolvable one way or the other," Okeson said. "This is something everybody can live with and something no one really likes in its entirety."
Goss is baffled by the whole thing, saying "it's very frustrating that one property owner going to court could derail" all the progress.
Both McIntosh and Reed – who have hunting operations in northeast Indiana – appear at ease with the situation and say they are ready to hunt this fall.
In fact, McIntosh's season is already booked up. He leases several thousand acres for free-range hunting of wild deer and then has 160 acres under high fence where hunters pay top dollar to kill trophy deer.
"Our hunters enjoy seeing the deer make scrapes, rubs, fight and chase the does," according to his Web site. "The things you just never get to see unless you are in a managed herd."
McIntosh was hesitant to talk because he doesn't want to jeopardize the settlement, but he did say that those hunters visiting his operation bring significant tourism money in the state.
"I love what I do, and people are having a lot of fun."
nkelly@jg.net
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/news/local/15375112.htm
The Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, IN
Posted on Sun, Aug. 27, 2006
INDIANAPOLIS – Kyle Hupfer, director of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, made the pronouncement last August: no more hunting of white-tailed deer and other animals behind high fences.
The Department of Natural Resources passed emergency and permanent rules, and the governor and attorney general signed off.
The legislature tangled with the issue but failed to intervene.
And yet a year after Hupfer delivered those stern words on hunting ethics and fair chase, he is nearing a settlement with a handful of shooting preserve owners that allows the controversial activity to continue for at least a decade.
"It's a no-win situation," he said. "I think we are working on something that, while no one's going to jump for joy, it finishes the issue for all time in the state and we move on."
Hupfer insists he still adamantly opposes high-fenced preserves – also called canned hunting.
"We need to remove high-fenced hunting from the state of Indiana. I would say the only difference is we need to do it as quickly as we possibly can without overly putting risk on the DNR," Hupfer said.
He also points out that the state has now officially "frozen the field" or stopped new preserves from starting up. The only question that remains is what to do with the existing businesses.
"Whatever settlement we're going to reach, the Fair Chase Alliance would have jumped at before I was DNR director," Hupfer said of a group of sportsmen and conservationists against canned hunting.
"We've taken this argument a long distance, and I don't think that this is the time to get greedy," he said. "I think this is the time to be reasonable, be fair."
Times gone by
The issue began to fester in the late 1990s when a few facilities began springing up under the guise of a game breeder's license. The owners charged thousands of dollars for hunters to come in and shoot prized deer bred specifically for large antlers.
There are about 350 deer or elk farms throughout Indiana, many of which have the game breeder's license. But only a handful offer hunting.
Many outdoors groups opposed the operations from the beginning, saying no Indiana law specifically authorized the activity. But preserve owners argued nothing explicitly prohibited it either.
And some of the breeders received conflicting advice from former DNR administrations.
The biggest and best-known preserve was Bellar's Place in Miami County. That is until owner Russell Bellar was convicted of federal wildlife violations. He pleaded guilty in 2005 after testimony at his trial included the fact that deer were sometimes drugged and placed in smaller pens to be shot by celebrities and other affluent hunters.
Bellar then became a rallying cry for the Fair Chase Alliance to get rid of canned hunting in Indiana.
Hupfer, a lawyer and longtime hunter, came in as director in January 2005. He spent months having hearings on the subject, doing research and talking to everyone involved.
That led to the August news conference where he said nothing in Indiana law allows shooting preserves to exist.
"This is just something that is extremely unethical," he said then. "In order to preserve the hunting tradition, we must ensure that all hunting in Indiana is done in an ethical manner and in a way that conforms with long-standing fair chase ethics."
At the time, Hupfer said he would give legislators one session to intervene before he began enforcement, noting there had been confusion on their legality in the past.
The fighting begins
Soon after Hupfer's announcement, one owner – Rodney Bruce, who runs Whitetail Bluff in Corydon – filed suit in Harrison County and won the first legal round, receiving a preliminary injunction barring the DNR from taking any action to stop deer hunts at his southern Indiana preserve.
Hupfer called the injunction hearing "enlightening," including some documentation that former DNR officials sent to Bruce telling him he was allowed to offer private fee-hunting.
Former DNR director John Goss – who now heads the Indiana Wildlife Federation – disputes the letter, saying it has been blown out of proportion and was never an authorization of canned hunting.
In early 2006, lawmakers tried to tack amendments on numerous bills making the DNR compensate the owners for lost revenue, but the session ended March 14 with no changes to state law either legalizing canned hunting or supporting the owners.
But conversations with legislators appear to have swayed Hupfer, as they brought up issues of property rights and the taking of a person's business.
Another possibility is that the owners could win the suit altogether and force the state to pay an expensive settlement.
"I don't have some luxuries that a person who isn't in this position has. I have a responsibility to look out for the best interest of the resources, and not put this agency at undue risk," he said.
He argued that even if there is a 5 percent chance at a potential liability for the state, "that risk is not outweighed by the risk of allowing these folks to do what they've been doing for a few more years."
Divergent views
But that's not how some Hoosier sportsmen see it.
Doug Allman, an advocate with the Indiana Deer Hunters Association, has been fighting the issue for years and is disappointed with the idea of a settlement.
"To me this is about principle. It's either right or wrong," he said. "If our legislators want to put the pressure on, then they need to (legalize) it and have their fingerprints on it and be held accountable by the voters.
"It's bogus for us to say it's wrong and unethical, but then look the other way for 10 years."
He is one side of a growing split among hunters and conservationists – some want an all-out ban with immediate enforcement, and others are willing to let the preserves die quietly a few years from now.
Gene Hopkins, legislative chairman and past president of the Indiana Bowhunters Association, favors a five- to seven-year extension.
"The reason for allowing them to continue is to recoup their investment," he said.
Hupfer identified a handful of owners the agency is negotiating with: Bruce Brandbenburg, who runs Shale Hollow Whitetail in Underwood; Bruce in Corydon; Richard Davis, who runs White Oak Elk Ranch in Sellersburg; Lee Fritz, who runs Backwoods Whitetails in Bremen; Ken McIntosh, who runs Midwest Woodlots in Pierceton; and Richard Reed, who runs R&R Elk Ranch in St. Joe.
Several other deer farms are marked as hunting preserves on a spreadsheet from the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, but Hupfer said the others have either stopped hunting or gone out of business altogether.
His original target was to have the settlement done before hunting season – with the preserves usually starting elk hunting by Sept. 1 and deer by Oct. 1. He expects the five other owners to intervene in the Harrison County court case and ask for the same injunction Bruce received.
The DNR will not fight such a move, he said, as a result of the ongoing good-faith negotiations.
Settlement details
A proposed settlement from June that has been passed around the hunting community contains some of the key points of a possible agreement but also shows where the DNR and owners diverge on key issues.
Hupfer said initial talks centered on a five- to 20-year phase-out for those hunting operations in existence before Jan. 1, 2006, but he thinks the number has settled at 10 years. He said any agreement would require the owners to admit the activity is illegal and to cease at the end of the established window.
He also said he would like to include a requirement that they are allowed to use only Indiana-raised deer, which would further restrict importing deer.
The preserves would likely also be allowed to hunt wild boar, elk and a few other species in addition to white-tailed deer. But Hupfer said he would not allow hunting of exotic animals, such as zebras and giraffes.
Other issues in the mix include hunting dates, allowable weapons and bag limits.
And one section of the proposal even limits the ability of those involved in the settlement to directly or indirectly lobby the legislature on the issue.
Hupfer said the agreement could be jeopardized because the Humane Society of the United States has filed to intervene in the case and is trying to compel the DNR to enforce the law instead of settle. A court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 8.
Marching orders?
Allman said he blames Gov. Mitch Daniels, not Hupfer, for backing down, saying his office has pushed a settlement even though lawmakers could not get enough votes to pass such an option.
A form letter sent by the governor's office when he receives correspondence on the subject said Hupfer is "looking to eliminate the practice in Indiana for future generations, even if the result involves some kind of settlement," and that Daniels supports this approach.
The letter also notes that previous administrations did not take steps to eliminate the facilities and discontinue expansion.
Campaign finance reports show few donations from the preserve owners to Daniels.
In fact, not counting contributions from Bellar of $4,500, the others have given only $600.
John Okeson, senior legislative counsel in the governor's office, has been working on the issue since it arose in the General Assembly.
He said that Hupfer and Daniels believe as a matter of sportsmanship this activity should not be tolerated. But he conceded the issue is fraught with emotion and financial investment, and Indiana's proposed settlement would fall somewhere in between what other states have done on the issue.
"Because of the facts of the situation there are some issues that are not clearly resolvable one way or the other," Okeson said. "This is something everybody can live with and something no one really likes in its entirety."
Goss is baffled by the whole thing, saying "it's very frustrating that one property owner going to court could derail" all the progress.
Both McIntosh and Reed – who have hunting operations in northeast Indiana – appear at ease with the situation and say they are ready to hunt this fall.
In fact, McIntosh's season is already booked up. He leases several thousand acres for free-range hunting of wild deer and then has 160 acres under high fence where hunters pay top dollar to kill trophy deer.
"Our hunters enjoy seeing the deer make scrapes, rubs, fight and chase the does," according to his Web site. "The things you just never get to see unless you are in a managed herd."
McIntosh was hesitant to talk because he doesn't want to jeopardize the settlement, but he did say that those hunters visiting his operation bring significant tourism money in the state.
"I love what I do, and people are having a lot of fun."
nkelly@jg.net
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/news/local/15375112.htm
Rare Indochina tiger delivers five cubs, four die
ThanhNienNews.com
Last Updated: Sunday, August 27, 2006 13:18:19 Vietnam (GMT+07)
An extremely rare Indochina tiger raised in captivity in Vietnam recently delivered five cubs four of which died.
Ngo Duy Tan, director of the Thai Binh Beer Company which owns the facility housing the animals in Binh Duong province, said the surviving female cub was now a month old and weighed eight kilograms.
The tiger had delivered five other cubs in January 2005, all of which had survived and now weighed 160-180 kg, he said.
The Indochina tiger (Panthera tigris corbettiis) is in danger of extinction with less than 150 living both in the wild and in captivity in Vietnam.
Source: Tuoi Tre – Translated by Hoang Bao
http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/?catid=3&newsid=19345
Last Updated: Sunday, August 27, 2006 13:18:19 Vietnam (GMT+07)
An extremely rare Indochina tiger raised in captivity in Vietnam recently delivered five cubs four of which died.
Ngo Duy Tan, director of the Thai Binh Beer Company which owns the facility housing the animals in Binh Duong province, said the surviving female cub was now a month old and weighed eight kilograms.
The tiger had delivered five other cubs in January 2005, all of which had survived and now weighed 160-180 kg, he said.
The Indochina tiger (Panthera tigris corbettiis) is in danger of extinction with less than 150 living both in the wild and in captivity in Vietnam.
Source: Tuoi Tre – Translated by Hoang Bao
http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/?catid=3&newsid=19345
One more arrested in Vietnam for buying stolen tiger
ThanhNienNews.com
Last Updated: Sunday, August 27, 2006 10:45:33 Vietnam (GMT+07)
Police in Vietnam arrested Friday Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, 23, for the illegal trading of a tiger gutted and stolen two months ago from a farm in a southern province.
They had already arrested several others for buying the three-month old animal for VND180 million (US$11,250), thus “violating state regulations on rare animal protection”.
Tuan – like the others – was arrested in Dong Nai province, Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Dang Quang Minh, head of the local police’s public order section, said.
Six others who were arrested for stealing the cub from Dong Tam Snake Farm in Tien Giang province have all confessed to the crime.
On 28 June the six broke into the farm, poisoned and disemboweled the tiger, and transported it to Dong Nai.
The police found the animal in a fridge in Ho Chi Minh City.
Reported by Hoang Phuong – Translated by Hoang Bao
http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/?catid=3&newsid=19335
Last Updated: Sunday, August 27, 2006 10:45:33 Vietnam (GMT+07)
Police in Vietnam arrested Friday Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, 23, for the illegal trading of a tiger gutted and stolen two months ago from a farm in a southern province.
They had already arrested several others for buying the three-month old animal for VND180 million (US$11,250), thus “violating state regulations on rare animal protection”.
Tuan – like the others – was arrested in Dong Nai province, Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Dang Quang Minh, head of the local police’s public order section, said.
Six others who were arrested for stealing the cub from Dong Tam Snake Farm in Tien Giang province have all confessed to the crime.
On 28 June the six broke into the farm, poisoned and disemboweled the tiger, and transported it to Dong Nai.
The police found the animal in a fridge in Ho Chi Minh City.
Reported by Hoang Phuong – Translated by Hoang Bao
http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/?catid=3&newsid=19335
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Abused Ethiopian cheetah cubs get expert help
In November 2005, Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) representatives were able to coordinate a group of Ethiopian officials and concerned individuals helped by representatives in the US Embassy in Addis, the US military unit, and the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme to rescue two cheetah cubs in south eastern Ethiopia and transport the cubs from Gode to Addis Ababa.
CCF was asked to find the funding to assist in the building of a new facility to house these two cheetah cubs as well as to support their long-term annual care, including food and veterinary care. It was then decided that CCF needed to assess the situation and see what could be done to assist and facilitate this process.
By the end of May 2006, with the support of the Born Free Foundation, a trip was planned for the 15-19th of June. A full report has now been posted on [CCF's] web site (http://www.cheetah.org/ama/pdfs/ethiopia_trip_report-web.pdf)
http://www.cheetah.org/?html=news-press&data=news-press&key=227
CCF was asked to find the funding to assist in the building of a new facility to house these two cheetah cubs as well as to support their long-term annual care, including food and veterinary care. It was then decided that CCF needed to assess the situation and see what could be done to assist and facilitate this process.
By the end of May 2006, with the support of the Born Free Foundation, a trip was planned for the 15-19th of June. A full report has now been posted on [CCF's] web site (http://www.cheetah.org/ama/pdfs/ethiopia_trip_report-web.pdf)
http://www.cheetah.org/?html=news-press&data=news-press&key=227
Rebuttal to "Sell the Tiger to Save It"
From the Director of the Campaign Against Tiger Trafficking (CATT):
August 18, 2006
Dear CATT Subscriber,
Tiger-farming advocates are turning up the heat on their campaign to see tigers farmed like cows and pigs. More than a few of you saw evidence of this on August 15, when The New York Times ran a prominent opinion piece entitled "Sell the Tiger to Save It" by Indian pundit Barun Mitra.
The placement of this op-ed, with its dramatic illustration, in the U.S. newspaper of record was an undeniable coup for the farming lobby, which hosted Mitra's recent VIP tour of Chinese tiger farms. Even some of those who care deeply about wild tigers thought they may have heard a ring of reason in Mitra’s arguments. However, things are rarely as simple as they are portrayed by pundits.
Mitra argues that, because tigers breed like cats and sell -- in the form of bones, skin, claws and teeth -- for as much as $40,000, tiger farms can help the tiger "pay for its own survival" and "break the poverty cycle" of the tiger's human neighbors, while eliminating "incentives for poachers." Sadly, for wild tigers, he is dead wrong.
The only way in which Mitra’s scenario will alleviate poverty in the tiger's domain is to stimulate poaching. Given that it can cost a poacher in India as little as one U.S. dollar to kill a tiger, his profit margin will be 2,000 percent even if he sells his dead tiger for a mere $2,000.
Meanwhile, farmed tigers, which eat meat daily to maturity, will cost thousands of dollars to produce. A good return on investment will require a selling price of at least $40,000.
If you are a user of tiger bone to make wine for arthritis, whose tiger will you buy in this time when the bones of wild tigers cannot be distinguished from those of farmed tigers? The wild one, which is better according to the tenets of traditional Chinese medicine and costs a small fraction of the farmed variety? Or the inferior farmed tiger at 20 times the price?
So, yes, perhaps poverty will be alleviated for some poachers -- those lucky enough to bag one of the last 4,000 to 5,000 tigers left in the wild. After those are gone, which will be a relatively short time, the fat-cat tiger farmers can keep all the profits to themselves.
Mitra ends by saying that "if China decides to unleash the tiger's commercial potential, the king of the forest might be more secure in his domain." He draws a parallel between wild tigers and domesticated cows, buffalo, goats and sheep. "These are among the most exploited animals, yet they are not in danger of dying out."
Not on farms anyway. And, yes, the world can certainly have all the farmed tigers it wants. Tigers on feed lots. Tigers bred and re-bred so quickly that their offspring must suckle on pigs and dogs. But what about wild tigers -- the tigers who thrive and multiply in healthy forests filled with a full complement of other wild species to support a robust, sustainable Earth?
The simplest and most viable solution is to leave wild tigers alone in the wild and better enforce the long-standing ban on trade in tiger parts. Wild tigers will do the rest. The only humans who will lose out will be a handful of already-wealthy tiger farmers.
Thank you for your interest in saving wild tigers,
Judy Mills
Director - Campaign Against Tiger Trafficking (CATT): An organized response to an organized crime
http://www.savethetigerfund.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=News_Headlines& CONTENTID=2784&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm
August 18, 2006
Dear CATT Subscriber,
Tiger-farming advocates are turning up the heat on their campaign to see tigers farmed like cows and pigs. More than a few of you saw evidence of this on August 15, when The New York Times ran a prominent opinion piece entitled "Sell the Tiger to Save It" by Indian pundit Barun Mitra.
The placement of this op-ed, with its dramatic illustration, in the U.S. newspaper of record was an undeniable coup for the farming lobby, which hosted Mitra's recent VIP tour of Chinese tiger farms. Even some of those who care deeply about wild tigers thought they may have heard a ring of reason in Mitra’s arguments. However, things are rarely as simple as they are portrayed by pundits.
Mitra argues that, because tigers breed like cats and sell -- in the form of bones, skin, claws and teeth -- for as much as $40,000, tiger farms can help the tiger "pay for its own survival" and "break the poverty cycle" of the tiger's human neighbors, while eliminating "incentives for poachers." Sadly, for wild tigers, he is dead wrong.
The only way in which Mitra’s scenario will alleviate poverty in the tiger's domain is to stimulate poaching. Given that it can cost a poacher in India as little as one U.S. dollar to kill a tiger, his profit margin will be 2,000 percent even if he sells his dead tiger for a mere $2,000.
Meanwhile, farmed tigers, which eat meat daily to maturity, will cost thousands of dollars to produce. A good return on investment will require a selling price of at least $40,000.
If you are a user of tiger bone to make wine for arthritis, whose tiger will you buy in this time when the bones of wild tigers cannot be distinguished from those of farmed tigers? The wild one, which is better according to the tenets of traditional Chinese medicine and costs a small fraction of the farmed variety? Or the inferior farmed tiger at 20 times the price?
So, yes, perhaps poverty will be alleviated for some poachers -- those lucky enough to bag one of the last 4,000 to 5,000 tigers left in the wild. After those are gone, which will be a relatively short time, the fat-cat tiger farmers can keep all the profits to themselves.
Mitra ends by saying that "if China decides to unleash the tiger's commercial potential, the king of the forest might be more secure in his domain." He draws a parallel between wild tigers and domesticated cows, buffalo, goats and sheep. "These are among the most exploited animals, yet they are not in danger of dying out."
Not on farms anyway. And, yes, the world can certainly have all the farmed tigers it wants. Tigers on feed lots. Tigers bred and re-bred so quickly that their offspring must suckle on pigs and dogs. But what about wild tigers -- the tigers who thrive and multiply in healthy forests filled with a full complement of other wild species to support a robust, sustainable Earth?
The simplest and most viable solution is to leave wild tigers alone in the wild and better enforce the long-standing ban on trade in tiger parts. Wild tigers will do the rest. The only humans who will lose out will be a handful of already-wealthy tiger farmers.
Thank you for your interest in saving wild tigers,
Judy Mills
Director - Campaign Against Tiger Trafficking (CATT): An organized response to an organized crime
http://www.savethetigerfund.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=News_Headlines& CONTENTID=2784&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm
Indian zoo gets lion from safari park
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 10-year-old lion was brought to the city zoo from the lion safari park near the Neyyar Dam on Friday afternoon.
With this, the zoo now has three lionesses and a lone male. The arrival of the sterilised lion is, however, not likely to bring much cheer to the zoo as it will have no impact on the dormant breeding programme.
All lions at the Neyyar park were the offspring of lions taken there from the city zoo, zoo veterinarian C.S. Jayakumar said.
They were sterilised a couple of years ago following a directive from the Central Zoo Authority that lions of hybrid stock should not be allowed to breed.
The zoo was negotiating with the Vandallur zoo for the transfer of two males and two females that were in a condition to breed. Attempts were also being made to identify a 'pure Asiatic' male so that the gene pool of lions in the zoo could be spruced up, zoo officials said.
The newcomer male would initially be placed in a cage adjacent to the open enclosure for lions so that the resident females could get 'acclimatised.' Only later would the male be released with the females into the open enclosure, Mr. Jayakumar added.
http://www.hindu.com/2006/08/26/stories/2006082623030300.htm
With this, the zoo now has three lionesses and a lone male. The arrival of the sterilised lion is, however, not likely to bring much cheer to the zoo as it will have no impact on the dormant breeding programme.
All lions at the Neyyar park were the offspring of lions taken there from the city zoo, zoo veterinarian C.S. Jayakumar said.
They were sterilised a couple of years ago following a directive from the Central Zoo Authority that lions of hybrid stock should not be allowed to breed.
The zoo was negotiating with the Vandallur zoo for the transfer of two males and two females that were in a condition to breed. Attempts were also being made to identify a 'pure Asiatic' male so that the gene pool of lions in the zoo could be spruced up, zoo officials said.
The newcomer male would initially be placed in a cage adjacent to the open enclosure for lions so that the resident females could get 'acclimatised.' Only later would the male be released with the females into the open enclosure, Mr. Jayakumar added.
http://www.hindu.com/2006/08/26/stories/2006082623030300.htm
Simpsons Cartoon Tiger Mauling
White Stripes star in The Simpsons
(Friday August 25, 2006 10:45 AM)
The White Stripes are the latest rock group to make a celebrity cameo in TV series "The Simpsons".
Jack and Meg White will play themselves in an episode where Bart Simpson organizes a benefit concert to raise funds for himself after he is mauled by a tiger his sister Lisa rescued from an animal shelter.
The episode will be screened in the
Previous bands to have made appearances on the legendary cartoon series include Sonic Youth and The Smashing Pumpkins.
For the cats,
Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue
an Educational Sanctuary home
to more than 100 big cats
12802 Easy Street
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
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Saturday, August 26, 2006
Owners of killed tiger sign plea bargain
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com
Southern California - Despite insisting multiple times that they didn't own the tiger killed in the Tierra Rejada Valley early last year, Gert "Abby" Hedengran and his wife, Roena "Emma" Hedengran, reportedly plan to plead guilty to charges related to the incident, after making a deal with prosecutors.
A federal court hearing is set for Sept. 5.
Tuffy the tiger was shot after it escaped its owners and wandered in the rural region between Simi Valley and the Santa Rosa Valley for about three weeks.
Authorities alleged that the large carnivore belonged to the Hedengrans, who purposely misled investigators during a weeklong search in February 2005. The tiger was eventually found roaming near a city park in Moorpark that borders homes and schools next to the 23 Freeway. It was shot for safety reasons, authorities said at the time.
The Hedengrans now live with their exotic cats in Pahrump, Nev., 60 miles from Las Vegas. The couple was arrested in March of this year and were later released on their own recognizance after they were charged in connection with the shooting.
The couple faced initial charges that could have resulted in a maximum sentence of 60 years in federal prison for Gert Hedengran. Roena faced up to 10 years in federal prison, according to Assistant U.S. District Attorney Joseph Johns, who's been handling the case.
They were due to appear in court recently, but the case was postponed because U.S. District Judge George H. King wanted more time to review the agreement before he made his decision.
"The defendants have signed plea agreements that have been filed with the District Court," Johns said.
"The knee-jerk response of some folks was to criticize law enforcement for killing the tiger instead of trying to tranquilize it with darts," he added.
But even with such a careful, conservative decision, he said, the first three rifle shots missed the tiger.
"It makes you wonder what might have happened if they had decided to tranquilize the tiger and all of the darts had then missed the target," he said.
Had that been the case, criticism would have been heaped on law enforcement, especially if the tiger had escaped into the chaparral and later killed someone's child, the district attorney said. "Law enforcement did the best they could in a difficult situation," Johns said. "It doesn't take much imagination to think of the terrible consequences that could have resulted from a 600-pound Siberian tiger stalking the purple sage hillsides and oak woodlands of suburban Moorpark."
According to Nye County, Nev. Animal Control Supervisor Debbie Pemberton, housing for the exotic animals was deemed inadequate in April of this year and the Hedengrans were asked to add additional perimeter fencing. Pemberton said earlier this week that the animals' containment in Nevada is now within county/USDA guidelines.
http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2006/0825/Front_Page/003.html
Southern California - Despite insisting multiple times that they didn't own the tiger killed in the Tierra Rejada Valley early last year, Gert "Abby" Hedengran and his wife, Roena "Emma" Hedengran, reportedly plan to plead guilty to charges related to the incident, after making a deal with prosecutors.
A federal court hearing is set for Sept. 5.
Tuffy the tiger was shot after it escaped its owners and wandered in the rural region between Simi Valley and the Santa Rosa Valley for about three weeks.
Authorities alleged that the large carnivore belonged to the Hedengrans, who purposely misled investigators during a weeklong search in February 2005. The tiger was eventually found roaming near a city park in Moorpark that borders homes and schools next to the 23 Freeway. It was shot for safety reasons, authorities said at the time.
The Hedengrans now live with their exotic cats in Pahrump, Nev., 60 miles from Las Vegas. The couple was arrested in March of this year and were later released on their own recognizance after they were charged in connection with the shooting.
The couple faced initial charges that could have resulted in a maximum sentence of 60 years in federal prison for Gert Hedengran. Roena faced up to 10 years in federal prison, according to Assistant U.S. District Attorney Joseph Johns, who's been handling the case.
They were due to appear in court recently, but the case was postponed because U.S. District Judge George H. King wanted more time to review the agreement before he made his decision.
"The defendants have signed plea agreements that have been filed with the District Court," Johns said.
"The knee-jerk response of some folks was to criticize law enforcement for killing the tiger instead of trying to tranquilize it with darts," he added.
But even with such a careful, conservative decision, he said, the first three rifle shots missed the tiger.
"It makes you wonder what might have happened if they had decided to tranquilize the tiger and all of the darts had then missed the target," he said.
Had that been the case, criticism would have been heaped on law enforcement, especially if the tiger had escaped into the chaparral and later killed someone's child, the district attorney said. "Law enforcement did the best they could in a difficult situation," Johns said. "It doesn't take much imagination to think of the terrible consequences that could have resulted from a 600-pound Siberian tiger stalking the purple sage hillsides and oak woodlands of suburban Moorpark."
According to Nye County, Nev. Animal Control Supervisor Debbie Pemberton, housing for the exotic animals was deemed inadequate in April of this year and the Hedengrans were asked to add additional perimeter fencing. Pemberton said earlier this week that the animals' containment in Nevada is now within county/USDA guidelines.
http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2006/0825/Front_Page/003.html
Arizona couple share passion for wild animals
Aug. 25, 2006 12:00 AM
Dean and Prayeri Harrison have been animal lovers all their lives. Dean, who was born in Mesa and met his wife while living in California, kept reptiles as a boy, building them little habitats. Prayeri had birds, a lamb, dogs and cats. The couple have been married 26 years.
They always kept animals, along with their three children, and hosted occasional educational programs in schools. When they ran out of room, they moved to Grants Pass, Ore. By then they had a panther, leopards, tigers and lions that practically lived in the house. Dean laughed. "We thought everybody did that."
About 1986, they decided to try to make a living working with animals, and opened their home to visitors. Two years later, they returned to Arizona to build Out of Africa near Fountain Hills. Having a larger facility was always the dream, so the Yavapai Nation's decision to take back its land was serendipitous.
Today, their animal population continues to grow. Animals breed (babies are never sold). Other zoos donate unwanted animals. Orphaned babies, such as cougars, come from Arizona Game & Fish. Federal and state confiscations also contribute to the community.
Through the years, the Harrisons have learned about animals. Over decades, they saw patterns in animal behavior and recognized the instincts that rule the animal kingdom: self preservation, the need for food, the drive to protect territory and, Dean Harrison said, the desire to be a part of something greater than themselves.
Sometimes the Harrisons learned from mistakes. In trying to introduce a jaguar mating pair, the male decided to kill the female and lunged at her head. The cats were on leashes and Dean was able to pull him back and subdue him after the female was bitten but survived.
They're still in the park, Prayeri said, but joked, "They're not going to date."
In his self-published autobiography, Return to Eden (1998, $5.95 paperback), Dean shares other such incidents, including one in which a cougar being released in a new compound went on the attack, sunk its teeth into the back of Dean's neck and began to drain the life from him. Dean yelled for Prayeri, who was able to distract the cat and rush her husband to medical help.
The Harrisons are spiritual people who believe humans can learn from animals how to live together in a peaceable kingdom. In one compound, a white tiger and a black panther have happily co-existed for years. Bears and cougars live in harmony.
Out of Africa's mission is to demonstrate that "we're all one," Dean Harrison said. "Animals, us, the trees, the water, all share a common abode."
The couple's goal is to give wild animals a comfortable environment to live out their lives, he said.
"It's a passion. It feels like a calling."
- Barbara Yost
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/
articles/0825aminalpark0825harrisons.html
Dean and Prayeri Harrison have been animal lovers all their lives. Dean, who was born in Mesa and met his wife while living in California, kept reptiles as a boy, building them little habitats. Prayeri had birds, a lamb, dogs and cats. The couple have been married 26 years.
They always kept animals, along with their three children, and hosted occasional educational programs in schools. When they ran out of room, they moved to Grants Pass, Ore. By then they had a panther, leopards, tigers and lions that practically lived in the house. Dean laughed. "We thought everybody did that."
About 1986, they decided to try to make a living working with animals, and opened their home to visitors. Two years later, they returned to Arizona to build Out of Africa near Fountain Hills. Having a larger facility was always the dream, so the Yavapai Nation's decision to take back its land was serendipitous.
Today, their animal population continues to grow. Animals breed (babies are never sold). Other zoos donate unwanted animals. Orphaned babies, such as cougars, come from Arizona Game & Fish. Federal and state confiscations also contribute to the community.
Through the years, the Harrisons have learned about animals. Over decades, they saw patterns in animal behavior and recognized the instincts that rule the animal kingdom: self preservation, the need for food, the drive to protect territory and, Dean Harrison said, the desire to be a part of something greater than themselves.
Sometimes the Harrisons learned from mistakes. In trying to introduce a jaguar mating pair, the male decided to kill the female and lunged at her head. The cats were on leashes and Dean was able to pull him back and subdue him after the female was bitten but survived.
They're still in the park, Prayeri said, but joked, "They're not going to date."
In his self-published autobiography, Return to Eden (1998, $5.95 paperback), Dean shares other such incidents, including one in which a cougar being released in a new compound went on the attack, sunk its teeth into the back of Dean's neck and began to drain the life from him. Dean yelled for Prayeri, who was able to distract the cat and rush her husband to medical help.
The Harrisons are spiritual people who believe humans can learn from animals how to live together in a peaceable kingdom. In one compound, a white tiger and a black panther have happily co-existed for years. Bears and cougars live in harmony.
Out of Africa's mission is to demonstrate that "we're all one," Dean Harrison said. "Animals, us, the trees, the water, all share a common abode."
The couple's goal is to give wild animals a comfortable environment to live out their lives, he said.
"It's a passion. It feels like a calling."
- Barbara Yost
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/
articles/0825aminalpark0825harrisons.html
Wisconsin bobcat wanders into cougar cage, killed
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. A bobcat was killed at the Irvine Park Zoo in Chippewa Falls after it wandered into the cougar cage.
The incident happened yesterday afternoon.
William Faherty is the Chippewa Falls director of Parks, Recreation and Forestry.
He says a zookeeper cleaned the outside cages of the animals and went to lunch, but forgot to lock a secured door between the cages.
One of the two bobcats had gone into the cougar cage and was killed.
The other three animals were not injured.
Under a deal the zoo has, the bobcat will be replaced at no charge to the city.
Faherty says the cougars don't have claws, but their large teeth are very powerful.
Officials also say the antiquated cages factored into the death and need to be replaced.
http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=5329436
The incident happened yesterday afternoon.
William Faherty is the Chippewa Falls director of Parks, Recreation and Forestry.
He says a zookeeper cleaned the outside cages of the animals and went to lunch, but forgot to lock a secured door between the cages.
One of the two bobcats had gone into the cougar cage and was killed.
The other three animals were not injured.
Under a deal the zoo has, the bobcat will be replaced at no charge to the city.
Faherty says the cougars don't have claws, but their large teeth are very powerful.
Officials also say the antiquated cages factored into the death and need to be replaced.
http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=5329436
Zookeeper fired for letting tiger loose
By: Dave Balut, Tampa Bay's 10 News
Tampa, Florida -There's been a development related to the tiger that was shot and killed at Lowry Park Zoo this week.
The zoo has fired the zookeeper that accidentally let the Sumatran tiger loose.
He had only been on the job for one month. A spokesperson says the zoo is not releasing the name of the zookeeper and will not comment further on the decision to terminate his employment.
Meanwhile Tampa police say they want to know right away if a wild animal gets loose. The zoo did not call police until two hours after the tiger got out.
Laura McElroy, a Tampa Police Department Spokesperson, said that they would set up a perimeter to prevent escaped animals from creating a threat to the community. "We want to know as soon as possible [about an escaped animal]," she said.
TPD plans to meet with Lowry Park Zoo officials about the incident next week. No date or time has been set yet.
The zookeeper who was fired may also face a misdemeanor charge for letting the tiger loose.
http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=38267
Tampa, Florida -There's been a development related to the tiger that was shot and killed at Lowry Park Zoo this week.
The zoo has fired the zookeeper that accidentally let the Sumatran tiger loose.
He had only been on the job for one month. A spokesperson says the zoo is not releasing the name of the zookeeper and will not comment further on the decision to terminate his employment.
Meanwhile Tampa police say they want to know right away if a wild animal gets loose. The zoo did not call police until two hours after the tiger got out.
Laura McElroy, a Tampa Police Department Spokesperson, said that they would set up a perimeter to prevent escaped animals from creating a threat to the community. "We want to know as soon as possible [about an escaped animal]," she said.
TPD plans to meet with Lowry Park Zoo officials about the incident next week. No date or time has been set yet.
The zookeeper who was fired may also face a misdemeanor charge for letting the tiger loose.
http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=38267
Leopard dies at Kansas zoo
Published Friday, August 25, 2006
Topeka Capital-Journal
Buta, a 16-year-old African leopard, died Wednesday evening at the Topeka Zoo.
Preliminary necropsy results indicate the cause of death included kidney problems and gastric abnormalities.
Zoo director Mike Coker said Buta was found lethargic earlier in the day, and veterinarians gave him treatment.
Most African leopards live from 12 to 20 years.
Coker said Buta had been in fairly good health and received an annual physical examination two weeks ago that revealed an indication of early renal disease and arthritis in the right hip.
Buta was one of two African black leopards acquired from the Kansas City Zoo in November 2003 for the jungle cats exhibit.
Both animals were captive born around January 1990. They were confiscated by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services in 1994 from a pet shop in the Chicago area.
http://cjonline.com/stories/082506/loc_leopard.shtml
Topeka Capital-Journal
Buta, a 16-year-old African leopard, died Wednesday evening at the Topeka Zoo.
Preliminary necropsy results indicate the cause of death included kidney problems and gastric abnormalities.
Zoo director Mike Coker said Buta was found lethargic earlier in the day, and veterinarians gave him treatment.
Most African leopards live from 12 to 20 years.
Coker said Buta had been in fairly good health and received an annual physical examination two weeks ago that revealed an indication of early renal disease and arthritis in the right hip.
Buta was one of two African black leopards acquired from the Kansas City Zoo in November 2003 for the jungle cats exhibit.
Both animals were captive born around January 1990. They were confiscated by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services in 1994 from a pet shop in the Chicago area.
http://cjonline.com/stories/082506/loc_leopard.shtml
Friday, August 25, 2006
New zookeeper impressed staff before tiger's escape
By THOMAS W. KRAUSE The Tampa Tribune
Published: Aug 25, 2006
TAMPA - A rookie zookeeper told a state wildlife investigator that he is distraught and embarrassed and worries that the media will release his name.
Lowry Park Zoo officials have said the unidentified keeper failed to latch the cage of Enshalla, a 6-foot-long, 200-pound Sumatran tiger. The tiger escaped into a construction area Tuesday evening and was shot to death after a tranquilizer dart didn't have an immediate effect.
The keeper worked at the zoo for about a month and with the tiger for about two weeks before the escape. Previously, the keeper spent two years at the Teaching Zoo at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville and a few months at Lubee Bat Conservancy, where he handled fruit bats.
"He's upset," said Lt. Steve De Lacure, of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "He's embarrassed. He's a high achiever, it seems. Educationally, he's a pretty sharp guy."
De Lacure said he will refer the case to the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office next week, where prosecutors will decide if they should charge the man with a second-degree misdemeanor in connection with the animal's escape.
The man's name will be released on public documents by then, De Lacure said. He said the keeper was worried he would have trouble finding work in the future if his name is attached to this incident.
The keeper is on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues.
Keeper Given Excellent Reference
Rachel Nelson, a spokeswoman for the zoo, said the keeper did well in training and, with the exception of Tuesday's incident, the staff was impressed with him.
Although the Teaching Zoo does have dangerous animals, including alligators and pythons, it does not have tigers. It is unclear whether the keeper had worked with tigers before. His former boss at the bat conservancy, however, said he had experience with similar cages.
"He worked with bats; we keep bats," said Allyson Walsh, director of the Gainesville conservancy. "Bats are in the same classification as tigers. I know it's a laugh, but that's according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife."
Because fruit bats and tigers are classified the same, protocol in handling their cages is the same, Walsh said. "Although the actual implications of escape are not the same."
Nelson, the zoo spokeswoman, said professors at Santa Fe College gave the keeper an excellent reference and said he was capable of handling the tiger cage.
They're Dealing With Media Blitz
She said the zoo has had an extreme number of inquiries from the media and had a difficult time Thursday handling individual requests for information. A news conference is scheduled for today, and zoo experts will try to answer as many questions as possible.
The American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which accredits zoos, said Lowry Park has had an exemplary record since 1989, when it first was accredited. Recently, when the agency decided to give a few of its best zoos an extra year between inspections, it chose Lowry Park because of the zoo's superior record.
Denny Lewis, the director of accreditation, said all zoos that apply for accreditation provide a comprehensive report on security and training policies. A panel of veterinary and wildlife experts examines that policy.
According to agency standards, Lowry Park officials seemed to have handled the tiger's escape in near-perfect form. The accreditation standards dictate that zoo authorities regularly train in firearms, conduct emergency drills and have a communications procedure in place to alert officials of an escape. All these steps were taken at Lowry Park.
Unclear, however, are the standards for preventive measures zoo officials must take.
"We do very much look at proactive measures," Lewis said. "We make sure when we go to do an accreditation that they've got not just training procedures in place but also lock-in and lock-out practices that are generally accepted within modern zoological practices and philosophies."
But, Lewis said, each zoo has different proactive policies based on the number of animals, the layout of the exhibit and the staff on hand. He had no details on the proactive policies at Lowry Park.
Within the next 30 days, Lowry park officials must send all investigative reports to the agency for inspection. The accrediting agency will work to find out what went wrong, how it happened and what steps will be taken to make sure it does not happen again.
In 2010, when the zoo is up for reaccreditation, this incident will be reviewed again to ensure any needed changes are still in place, Lewis said.
"Thankfully, these kinds of issues are not very common," he said. "When they do occur, we want to know why."
Reporter Thomas W. Krause can be reached at (813) 259-7698 or tkrause@tampatrib.com.
http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBZK39Y9RE.html
Published: Aug 25, 2006
TAMPA - A rookie zookeeper told a state wildlife investigator that he is distraught and embarrassed and worries that the media will release his name.
Lowry Park Zoo officials have said the unidentified keeper failed to latch the cage of Enshalla, a 6-foot-long, 200-pound Sumatran tiger. The tiger escaped into a construction area Tuesday evening and was shot to death after a tranquilizer dart didn't have an immediate effect.
The keeper worked at the zoo for about a month and with the tiger for about two weeks before the escape. Previously, the keeper spent two years at the Teaching Zoo at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville and a few months at Lubee Bat Conservancy, where he handled fruit bats.
"He's upset," said Lt. Steve De Lacure, of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "He's embarrassed. He's a high achiever, it seems. Educationally, he's a pretty sharp guy."
De Lacure said he will refer the case to the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office next week, where prosecutors will decide if they should charge the man with a second-degree misdemeanor in connection with the animal's escape.
The man's name will be released on public documents by then, De Lacure said. He said the keeper was worried he would have trouble finding work in the future if his name is attached to this incident.
The keeper is on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues.
Keeper Given Excellent Reference
Rachel Nelson, a spokeswoman for the zoo, said the keeper did well in training and, with the exception of Tuesday's incident, the staff was impressed with him.
Although the Teaching Zoo does have dangerous animals, including alligators and pythons, it does not have tigers. It is unclear whether the keeper had worked with tigers before. His former boss at the bat conservancy, however, said he had experience with similar cages.
"He worked with bats; we keep bats," said Allyson Walsh, director of the Gainesville conservancy. "Bats are in the same classification as tigers. I know it's a laugh, but that's according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife."
Because fruit bats and tigers are classified the same, protocol in handling their cages is the same, Walsh said. "Although the actual implications of escape are not the same."
Nelson, the zoo spokeswoman, said professors at Santa Fe College gave the keeper an excellent reference and said he was capable of handling the tiger cage.
They're Dealing With Media Blitz
She said the zoo has had an extreme number of inquiries from the media and had a difficult time Thursday handling individual requests for information. A news conference is scheduled for today, and zoo experts will try to answer as many questions as possible.
The American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which accredits zoos, said Lowry Park has had an exemplary record since 1989, when it first was accredited. Recently, when the agency decided to give a few of its best zoos an extra year between inspections, it chose Lowry Park because of the zoo's superior record.
Denny Lewis, the director of accreditation, said all zoos that apply for accreditation provide a comprehensive report on security and training policies. A panel of veterinary and wildlife experts examines that policy.
According to agency standards, Lowry Park officials seemed to have handled the tiger's escape in near-perfect form. The accreditation standards dictate that zoo authorities regularly train in firearms, conduct emergency drills and have a communications procedure in place to alert officials of an escape. All these steps were taken at Lowry Park.
Unclear, however, are the standards for preventive measures zoo officials must take.
"We do very much look at proactive measures," Lewis said. "We make sure when we go to do an accreditation that they've got not just training procedures in place but also lock-in and lock-out practices that are generally accepted within modern zoological practices and philosophies."
But, Lewis said, each zoo has different proactive policies based on the number of animals, the layout of the exhibit and the staff on hand. He had no details on the proactive policies at Lowry Park.
Within the next 30 days, Lowry park officials must send all investigative reports to the agency for inspection. The accrediting agency will work to find out what went wrong, how it happened and what steps will be taken to make sure it does not happen again.
In 2010, when the zoo is up for reaccreditation, this incident will be reviewed again to ensure any needed changes are still in place, Lewis said.
"Thankfully, these kinds of issues are not very common," he said. "When they do occur, we want to know why."
Reporter Thomas W. Krause can be reached at (813) 259-7698 or tkrause@tampatrib.com.
http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBZK39Y9RE.html
Lowry Zoo plans to replace tiger shot after escape
By VALERIE KALFRIN The Tampa Tribune
Published: Aug 24, 2006
TAMPA - Even as officials investigate whether a zookeeper should be criminally charged in a Sumatran tiger's escape and death, Lowry Park Zoo officials said they will obtain another tiger to replace the rare animal.
Zoo President and Chief Executive Officer Lex Salisbury said Wednesday the facility will continue with the program that has brought tigers to the zoo so children can learn more about them. The zoo has a male Sumatran tiger, Eric.
"We feel like we have a moral purpose. We're making a difference," Salisbury said.
The zoo, he said, is conducting a review of how it handled the escape and shooting. He did not say how long the review will take.
Enshalla, the female tiger whose name means "God willing" in Arabic, was born at the zoo in August 1991. She died there Tuesday after escaping from her den and trying to scale a 7-foot rocky enclosure surrounding the old rhinoceros habitat in the Asian Domain, which is being renovated and will open incrementally in September. The zoo was open Wednesday.
A zookeeper left an access door to Enshalla's nightly den unlatched about 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, allowing her to slip into the construction site and a dry moat in the rhino's old quarters, where Salisbury later shot her.
At the time, the animal had "winced" from a tranquilizer dart in her hindquarters shot by zoo veterinarian David Murphy from an observation platform, Salisbury said Wednesday, pointing out where he had stood with a 12-gauge shotgun.
The dart had no immediate effect. Meanwhile, Enshalla "took one leap and almost got to the top" of the ivy-covered enclosure, he said. Murphy's observation platform was near the top, leaving little choice but to shoot the tiger, Salisbury said.
The tiger will be cremated after a necropsy. Some tissue samples from her organs may be sent to research facilities, Murphy said.
The zookeeper, who was not identified, is on paid administrative leave while the zoo reviews the incident, Salisbury said.
The zoo's general curator, Lee Ann Rottman, said the keeper had worked at the zoo for about a month and with the tigers for about two weeks. He had trained with a supervisor before being assigned to handle the tigers, she said.
Although he was new to Lowry Park, he previously worked with the Luby Foundation, a wildlife facility in Alachua County, after earning an associate's degree in zoology from Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, she said.
"You're trained in Zookeeping 101 to check your locks. He made a mistake. I don't even know if he knows why he made it," Rottman said. "The fact remains that we're all human, and mistakes can be made. It's hard for me to understand not checking locks, but it could happen to me."
Lt. Steve De Lacure, of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and an investigator from the U.S. Department of Agriculture visited the tiger's quarters and inspected the shooting site Wednesday.
De Lacure said he will forward the results of his investigation to the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office to determine whether the keeper should be charged with a misdemeanor for unsafe handling of captive wildlife resulting in an escape or injury. The charge is punishable by a $500 fine or 60 days in jail.
So far, De Lacure said, he is impressed by the zoo's 10-member shooting team having quarterly firearms training and mock escapes with one member representing an animal.
The medications used by Murphy - Metatomadine and Telazol - were appropriate under the circumstances, De Lacure said, noting that an animal's weight, age, health and adrenaline all influence the effectiveness. Sometimes the drugs take effect after several minutes; other times, not at all, he said.
The shooting team that responded to the "Code One" - a call of an animal on the loose - on Tuesday carried weapons of different caliber, including .375, .30-06 and .308. Using the shotgun was a "tactical decision" that, from a safety standpoint, was a good choice in close quarters, De Lacure said.
He had not interviewed the zookeeper Wednesday because the man was distraught, De Lacure said.
The zoo's protocols are inspected every five years by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association of Silver Spring, Md., zoo officials said.
Zookeepers radio one another to say where they are working before they move to another location, but officials are considering putting a "buddy system" in place where one zookeeper would follow another to ensure all pens and enclosures are properly locked, Salisbury said. Such systems can be unwieldy, he said, but "we want to make sure this never happens again."
Overall, Salisbury said, he was satisfied with how zoo personnel handled the escape. "This is what we had to do in this circumstance, regardless of how tragic the outcome was," Salisbury said. "Human life is more important than animal life in any situation."
Clearwater resident Sharry Arnold, 59, sympathized with the zoo's staff even as she mourned the death of the tiger she held as a cub. Arnold was working at Raymond James Financial Inc. in 1991 when the company sponsored the tiger exhibit and held a contest for employees to name the tigers. Arnold submitted Enshalla, an Arabic word that she had heard from a friend married to a State Department employee stationed in Africa.
"The exhibit's special to me because of that. I can just imagine how they must feel," she said. "She was beautiful. She was such a pretty baby."
Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800 or vkalfrin@tampatrib.com.
http://www.tbo.com/news/nationworld/MGB70FMK8RE.html
Published: Aug 24, 2006
TAMPA - Even as officials investigate whether a zookeeper should be criminally charged in a Sumatran tiger's escape and death, Lowry Park Zoo officials said they will obtain another tiger to replace the rare animal.
Zoo President and Chief Executive Officer Lex Salisbury said Wednesday the facility will continue with the program that has brought tigers to the zoo so children can learn more about them. The zoo has a male Sumatran tiger, Eric.
"We feel like we have a moral purpose. We're making a difference," Salisbury said.
The zoo, he said, is conducting a review of how it handled the escape and shooting. He did not say how long the review will take.
Enshalla, the female tiger whose name means "God willing" in Arabic, was born at the zoo in August 1991. She died there Tuesday after escaping from her den and trying to scale a 7-foot rocky enclosure surrounding the old rhinoceros habitat in the Asian Domain, which is being renovated and will open incrementally in September. The zoo was open Wednesday.
A zookeeper left an access door to Enshalla's nightly den unlatched about 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, allowing her to slip into the construction site and a dry moat in the rhino's old quarters, where Salisbury later shot her.
At the time, the animal had "winced" from a tranquilizer dart in her hindquarters shot by zoo veterinarian David Murphy from an observation platform, Salisbury said Wednesday, pointing out where he had stood with a 12-gauge shotgun.
The dart had no immediate effect. Meanwhile, Enshalla "took one leap and almost got to the top" of the ivy-covered enclosure, he said. Murphy's observation platform was near the top, leaving little choice but to shoot the tiger, Salisbury said.
The tiger will be cremated after a necropsy. Some tissue samples from her organs may be sent to research facilities, Murphy said.
The zookeeper, who was not identified, is on paid administrative leave while the zoo reviews the incident, Salisbury said.
The zoo's general curator, Lee Ann Rottman, said the keeper had worked at the zoo for about a month and with the tigers for about two weeks. He had trained with a supervisor before being assigned to handle the tigers, she said.
Although he was new to Lowry Park, he previously worked with the Luby Foundation, a wildlife facility in Alachua County, after earning an associate's degree in zoology from Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, she said.
"You're trained in Zookeeping 101 to check your locks. He made a mistake. I don't even know if he knows why he made it," Rottman said. "The fact remains that we're all human, and mistakes can be made. It's hard for me to understand not checking locks, but it could happen to me."
Lt. Steve De Lacure, of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and an investigator from the U.S. Department of Agriculture visited the tiger's quarters and inspected the shooting site Wednesday.
De Lacure said he will forward the results of his investigation to the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office to determine whether the keeper should be charged with a misdemeanor for unsafe handling of captive wildlife resulting in an escape or injury. The charge is punishable by a $500 fine or 60 days in jail.
So far, De Lacure said, he is impressed by the zoo's 10-member shooting team having quarterly firearms training and mock escapes with one member representing an animal.
The medications used by Murphy - Metatomadine and Telazol - were appropriate under the circumstances, De Lacure said, noting that an animal's weight, age, health and adrenaline all influence the effectiveness. Sometimes the drugs take effect after several minutes; other times, not at all, he said.
The shooting team that responded to the "Code One" - a call of an animal on the loose - on Tuesday carried weapons of different caliber, including .375, .30-06 and .308. Using the shotgun was a "tactical decision" that, from a safety standpoint, was a good choice in close quarters, De Lacure said.
He had not interviewed the zookeeper Wednesday because the man was distraught, De Lacure said.
The zoo's protocols are inspected every five years by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association of Silver Spring, Md., zoo officials said.
Zookeepers radio one another to say where they are working before they move to another location, but officials are considering putting a "buddy system" in place where one zookeeper would follow another to ensure all pens and enclosures are properly locked, Salisbury said. Such systems can be unwieldy, he said, but "we want to make sure this never happens again."
Overall, Salisbury said, he was satisfied with how zoo personnel handled the escape. "This is what we had to do in this circumstance, regardless of how tragic the outcome was," Salisbury said. "Human life is more important than animal life in any situation."
Clearwater resident Sharry Arnold, 59, sympathized with the zoo's staff even as she mourned the death of the tiger she held as a cub. Arnold was working at Raymond James Financial Inc. in 1991 when the company sponsored the tiger exhibit and held a contest for employees to name the tigers. Arnold submitted Enshalla, an Arabic word that she had heard from a friend married to a State Department employee stationed in Africa.
"The exhibit's special to me because of that. I can just imagine how they must feel," she said. "She was beautiful. She was such a pretty baby."
Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800 or vkalfrin@tampatrib.com.
http://www.tbo.com/news/nationworld/MGB70FMK8RE.html
New IFAW report uncovers public safety dangers at big cat facilities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUGUST 24, 2006
9:00 AM
CONTACT: International Fund for Animal Welfare
Andrea Murray, 202-715-1554, Andrea.Murray@dittus.com
WASHINGTON - August 24 - A new report released today by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) documents a pattern of public safety and animal welfare violations at U.S. facilities that house and exhibit big cats -- such as tigers, lions, panthers and jaguars. "Fatal Attractions," the new IFAW report, culminates an 18-month investigation of 42 USDA-licensed facilities in 11 states. Prompted by more than 100 big cat incidents and over a dozen fatalities in the past decade, the report provides recommendations for changes to federal and state policy.
More than 5,000 big cats are kept in facilities licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and it is estimated that thousands more are kept as pets.
"We've seen too many tragedies that could have been prevented," said Gregory Wetstone, IFAW's U.S. director. "Against a background of dozens of dangerous big cat incidents, the new report demonstrates that the current USDA license system does not guarantee public safety or humane conditions. Americans with big cat exhibitors in their communities would be very surprised to learn that the licensing agency has such limited legal authority to protect the public safety. Congress should act now to give the USDA the authority it needs to keep the public safe from big cat attacks, and we urge the USDA to improve its standards for big cats in captivity."
The release of this critical report comes on the heels of new legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun (R-Kan.) to protect the public from big cat attacks. IFAW worked closely with Rep. Ryun to draft "Haley's Act" (HR 5909), named for 17-year-old Haley Hilderbrand who was fatally attacked a year ago by a tiger at a USDA licensed facility in Kansas. Haley went to the facility to have her senior photo taken with tiger cubs, but when the cubs became too frisky, a 550-pound tiger was substituted in the photo shoot. The tiger attacked and killed Haley.
In the 42 big cat facilities that IFAW visited:
-- The majority of big cat facilities were structurally unsound and some had no barriers at all.
-- Direct contact between big cats and young children was common.
-- Many facilities had no attendants to handle the big cats and some allowed children to work as attendants.
-- Some animals were fed rotten meat and housed in cages with dead animals, filthy water buckets and sewage.
There are nearly 700 USDA big cat licensees in the United States with the highest number of facilities in Florida, Texas and California. In the past decade, there were 13 big cat incidents in Florida, 12 in Texas, six in California and five each in Illinois, Nevada, Minnesota and Kansas. Since 1990, big cats killed 13 people in the U.S. alone.
About IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) Founded in 1969, IFAW works around the globe to protect animals and their habitats and to create a better world for animals and people. To download IFAW's new report and to learn how to help, please visit http://www.ifaw.org.
Editors: Download the report, photos and broadcast quality video at: http://www.thenewsmarket.com/ifaw.
http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/0824-01.htm
AUGUST 24, 2006
9:00 AM
CONTACT: International Fund for Animal Welfare
Andrea Murray, 202-715-1554, Andrea.Murray@dittus.com
WASHINGTON - August 24 - A new report released today by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) documents a pattern of public safety and animal welfare violations at U.S. facilities that house and exhibit big cats -- such as tigers, lions, panthers and jaguars. "Fatal Attractions," the new IFAW report, culminates an 18-month investigation of 42 USDA-licensed facilities in 11 states. Prompted by more than 100 big cat incidents and over a dozen fatalities in the past decade, the report provides recommendations for changes to federal and state policy.
More than 5,000 big cats are kept in facilities licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and it is estimated that thousands more are kept as pets.
"We've seen too many tragedies that could have been prevented," said Gregory Wetstone, IFAW's U.S. director. "Against a background of dozens of dangerous big cat incidents, the new report demonstrates that the current USDA license system does not guarantee public safety or humane conditions. Americans with big cat exhibitors in their communities would be very surprised to learn that the licensing agency has such limited legal authority to protect the public safety. Congress should act now to give the USDA the authority it needs to keep the public safe from big cat attacks, and we urge the USDA to improve its standards for big cats in captivity."
The release of this critical report comes on the heels of new legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun (R-Kan.) to protect the public from big cat attacks. IFAW worked closely with Rep. Ryun to draft "Haley's Act" (HR 5909), named for 17-year-old Haley Hilderbrand who was fatally attacked a year ago by a tiger at a USDA licensed facility in Kansas. Haley went to the facility to have her senior photo taken with tiger cubs, but when the cubs became too frisky, a 550-pound tiger was substituted in the photo shoot. The tiger attacked and killed Haley.
In the 42 big cat facilities that IFAW visited:
-- The majority of big cat facilities were structurally unsound and some had no barriers at all.
-- Direct contact between big cats and young children was common.
-- Many facilities had no attendants to handle the big cats and some allowed children to work as attendants.
-- Some animals were fed rotten meat and housed in cages with dead animals, filthy water buckets and sewage.
There are nearly 700 USDA big cat licensees in the United States with the highest number of facilities in Florida, Texas and California. In the past decade, there were 13 big cat incidents in Florida, 12 in Texas, six in California and five each in Illinois, Nevada, Minnesota and Kansas. Since 1990, big cats killed 13 people in the U.S. alone.
About IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) Founded in 1969, IFAW works around the globe to protect animals and their habitats and to create a better world for animals and people. To download IFAW's new report and to learn how to help, please visit http://www.ifaw.org.
Editors: Download the report, photos and broadcast quality video at: http://www.thenewsmarket.com/ifaw.
http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/0824-01.htm
Undercover investigation finds big cat facilities pose danger to public
Source: IFAW
Published: AUG 24, 2006
A number of facilities in the U.S. that house and exhibit big cats, such as tigers, lions and jaguars, pose a danger to the public, experts from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) say. IFAW conducted an 18-month undercover investigation, entitled "FATAL ATTRACTIONS: Big Cats in the USA", to examine whether most facilities comply with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations. After examining 42 USDA-licensed facilities in 11 states, the report indicates that public safety and animal welfare was dangerously compromised at almost all the facilities. The report comes shortly after the proposal of "Haley's Act" (HR5909) – a bill designed to promote public safety and improve the welfare of captive big cats.
http://www.thenewsmarket.com/CustomLink/StoryDetailsEx.aspx?GUID=748afe2f-c6cb-4e43-b13a-fb2ccfa11dd6&CustomPage=1&ParentGUID=cff8e564-3ec8-4dd1-b765-579ebf58e55d
Published: AUG 24, 2006
A number of facilities in the U.S. that house and exhibit big cats, such as tigers, lions and jaguars, pose a danger to the public, experts from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) say. IFAW conducted an 18-month undercover investigation, entitled "FATAL ATTRACTIONS: Big Cats in the USA", to examine whether most facilities comply with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations. After examining 42 USDA-licensed facilities in 11 states, the report indicates that public safety and animal welfare was dangerously compromised at almost all the facilities. The report comes shortly after the proposal of "Haley's Act" (HR5909) – a bill designed to promote public safety and improve the welfare of captive big cats.
http://www.thenewsmarket.com/CustomLink/StoryDetailsEx.aspx?GUID=748afe2f-c6cb-4e43-b13a-fb2ccfa11dd6&CustomPage=1&ParentGUID=cff8e564-3ec8-4dd1-b765-579ebf58e55d