Adam Martin, The Examiner
Dec 30, 2006 3:00 AM
SAN FRANCISCO - Pacing her pen, basking in the attention of thousands and brushing off the advances of her companion, life continues as normal for the tiger that mauled a trainer at the San Francisco Zoo last week.
A week after Tatiana, a 3-year-old Siberian tiger, lacerated her trainer’s arms after a public feeding demonstration, the rare, 350-pound beast lives as normal in her enclosure with her companion, Tony, a 14-year-old vasectomized male Siberian tiger.
Tatiana came to the zoo almost exactly a year ago as part of a national breeding program. She is being kept at the zoo as a companion for Tony until she is needed for breeding. On Wednesday, Bob Jenkins, the zoo’s director of animal care, said Tatiana will remain in the program. He said she is not being considered a dangerous animal.
On Thursday afternoon, visitors lined the fence in front of the tigers’ enclosure. Jenkins said attendance has not declined noticeably since the mauling.
“They seem fine to me,” visitor Hallie McCarthy said as Tony attempted to mount Tatiana from behind. Tatiana rebuked him with a muted roar and a nudge of her huge muzzle.
Public opinion at the enclosure seemed decidedly sympathetic to the tiger, following the mauling. The zoo has refused to give details on the circumstances surrounding the incident, at the trainer’s request, spokesman Paul Garcia said.
“I think she’s a wild animal. Wild animals do those kinds of things,” visitor Teri Meadows, of Fairfax, said.
Preliminary reports on Dec. 22 indicated that the trainer had just fed Tatiana when the tiger attacked her at about 2:15 p.m. The trainer’s arms were lacerated, but since the incident the trainer has asked the zoo not to release any information about her condition.
Jenkins said the zoo has not changed any of the procedures it uses in caring for Tatiana in the wake of the incident, nor has it changed the way Tatiana is housed or fed. However, the Lion House, where public feedings were conducted until last Friday, has been closed indefinitely.
“We’re keeping all the processes that we have in place and all the procedures in place as they are. They particularly worked in this situation in terms of our response to the incident,” Jenkins said.
“The reports may show that the procedures were followed, but with wild animals these things sometimes happen,” said Steve Feldman, spokesman for the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the nation’s accrediting body. Feldman said the vast majority of injuries from tigers happen to people who keep the animals as pets, not professionals who work with them in zoos.
Siberian tigers are so endangered that more exist in captivity than in the wild, Jenkins said. Tatiana is part of a breeding program that pairs fertile female tigers and eligible male tigers from zoos nationwide.
amartin@examiner.com
http://www.examiner.com/a-482091~Life_back_to_normal_for _tiger_that_mauled_trainer.html
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Ohio's Columbus Zoo euthanizes cheetah, also loses bonobo
COLUMBUS - A severe respiratory infection has sickened a group of bonobos at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, killing one of them, officials said Thursday.
The bonobos, a type of chimpanzee, began showing signs of the infection - coughing and nasal discharge - two weeks ago. A necropsy on a 15-year-old male who died Sunday revealed severe pneumonia in his lungs, said Gerald Borin, the zoo's executive director.
Twelve remaining bonobos are being treated with antibiotics. "The look livelier, they're eating better, and so we're optimistic that they've turned the corner," Borin said.
It's unclear how the bonobos became infected.
The bonobos are being kept in a glass-enclosed display area during the winter. The only contact they have with humans are from zoo staff, who wear respiratory masks and follow a strict hand-washing protocol during flu season, Borin said.
Staff members are not showing signs of illness, he said. Zoo officials are expecting lab results in a few days that could help identify the agent causing the infection, Borin said.
Borin also said Thursday a 17-year-old cheetah with kidney disease was euthanized. The cheetah had been taking medication for several years and was the fourth-oldest cheetah out of a group of 270 living in 55 institutions throughout North America, Borin said.
http://www.chillicothegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061229/ NEWS01/612290319/1002/NEWS01
The bonobos, a type of chimpanzee, began showing signs of the infection - coughing and nasal discharge - two weeks ago. A necropsy on a 15-year-old male who died Sunday revealed severe pneumonia in his lungs, said Gerald Borin, the zoo's executive director.
Twelve remaining bonobos are being treated with antibiotics. "The look livelier, they're eating better, and so we're optimistic that they've turned the corner," Borin said.
It's unclear how the bonobos became infected.
The bonobos are being kept in a glass-enclosed display area during the winter. The only contact they have with humans are from zoo staff, who wear respiratory masks and follow a strict hand-washing protocol during flu season, Borin said.
Staff members are not showing signs of illness, he said. Zoo officials are expecting lab results in a few days that could help identify the agent causing the infection, Borin said.
Borin also said Thursday a 17-year-old cheetah with kidney disease was euthanized. The cheetah had been taking medication for several years and was the fourth-oldest cheetah out of a group of 270 living in 55 institutions throughout North America, Borin said.
http://www.chillicothegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061229/ NEWS01/612290319/1002/NEWS01
Mountain lion exhibit to be shown in Iowa
Nicole Weis, Staff Writer
12/29/2006
HONEY CREEK - The Hitchcock Nature Center will host a traveling mountain lion exhibit at the Loess Hills Lodge from Tuesday to Feb. 9.
The goal of the exhibit is to expose Iowans to the issues that surround the mountain lion. The 1,000-square-foot exhibit contains displays on cougar identification, a baby mountain lion habitat diorama and information on the history of mountain lions.
The exhibit was developed for the Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Carmichael, Calif., with funding from the American River Natural History Association, AT&T and the Family of Earlene Fiorillo. This exhibit was brought to Iowa by funding from the Resource Enhancement and Protection-Conservation Education Program with the support of the Black Hawk County Conservation Board and the Friends of Hartman Reserve.
This exhibit will be available for public viewing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays. There is no fee to view the exhibit; however, visitors are required to pay the nominal park-user fee.
HNC will also be offering the following unique mountain lion programs in January:
- "Mountain Lions in Iowa" will be offered Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. Ron Andrews, DNR field specialist, furbearer biologist and mountain lion expert will give a presentation focusing on the status, history and biology on mountain lions. Cost is $2 per person.
- "Cougars for Kids" will be offered Saturday, Jan. 20, at 1 p.m. Children can learn all about cougars in this child-focused program. Free-will donations are accepted.
For more information regarding the exhibit or programs, contact the HNC at (712) 545-3283 or visit www.pottcoconservation.com.
Hitchcock Nature Center is located 5 miles north of Crescent off Old Lincoln Highway.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17648390&BRD=2703& PAG=461&dept_id=555106&rfi=6
12/29/2006
HONEY CREEK - The Hitchcock Nature Center will host a traveling mountain lion exhibit at the Loess Hills Lodge from Tuesday to Feb. 9.
The goal of the exhibit is to expose Iowans to the issues that surround the mountain lion. The 1,000-square-foot exhibit contains displays on cougar identification, a baby mountain lion habitat diorama and information on the history of mountain lions.
The exhibit was developed for the Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Carmichael, Calif., with funding from the American River Natural History Association, AT&T and the Family of Earlene Fiorillo. This exhibit was brought to Iowa by funding from the Resource Enhancement and Protection-Conservation Education Program with the support of the Black Hawk County Conservation Board and the Friends of Hartman Reserve.
This exhibit will be available for public viewing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays. There is no fee to view the exhibit; however, visitors are required to pay the nominal park-user fee.
HNC will also be offering the following unique mountain lion programs in January:
- "Mountain Lions in Iowa" will be offered Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. Ron Andrews, DNR field specialist, furbearer biologist and mountain lion expert will give a presentation focusing on the status, history and biology on mountain lions. Cost is $2 per person.
- "Cougars for Kids" will be offered Saturday, Jan. 20, at 1 p.m. Children can learn all about cougars in this child-focused program. Free-will donations are accepted.
For more information regarding the exhibit or programs, contact the HNC at (712) 545-3283 or visit www.pottcoconservation.com.
Hitchcock Nature Center is located 5 miles north of Crescent off Old Lincoln Highway.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17648390&BRD=2703& PAG=461&dept_id=555106&rfi=6
Friday, December 29, 2006
Southern California zoo euthanizes cheetah
Mariecar Mendoza
The Desert Sun
December 28, 2006
The Living Desert zoo in Palm Desert celebrated the holidays two members short this year.
A 12-year-old cheetah and an 8-year-old ankole cow died last week of health complications that led the zoo's medical staff to euthanize the animals, Dr. Kevin Leiske of The Living Desert said.
Elwood the cheetah was put down Dec. 17 after suffering from renal failure, Leiske said. Four days later, the ankole, named Aretha, was euthanized due to complications with her hind legs that kept her immobile for several days.
The Living Desert now has three cheetahs, two of which are Elwood's siblings, and three bulls, Aretha's mate and two sons, Marcia Fisher, director of marketing and public relations said.
"They've been sick for a while," Fisher said. "We knew something was going to happen, so they were taken off exhibit and kept comfortable."
Fisher said the animals at The Living Desert are checked and monitored daily by zoo keepers as well as given an annual physical exam.
On Nov. 2, the zoo's medical staff discovered Elwood was suffering from kidney failure.
"We began treatment, but when his quality of life was deteriorating, we decided to euthanize him," Leiske said.
Leiske added that at Elwood's age, his illness didn't come as much of a surprise.
Aretha's condition, however, was a little more alarming.
Leiske said she started showing signs of weakness in her hind limbs in early December. Though she had a stint of improvement, by mid-December her condition had waned.
"She couldn't get on her hind legs, and when you're a large animal, you can't be sitting for a long period of time because it'll cause other complications," Leiske said.
Zoo officials are investigating the cause of Aretha's death because initially they could not pinpoint any cause or trauma to indicate why she had the weakness, Leiske said.
An exam of the body is being conducted at the state Veterinary Diagnostics Lab in San Bernardino to determine the cause of death.
"We're looking for a specific cause because she wasn't that old," he said.
He added that the other ankoles have not shown any signs of illness, so the zoo does not suspect anything infectious.
Leiske said there have been about 20 to 30 animal deaths at the zoo this year but emphasized the numbers are skewed because of several factors such as still-births.
Fisher added that the zoo has animals that have lived there for more than 20 years.
According to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park Web site, cheetahs in zoos can live to be 17 years old but may live only eight to 10 years in the wild. Ankole cattle, on the other hand, can live to be more than 20 years old, according to the SeaWorld/Busch Gardens ANIMAL Web site.
Fisher said visitors have not noticed the change and there have not been any reports of the other animals reacting to the deaths.
Fisher said the cheetah had lived at the zoo since 1996 and the ankole cow since 1999. Before moving to the desert, Elwood lived at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas, and Aretha lived at San Diego Wild Animal Park.
STATEMENT FROM THE LIVING DESERT
"The Living Desert has one of the most state-of-the-art veterinary hospitals in the zoo community. Visitors can observe animals being examined and watch procedures such as dental cleaning, surgery and annual exams.
"As in most zoos that have been in existence for many years like The Living Desert, many of the animals in the collection become geriatric and require special medical attention. The Living Desert's collection includes many animals that are setting longevity records for their species, e.g. the Mountain Lion Reno and the Bighorn Sheep Inca.
"The Living Desert offers expert care of its animals with a full-time staff veterinarian and veterinary technicians. Staff of The Living Desert is writing the national professional standards for animal care and wellbeing for some species of animals to be used in zoos across the country, e.g. canid and antelope standards.
"It is the belief of The Living Desert that all animals should be treated with respect and each animal should have a life of good wellbeing. Everything that the Living Desert does, we do in the best interest of the animals, both in our care and in the wild.
"The Living Desert keeps its family informed of life changing events with the animals under our care. All staff and volunteers are notified immediately when an animal death occurs. When a Living Desert 'celebrity' passes on, a press release is issued to our wider family in the Coachella Valley community. In the event that an animal is euthanized, animal keepers are allowed to attend. The animal keepers are very close to their charges and may be deeply affected by these natural life and death events.
"In the case of Elwood. the cheetah, his medical condition had been monitored for several weeks. As happens to many old cats, kidney failure is quite common, including domesticated cats. Eventually old animals die of some cause. When it was determined that Elwood's kidney condition had deteriorated to a point that quality of life could not be assured, the decision was made to let him go with dignity. He was euthanized.
"Aretha, the Ankole cow, had been experiencing some health problems of an undetermined cause for a few weeks and was being closely monitored by staff. The Living Desert contacted outside veterinary experts from the San Diego Wild Animal Park to assist us in diagnosing the cause and determine the best line of treatment. After standard medical procedures such as fluid therapy and medication, and even alternative therapies such as acupuncture had failed to produce a positive change in her condition and she was no longer able to stand on her own, we could no longer assure her any quality of life. Animals of her size, over 600 pounds, cannot tolerate lying down for long periods of time and their condition will worsen under these circumstances. Therefore, the decision was made to euthanize her. After she was euthanized, she was sent to the State of California Veterinary Diagnostics Lab in San Bernardino for a necropsy to hopefully find answers as to the cause of her decline. We are involved in continuous learning to continually improve our ability to care for the animals.
"Although these two deaths happened close to one another in time, there is no possible link between them. All animals die, but no one expects it.
"The Living Desert performs all euthanasia in a humane and compassionate manner. Euthanasia is always performed by The Living Desert veterinarian or the licensed back-up veterinarian. Euthanasia is only performed using the humane techniques and procedures as outlined in 2002 Report of the American Veterinary Medical Association Panel on Euthanasia."
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/ 20061228/NEWS01/612280360/1006
The Desert Sun
December 28, 2006
The Living Desert zoo in Palm Desert celebrated the holidays two members short this year.
A 12-year-old cheetah and an 8-year-old ankole cow died last week of health complications that led the zoo's medical staff to euthanize the animals, Dr. Kevin Leiske of The Living Desert said.
Elwood the cheetah was put down Dec. 17 after suffering from renal failure, Leiske said. Four days later, the ankole, named Aretha, was euthanized due to complications with her hind legs that kept her immobile for several days.
The Living Desert now has three cheetahs, two of which are Elwood's siblings, and three bulls, Aretha's mate and two sons, Marcia Fisher, director of marketing and public relations said.
"They've been sick for a while," Fisher said. "We knew something was going to happen, so they were taken off exhibit and kept comfortable."
Fisher said the animals at The Living Desert are checked and monitored daily by zoo keepers as well as given an annual physical exam.
On Nov. 2, the zoo's medical staff discovered Elwood was suffering from kidney failure.
"We began treatment, but when his quality of life was deteriorating, we decided to euthanize him," Leiske said.
Leiske added that at Elwood's age, his illness didn't come as much of a surprise.
Aretha's condition, however, was a little more alarming.
Leiske said she started showing signs of weakness in her hind limbs in early December. Though she had a stint of improvement, by mid-December her condition had waned.
"She couldn't get on her hind legs, and when you're a large animal, you can't be sitting for a long period of time because it'll cause other complications," Leiske said.
Zoo officials are investigating the cause of Aretha's death because initially they could not pinpoint any cause or trauma to indicate why she had the weakness, Leiske said.
An exam of the body is being conducted at the state Veterinary Diagnostics Lab in San Bernardino to determine the cause of death.
"We're looking for a specific cause because she wasn't that old," he said.
He added that the other ankoles have not shown any signs of illness, so the zoo does not suspect anything infectious.
Leiske said there have been about 20 to 30 animal deaths at the zoo this year but emphasized the numbers are skewed because of several factors such as still-births.
Fisher added that the zoo has animals that have lived there for more than 20 years.
According to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park Web site, cheetahs in zoos can live to be 17 years old but may live only eight to 10 years in the wild. Ankole cattle, on the other hand, can live to be more than 20 years old, according to the SeaWorld/Busch Gardens ANIMAL Web site.
Fisher said visitors have not noticed the change and there have not been any reports of the other animals reacting to the deaths.
Fisher said the cheetah had lived at the zoo since 1996 and the ankole cow since 1999. Before moving to the desert, Elwood lived at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas, and Aretha lived at San Diego Wild Animal Park.
STATEMENT FROM THE LIVING DESERT
"The Living Desert has one of the most state-of-the-art veterinary hospitals in the zoo community. Visitors can observe animals being examined and watch procedures such as dental cleaning, surgery and annual exams.
"As in most zoos that have been in existence for many years like The Living Desert, many of the animals in the collection become geriatric and require special medical attention. The Living Desert's collection includes many animals that are setting longevity records for their species, e.g. the Mountain Lion Reno and the Bighorn Sheep Inca.
"The Living Desert offers expert care of its animals with a full-time staff veterinarian and veterinary technicians. Staff of The Living Desert is writing the national professional standards for animal care and wellbeing for some species of animals to be used in zoos across the country, e.g. canid and antelope standards.
"It is the belief of The Living Desert that all animals should be treated with respect and each animal should have a life of good wellbeing. Everything that the Living Desert does, we do in the best interest of the animals, both in our care and in the wild.
"The Living Desert keeps its family informed of life changing events with the animals under our care. All staff and volunteers are notified immediately when an animal death occurs. When a Living Desert 'celebrity' passes on, a press release is issued to our wider family in the Coachella Valley community. In the event that an animal is euthanized, animal keepers are allowed to attend. The animal keepers are very close to their charges and may be deeply affected by these natural life and death events.
"In the case of Elwood. the cheetah, his medical condition had been monitored for several weeks. As happens to many old cats, kidney failure is quite common, including domesticated cats. Eventually old animals die of some cause. When it was determined that Elwood's kidney condition had deteriorated to a point that quality of life could not be assured, the decision was made to let him go with dignity. He was euthanized.
"Aretha, the Ankole cow, had been experiencing some health problems of an undetermined cause for a few weeks and was being closely monitored by staff. The Living Desert contacted outside veterinary experts from the San Diego Wild Animal Park to assist us in diagnosing the cause and determine the best line of treatment. After standard medical procedures such as fluid therapy and medication, and even alternative therapies such as acupuncture had failed to produce a positive change in her condition and she was no longer able to stand on her own, we could no longer assure her any quality of life. Animals of her size, over 600 pounds, cannot tolerate lying down for long periods of time and their condition will worsen under these circumstances. Therefore, the decision was made to euthanize her. After she was euthanized, she was sent to the State of California Veterinary Diagnostics Lab in San Bernardino for a necropsy to hopefully find answers as to the cause of her decline. We are involved in continuous learning to continually improve our ability to care for the animals.
"Although these two deaths happened close to one another in time, there is no possible link between them. All animals die, but no one expects it.
"The Living Desert performs all euthanasia in a humane and compassionate manner. Euthanasia is always performed by The Living Desert veterinarian or the licensed back-up veterinarian. Euthanasia is only performed using the humane techniques and procedures as outlined in 2002 Report of the American Veterinary Medical Association Panel on Euthanasia."
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/ 20061228/NEWS01/612280360/1006
Texas cheetah mom accepts two rejected cubs as her own
By CHRIS VAUGHN
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
GLEN ROSE -- The wild kingdom can be an unforgiving place.
But sometimes wild animals reveal tenderness, acceptance, devotion in ways that not only surprise us, but that inspire and humble us.
Cinnabar is one of those animals.
"She is a remarkable mother," said Molly Hurst, who helps care for Cinnabar at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center outside Glen Rose.
Cinnabar is an 8-year-old cheetah, a middle-age female with little experience in the ways of male suitors or the offspring that result.
Technically, she is not in the wild. She never has been. But she is still a wild animal and guided by her species' instincts.
Cinnabar has never mated, and in the cheetah world, it's the female that does the deciding. She had been artificially inseminated at the zoo in Columbus, Ohio, but only one cub was born, and she abandoned it.
"Cheetahs will not raise one cub, either in captivity or in the wild," said Mary Jo Stearns, Fossil Rim's carnivore supervisor. "Single cubs you always have to hand raise. We've had to do it here."
To keep the captive population in North America self-sustaining, cheetah breeding is said to be a necessity and is closely monitored by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.
But there's always a love connection somewhere, and when Cinnabar met Limpopo at Fossil Rim this June, she seemed to have found hers.
"He was talking to her, and she was talking back," Stearns said. "Obviously not talking, but making vocalizations. She started teasing him. It was textbook behavior."
It doesn't take a zoologist to figure out what happened.
Exactly 93 days later, on Sept. 30, Cinnabar went into a small shelter in her enclosure and gave birth to three female cubs.
Cheetah mothers can be nervous, high-strung, even dangerous to their cubs if they feel threatened.
"We did nothing for about a week," Stearns said. "We had no radios up here. We didn't drive our trucks. We just walked on pins and needles. We weren't at all sure what kind of mother she would be, and we didn't want to upset her."
The cubs were named Tuli, T.P. and Teensey (the runt).
Nice story that would be. Except there's more to it.
The keepers at the Cincinnati Zoo phoned in October and said they had a cub that had been abandoned. They asked if Fossil Rim would see whether Cinnabar would take him.
The male cub was almost a week older than Cinnabar's cubs and was eventually named Frankie. After he was flown down from Ohio, he was rolled around in Cinnabar's hay with her birth cubs while Cinnabar was occupied eating.
"She went directly into her house and didn't come back out," Stearns said. "We didn't know what was happening. But that afternoon when we fed her again, I looked in and saw he had nursed. His belly was huge.
"So I think, wow, she's a good mom."
A surprise came a few days later at Fossil Rim when another female, not known to be pregnant, birthed two cubs. A violent thunderstorm occurred the night of Oct. 9.
The new cheetah mother panicked, accidentally killing one of the cubs and nearly the other before Stearns could get him away.
"We didn't know what to do, so we thought we would give it to Cinnabar," she said. "We don't like to hand raise the cubs because then they never really know what they are -- a cheetah, a cat, a dog. It's really difficult."
They rolled the new cub, named Hooper, in Cinnabar's hay and left him.
Then the nervous waiting began.
Cinnabar didn't like it. She grew agitated.
She picked him up and dropped him on the ground.
She paced.
But everyone left her alone. She had to make her own decision.
In a few hours, Stearns returned.
"There they were in that shelter, all five in a row," she said. "And he had a big ol' fat belly."
Cheetah foster parenting is an exceptional thing on its own. But for a cheetah mother to adopt two cubs of different ages and from different mothers has not been documented in this country.
It may be a first in the U.S. for any big cat. Africa, maybe not. The De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre in South Africa, which is believed to have bred more cheetahs than any place on Earth, says it has seen it happen with a female named Lady.
And the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia reports that it has seen occasional instances of communal mothering.
But not on this continent.
"It's very unusual just to have one adopted," said Jack Grisham, the director of animal collections at the St. Louis Zoo and the national cheetah breeding coordinator. "But to put a second cub in there, it's unheard of. As far as I know, it's never been done. She's a supermom. Seriously."
Stearns and Hurst have been amazed at Cinnabar's patience.
The cubs have progressed at different stages, with one far ahead developmentally of her birth cubs and one lagging behind.
But she has done it, helping each as needed.
"Did Mary Jo tell you that we want to make Cinnabar a plaque? Mother of the Year," Hurst said, beaming.
IN THE KNOW
Wildlife center
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, located outside Glen Rose in Somervell County, has 33 cheetahs.
Many of them belong to other zoos and wildlife parks, but they are at Fossil Rim because it has much more room for breeding.
Officials at Fossil Rim will not put Cinnabar and her five cubs near the park road, visible to drivers, until the spring. For now, the very protective Cinnabar needs minimal contact with people or other cheetahs.
You can reach the center's visitor services at 254-897-2960, ext. 0, or visit www.fossilrim.com.
Chris Vaughn, 817-390-7547 cvaughn@star-telegram.com
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/16334913.htm
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
GLEN ROSE -- The wild kingdom can be an unforgiving place.
But sometimes wild animals reveal tenderness, acceptance, devotion in ways that not only surprise us, but that inspire and humble us.
Cinnabar is one of those animals.
"She is a remarkable mother," said Molly Hurst, who helps care for Cinnabar at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center outside Glen Rose.
Cinnabar is an 8-year-old cheetah, a middle-age female with little experience in the ways of male suitors or the offspring that result.
Technically, she is not in the wild. She never has been. But she is still a wild animal and guided by her species' instincts.
Cinnabar has never mated, and in the cheetah world, it's the female that does the deciding. She had been artificially inseminated at the zoo in Columbus, Ohio, but only one cub was born, and she abandoned it.
"Cheetahs will not raise one cub, either in captivity or in the wild," said Mary Jo Stearns, Fossil Rim's carnivore supervisor. "Single cubs you always have to hand raise. We've had to do it here."
To keep the captive population in North America self-sustaining, cheetah breeding is said to be a necessity and is closely monitored by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.
But there's always a love connection somewhere, and when Cinnabar met Limpopo at Fossil Rim this June, she seemed to have found hers.
"He was talking to her, and she was talking back," Stearns said. "Obviously not talking, but making vocalizations. She started teasing him. It was textbook behavior."
It doesn't take a zoologist to figure out what happened.
Exactly 93 days later, on Sept. 30, Cinnabar went into a small shelter in her enclosure and gave birth to three female cubs.
Cheetah mothers can be nervous, high-strung, even dangerous to their cubs if they feel threatened.
"We did nothing for about a week," Stearns said. "We had no radios up here. We didn't drive our trucks. We just walked on pins and needles. We weren't at all sure what kind of mother she would be, and we didn't want to upset her."
The cubs were named Tuli, T.P. and Teensey (the runt).
Nice story that would be. Except there's more to it.
The keepers at the Cincinnati Zoo phoned in October and said they had a cub that had been abandoned. They asked if Fossil Rim would see whether Cinnabar would take him.
The male cub was almost a week older than Cinnabar's cubs and was eventually named Frankie. After he was flown down from Ohio, he was rolled around in Cinnabar's hay with her birth cubs while Cinnabar was occupied eating.
"She went directly into her house and didn't come back out," Stearns said. "We didn't know what was happening. But that afternoon when we fed her again, I looked in and saw he had nursed. His belly was huge.
"So I think, wow, she's a good mom."
A surprise came a few days later at Fossil Rim when another female, not known to be pregnant, birthed two cubs. A violent thunderstorm occurred the night of Oct. 9.
The new cheetah mother panicked, accidentally killing one of the cubs and nearly the other before Stearns could get him away.
"We didn't know what to do, so we thought we would give it to Cinnabar," she said. "We don't like to hand raise the cubs because then they never really know what they are -- a cheetah, a cat, a dog. It's really difficult."
They rolled the new cub, named Hooper, in Cinnabar's hay and left him.
Then the nervous waiting began.
Cinnabar didn't like it. She grew agitated.
She picked him up and dropped him on the ground.
She paced.
But everyone left her alone. She had to make her own decision.
In a few hours, Stearns returned.
"There they were in that shelter, all five in a row," she said. "And he had a big ol' fat belly."
Cheetah foster parenting is an exceptional thing on its own. But for a cheetah mother to adopt two cubs of different ages and from different mothers has not been documented in this country.
It may be a first in the U.S. for any big cat. Africa, maybe not. The De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre in South Africa, which is believed to have bred more cheetahs than any place on Earth, says it has seen it happen with a female named Lady.
And the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia reports that it has seen occasional instances of communal mothering.
But not on this continent.
"It's very unusual just to have one adopted," said Jack Grisham, the director of animal collections at the St. Louis Zoo and the national cheetah breeding coordinator. "But to put a second cub in there, it's unheard of. As far as I know, it's never been done. She's a supermom. Seriously."
Stearns and Hurst have been amazed at Cinnabar's patience.
The cubs have progressed at different stages, with one far ahead developmentally of her birth cubs and one lagging behind.
But she has done it, helping each as needed.
"Did Mary Jo tell you that we want to make Cinnabar a plaque? Mother of the Year," Hurst said, beaming.
IN THE KNOW
Wildlife center
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, located outside Glen Rose in Somervell County, has 33 cheetahs.
Many of them belong to other zoos and wildlife parks, but they are at Fossil Rim because it has much more room for breeding.
Officials at Fossil Rim will not put Cinnabar and her five cubs near the park road, visible to drivers, until the spring. For now, the very protective Cinnabar needs minimal contact with people or other cheetahs.
You can reach the center's visitor services at 254-897-2960, ext. 0, or visit www.fossilrim.com.
Chris Vaughn, 817-390-7547 cvaughn@star-telegram.com
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/16334913.htm
$250K gift will likely go to Wisconsin zoo's cougars, bobcats
By ROD STETZER rod.stetzer@lee.net
Last modified: Thursday, December 28, 2006 1:13 PM CST
The late Joseph and Nilah Bradford have left a belated Christmas present for Irvine Park, and it’s a doozy.
The Bradford Family Trust on Tuesday gave the city’s Irvine Park Donation Fund a $250,000 contribution.
If the Bradford name sounds familiar, it’s because the trust donated $183,000 to the Chippewa County Historical Society in November 2005.
Bill Faherty, the city’s director of Parks and Recreation, said the $250,000 is the largest lump sum donation for Chippewa Falls parks that he can recall.
Faherty wouldn’t have too much trouble thinking of ways to spend the money.
“I could spend it on the cougar exhibit,” he said, pointing to one option.
Instead, he’ll leave the decision with the city’s Park Board. Faherty said it may be better to invest the money though the Community Foundation of Chippewa County.
Faherty said it’s important for the public to know the parks department is wisely using donations.
Already private donations have paid for a bear exhibit. An exhibit for the park’s cougars is being built and one for its bobcats is planned.
Faherty said there may be enough money to finish building the cougar exhibit without having to use the Bradford donation.
It’s possible the donation could be used as a matching fund to build the bobcat exhibit, Faherty said.
The former town of Eagle Point couple had strong ties to the Chippewa Valley.
Nilah Nabor Bradford was born in Chippewa Falls in December 1935.
Joseph Bradford’s great-great-grandmother’s brother was Captain John E. Perkins, commander of the famed Eagle Regiment in the Civil War. The regiment fought along its famous mascot, the eagle Old Abe, that came from Jim Falls.
The couple donated a feather from the famed eagle along with some possessions of Captain Perkins to the county’s history center at 123 Allen St. in Chippewa Falls.
Joseph Bradford died in 1999 and Nilah Bradford died three years later in Mesa, Ariz.
http://www.chippewa.com/articles/2006/12/28/news/mark05.txt
Last modified: Thursday, December 28, 2006 1:13 PM CST
The late Joseph and Nilah Bradford have left a belated Christmas present for Irvine Park, and it’s a doozy.
The Bradford Family Trust on Tuesday gave the city’s Irvine Park Donation Fund a $250,000 contribution.
If the Bradford name sounds familiar, it’s because the trust donated $183,000 to the Chippewa County Historical Society in November 2005.
Bill Faherty, the city’s director of Parks and Recreation, said the $250,000 is the largest lump sum donation for Chippewa Falls parks that he can recall.
Faherty wouldn’t have too much trouble thinking of ways to spend the money.
“I could spend it on the cougar exhibit,” he said, pointing to one option.
Instead, he’ll leave the decision with the city’s Park Board. Faherty said it may be better to invest the money though the Community Foundation of Chippewa County.
Faherty said it’s important for the public to know the parks department is wisely using donations.
Already private donations have paid for a bear exhibit. An exhibit for the park’s cougars is being built and one for its bobcats is planned.
Faherty said there may be enough money to finish building the cougar exhibit without having to use the Bradford donation.
It’s possible the donation could be used as a matching fund to build the bobcat exhibit, Faherty said.
The former town of Eagle Point couple had strong ties to the Chippewa Valley.
Nilah Nabor Bradford was born in Chippewa Falls in December 1935.
Joseph Bradford’s great-great-grandmother’s brother was Captain John E. Perkins, commander of the famed Eagle Regiment in the Civil War. The regiment fought along its famous mascot, the eagle Old Abe, that came from Jim Falls.
The couple donated a feather from the famed eagle along with some possessions of Captain Perkins to the county’s history center at 123 Allen St. in Chippewa Falls.
Joseph Bradford died in 1999 and Nilah Bradford died three years later in Mesa, Ariz.
http://www.chippewa.com/articles/2006/12/28/news/mark05.txt
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Romanian zoo animals in jeopardy after zoos fail to meet EU standards
In Romania, a zoo that's worth 1,000 words
Its failure to meet EU standards is symptomatic of deep apathy in the country, which joins the EU Jan. 1.
By Cristian Lupsa | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
BUHUSI, ROMANIA
Just up the hill in this forgotten manufacturing town, it's feeding time at the rundown Buhusi Zoo, tucked behind a bouquet of Soviet-style apartment buildings. Mihai Gheorghiu, the deputy director, cracks open the freezer and the stench of meat tumbles out. As if on cue, a rumbling emerges from the cages.
He hauls out a few chunks of horse meat and drops them on the grass with a thud. A large bear peeks his snout through the bars on top of the cage. The caretakers stack the meat into a wheelbarrow and, as they do several times a week, roll it through the grounds to feed the lions, baboons, and bears.
But come Jan. 1, when Romania and its southern neighbor Bulgaria join the European Union, Mr. Gheorghiu's routine could come to a swift halt. Like many of the other 35 zoos in Romania, Buhusi doesn't meet EU standards for animal care. For three years, an organization of foreign volunteers - Lion's Roar - has been working to improve conditions for the animals, but its efforts often bump up against an apathy that many observers say is pervasive in Romanian society.
"What is the key to making them exercise the muscle of caring?" asks Laura Simms, the project's American director. "We can bring money and that will change something, but how much can you change without changing internal motivations?"
On the eve of its greatest political achievement in recent history, Romania looks poised for progress. In 2006, the economy grew by more than 8 percent, unemployment and inflation dropped, and, as of September, foreign investment was 30 percent higher than a year earlier. But many Romanians are doubtful that their country can surmount its status as one of the EU's poorest countries - an attitude that hampers everything from improving zoos to tackling corruption.
"Romania is perceived [by many citizens] to be in worse shape than it is," says Cristian Ghinea, a political commentator and a fellow at the Romanian Academic Society. "We are a people with a catastrophe-prone mentality because history proved that things can turn against us."
For much of its history, Romania was under the influence of European powers, from the Ottoman Empire to the Austrian Empire to, most recently, the Soviet Union. Though Romania ended World War II on the side of the allied powers, its support of Germany during much of the war compromised its negotiating position and placed it under Soviet influence.This history of hard knocks, Ghinea says, makes Romanians weary.
"There is an overall apathy that is deeply ingrained in the population," says Christopher Troxler, the American executive director of the Romania Think Tank in Bucharest. " ' Asta este' ["it is what it is"] is an institutionalized statement."
Four out of five Romanians are unhappy about their earnings - on average, they make about $300 per month - and close to 50 percent are dissatisfied with the overall direction of the country, according to the most recent Public Opinion Barometer of the Open Society Foundation, a pro-EU organization in Bucharest, the capital.
At the Buhusi Zoo, Ms. Simms and her fellow volunteers had hoped that making major repairs, buying hay and medicine, and providing uniforms and training to zookeepers would show people that little things can make a difference. Though Simms did mobilize some people, overall she found "an energy gap."
Buhusi's vice mayor, Vasile Zaharia, is not surprised. He says that the park fell to ruins not because of a shortage of money, but of heart. "There is poverty, but society is not that poor that it can't help a zoo," Mr. Zaharia says. "Someone who struggled and knocked on doors could have made a difference."
Even when the zoo is closed, it can't disappear until the animals find a home and Simms is helping authorities with that. She says she hopes saving the animals might help the town tell a different story about itself - a proud one.
Indeed, many in Romania say that cultivating national pride is key to changing Romanian attitudes.
Maria Duma, who runs a group advocating the preservation of Bucharest landmarks, says she wants souvenir shops and more marketing of Romania's natural beauty. Ms. Duma's infectious energy has pulled hundreds of people into the streets to protest the mayor's intention of razing city historic sites to make room for office towers.
"This is my calling today," Duma says, who works in a booming information-technology industry and is the first woman to serve on the executive board of the main Romanian association of software companies.But she adds that civic engagement alone isn't enough in a country where leaders at all levels of power often keep people stuck in bureaucratic mazes.
"The authorities don't do anything to encourage, motivate, or engage people," she says. "It's easy to give up amidst so much indifference and corruption."
Leaders "distrust energetic citizens unless they work within the tight system," says Tom Gallagher, a professor at the University of Bradford in England, who has authored two books on Romania. While the fatalism of the early 1990s that led many Romanians to abandon the country for better opportunities abroad has diminished a great deal, he expects that more will leave once borders open fully on Jan. 1.
"Romania has evolved in many refreshing ways, but ... until the cleavage between society and the state still exists," he says. "Until the state evolves, the story of Romania will likely be one of continuity with the past rather than one of progress," he says.
Zaharia, the vice mayor of Buhusi, says Romanians are slowly adapting to change. Though his countrymen have the second-highest rate of enthusiasm (68 percent) for the EU across the continent, he himself isn't fond of all the new regulations brought on by joining.
But he says there is no going back. "We are stumbling and dragging our feet, but we're moving forward."
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1227/p07s02-woeu.html
Its failure to meet EU standards is symptomatic of deep apathy in the country, which joins the EU Jan. 1.
By Cristian Lupsa | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
BUHUSI, ROMANIA
Just up the hill in this forgotten manufacturing town, it's feeding time at the rundown Buhusi Zoo, tucked behind a bouquet of Soviet-style apartment buildings. Mihai Gheorghiu, the deputy director, cracks open the freezer and the stench of meat tumbles out. As if on cue, a rumbling emerges from the cages.
He hauls out a few chunks of horse meat and drops them on the grass with a thud. A large bear peeks his snout through the bars on top of the cage. The caretakers stack the meat into a wheelbarrow and, as they do several times a week, roll it through the grounds to feed the lions, baboons, and bears.
But come Jan. 1, when Romania and its southern neighbor Bulgaria join the European Union, Mr. Gheorghiu's routine could come to a swift halt. Like many of the other 35 zoos in Romania, Buhusi doesn't meet EU standards for animal care. For three years, an organization of foreign volunteers - Lion's Roar - has been working to improve conditions for the animals, but its efforts often bump up against an apathy that many observers say is pervasive in Romanian society.
"What is the key to making them exercise the muscle of caring?" asks Laura Simms, the project's American director. "We can bring money and that will change something, but how much can you change without changing internal motivations?"
On the eve of its greatest political achievement in recent history, Romania looks poised for progress. In 2006, the economy grew by more than 8 percent, unemployment and inflation dropped, and, as of September, foreign investment was 30 percent higher than a year earlier. But many Romanians are doubtful that their country can surmount its status as one of the EU's poorest countries - an attitude that hampers everything from improving zoos to tackling corruption.
"Romania is perceived [by many citizens] to be in worse shape than it is," says Cristian Ghinea, a political commentator and a fellow at the Romanian Academic Society. "We are a people with a catastrophe-prone mentality because history proved that things can turn against us."
For much of its history, Romania was under the influence of European powers, from the Ottoman Empire to the Austrian Empire to, most recently, the Soviet Union. Though Romania ended World War II on the side of the allied powers, its support of Germany during much of the war compromised its negotiating position and placed it under Soviet influence.This history of hard knocks, Ghinea says, makes Romanians weary.
"There is an overall apathy that is deeply ingrained in the population," says Christopher Troxler, the American executive director of the Romania Think Tank in Bucharest. " ' Asta este' ["it is what it is"] is an institutionalized statement."
Four out of five Romanians are unhappy about their earnings - on average, they make about $300 per month - and close to 50 percent are dissatisfied with the overall direction of the country, according to the most recent Public Opinion Barometer of the Open Society Foundation, a pro-EU organization in Bucharest, the capital.
At the Buhusi Zoo, Ms. Simms and her fellow volunteers had hoped that making major repairs, buying hay and medicine, and providing uniforms and training to zookeepers would show people that little things can make a difference. Though Simms did mobilize some people, overall she found "an energy gap."
Buhusi's vice mayor, Vasile Zaharia, is not surprised. He says that the park fell to ruins not because of a shortage of money, but of heart. "There is poverty, but society is not that poor that it can't help a zoo," Mr. Zaharia says. "Someone who struggled and knocked on doors could have made a difference."
Even when the zoo is closed, it can't disappear until the animals find a home and Simms is helping authorities with that. She says she hopes saving the animals might help the town tell a different story about itself - a proud one.
Indeed, many in Romania say that cultivating national pride is key to changing Romanian attitudes.
Maria Duma, who runs a group advocating the preservation of Bucharest landmarks, says she wants souvenir shops and more marketing of Romania's natural beauty. Ms. Duma's infectious energy has pulled hundreds of people into the streets to protest the mayor's intention of razing city historic sites to make room for office towers.
"This is my calling today," Duma says, who works in a booming information-technology industry and is the first woman to serve on the executive board of the main Romanian association of software companies.But she adds that civic engagement alone isn't enough in a country where leaders at all levels of power often keep people stuck in bureaucratic mazes.
"The authorities don't do anything to encourage, motivate, or engage people," she says. "It's easy to give up amidst so much indifference and corruption."
Leaders "distrust energetic citizens unless they work within the tight system," says Tom Gallagher, a professor at the University of Bradford in England, who has authored two books on Romania. While the fatalism of the early 1990s that led many Romanians to abandon the country for better opportunities abroad has diminished a great deal, he expects that more will leave once borders open fully on Jan. 1.
"Romania has evolved in many refreshing ways, but ... until the cleavage between society and the state still exists," he says. "Until the state evolves, the story of Romania will likely be one of continuity with the past rather than one of progress," he says.
Zaharia, the vice mayor of Buhusi, says Romanians are slowly adapting to change. Though his countrymen have the second-highest rate of enthusiasm (68 percent) for the EU across the continent, he himself isn't fond of all the new regulations brought on by joining.
But he says there is no going back. "We are stumbling and dragging our feet, but we're moving forward."
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1227/p07s02-woeu.html
Cougars find new home after Florida facility loses license
Martin E. Comas
Sentinel Staff Writer
December 27, 2006
LADY LAKE -- The ponies, goats and sheep at Uncle Donald's Farm have unlikely company now -- a pair of cougars.
The exotic cats, Mercury and Marti, were donated to the north Lake County attraction by Savage Kingdom, a wild-animal ranch in Center Hill with a checkered past. It was forced to get rid of almost two dozen big felines recently after federal authorities revoked its license.
"It's not easy," said Robert Baudy, 83, Savage Kingdom's owner, who has bred, raised and trained wild cats for more than 50 years.
"It's killing me losing these cats," he said. "But on the other end, I've got to stop because I'm not getting any younger."
Besides donating the male and female cougars to Uncle Donald's Farm, Baudy gave seven tigers -- including a pregnant white tiger -- to Jim Fowler's Life in the Wild, a 1,000-acre animal-friendly safari and theme park under construction in Bonifay.
Expected to be completed in 2008, the park is being developed by Fowler, a wildlife educator and longtime host of the television show Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, and developer Barbara Farris.
Farris described it as an ecological park with large open areas for the animals to roam. Visitors will be able get close to the animals while riding in caged vehicles.
Baudy said he also has given six tigers and leopards to other facilities, including Chestatee Wildlife Preserve in north Georgia and other zoos.
"I place them with people who know what they are doing," he said.
About five cats remain unadopted, and several people have shown an interest, according to a Savage Kingdom worker who would not provide more information.
"His cats are well-fed and cared for," said Donna Morris, owner of Uncle Donald's Farm, who called Baudy a highly respected breeder. "They are beautiful animals, and he's been a top breeder. He's kept his blood line very, very clean."
The 50-acre Lake County attraction features more than 300 animals, most farm animals. It also has a refuge for injured or orphaned animals that would not be able to survive in the wild.
Visitors can take farm tours, hay rides or feed many of the animals.
Morris said that Mercury and Marti have received plenty of attention, especially from children, since coming to Uncle Donald's Farm at the end of November.
Last July, the U.S. Department of Agriculture permanently revoked Baudy's federal permits after a 318-pound tiger burst through a rusted chain-link fence and killed a volunteer animal handler in July 2001.
The federal investigation showed the tiger was put in an unsafe cage and the volunteer who was attacked, Vincent Lowe, 49, was inadequately trained to handle big cats and did not follow several precautions.
The cat had been moved into the smaller, faulty cage, and soon became agitated and lunged at the sides of the structure before breaking through and attacking Lowe, according to reports.
The department order revoking Savage Kingdom's Animal Welfare Act license was signed by an administrative law judge in Washington, D.C., on July 6. The license is required to exhibit and breed certain animals, such as Baudy's big cats.
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigation later cleared Baudy of any criminal wrongdoing in the 2001 attack. It stated, however, that Lowe made several errors leading to the attack. Tests from that state investigation also showed Lowe had traces of marijuana in his system.
In another incident at Savage Kingdom, a cougar strangled itself in January with a rope after workers lassoed the thrashing animal to keep it from escaping the facility. The cat had slipped out of its stall through a divider door that had not been properly secured. When a worker noticed the cat escaped and was heading toward an open field, she tried to lasso it with the rope.
Morris of Uncle Donald's Farm said accidents do happen when people keep predatory animals. That's why it's important to have experienced, professional workers feeding them and cleaning their cages.
"Accidents do happen, but in almost all cases, it's the human's fault," she said. "The guy [Lowe] should have been better supervised. The only thing predictable about animals is that they are unpredictable."
Morris doesn't have volunteers to help her care for the dangerous animals.
"I have people who come to me and say: 'Wow, I love big cats, can I help?' " she said. "But I don't take volunteers. You just don't make mistakes with those animals; otherwise someone is going to get hurt."
A native of France, Baudy settled in Sumter County in the early 1970s after displaying his animals in shows abroad for more than 20 years.
He says he has bred 28 species of cats in captivity, including panthers, jaguars, cougars and a white Siberian tiger. His forearms and hands are covered with jagged scars showing when he got careless around nervous cats.
Baudy said he and other workers at Savage Kingdom will continue caring for the several cows, horses and sheep on his 40-acre property after the last cats have been placed in new homes. The cats can't be let loose in native areas, such as Asia or Africa, because they will starve.
Martin E. Comas can be reached at mcomas@orlandosentinel.com or 352-742-5927
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-bigcats2706dec27,0,4153202.story? coll=orl-business-headlines-tourism
Sentinel Staff Writer
December 27, 2006
LADY LAKE -- The ponies, goats and sheep at Uncle Donald's Farm have unlikely company now -- a pair of cougars.
The exotic cats, Mercury and Marti, were donated to the north Lake County attraction by Savage Kingdom, a wild-animal ranch in Center Hill with a checkered past. It was forced to get rid of almost two dozen big felines recently after federal authorities revoked its license.
"It's not easy," said Robert Baudy, 83, Savage Kingdom's owner, who has bred, raised and trained wild cats for more than 50 years.
"It's killing me losing these cats," he said. "But on the other end, I've got to stop because I'm not getting any younger."
Besides donating the male and female cougars to Uncle Donald's Farm, Baudy gave seven tigers -- including a pregnant white tiger -- to Jim Fowler's Life in the Wild, a 1,000-acre animal-friendly safari and theme park under construction in Bonifay.
Expected to be completed in 2008, the park is being developed by Fowler, a wildlife educator and longtime host of the television show Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, and developer Barbara Farris.
Farris described it as an ecological park with large open areas for the animals to roam. Visitors will be able get close to the animals while riding in caged vehicles.
Baudy said he also has given six tigers and leopards to other facilities, including Chestatee Wildlife Preserve in north Georgia and other zoos.
"I place them with people who know what they are doing," he said.
About five cats remain unadopted, and several people have shown an interest, according to a Savage Kingdom worker who would not provide more information.
"His cats are well-fed and cared for," said Donna Morris, owner of Uncle Donald's Farm, who called Baudy a highly respected breeder. "They are beautiful animals, and he's been a top breeder. He's kept his blood line very, very clean."
The 50-acre Lake County attraction features more than 300 animals, most farm animals. It also has a refuge for injured or orphaned animals that would not be able to survive in the wild.
Visitors can take farm tours, hay rides or feed many of the animals.
Morris said that Mercury and Marti have received plenty of attention, especially from children, since coming to Uncle Donald's Farm at the end of November.
Last July, the U.S. Department of Agriculture permanently revoked Baudy's federal permits after a 318-pound tiger burst through a rusted chain-link fence and killed a volunteer animal handler in July 2001.
The federal investigation showed the tiger was put in an unsafe cage and the volunteer who was attacked, Vincent Lowe, 49, was inadequately trained to handle big cats and did not follow several precautions.
The cat had been moved into the smaller, faulty cage, and soon became agitated and lunged at the sides of the structure before breaking through and attacking Lowe, according to reports.
The department order revoking Savage Kingdom's Animal Welfare Act license was signed by an administrative law judge in Washington, D.C., on July 6. The license is required to exhibit and breed certain animals, such as Baudy's big cats.
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigation later cleared Baudy of any criminal wrongdoing in the 2001 attack. It stated, however, that Lowe made several errors leading to the attack. Tests from that state investigation also showed Lowe had traces of marijuana in his system.
In another incident at Savage Kingdom, a cougar strangled itself in January with a rope after workers lassoed the thrashing animal to keep it from escaping the facility. The cat had slipped out of its stall through a divider door that had not been properly secured. When a worker noticed the cat escaped and was heading toward an open field, she tried to lasso it with the rope.
Morris of Uncle Donald's Farm said accidents do happen when people keep predatory animals. That's why it's important to have experienced, professional workers feeding them and cleaning their cages.
"Accidents do happen, but in almost all cases, it's the human's fault," she said. "The guy [Lowe] should have been better supervised. The only thing predictable about animals is that they are unpredictable."
Morris doesn't have volunteers to help her care for the dangerous animals.
"I have people who come to me and say: 'Wow, I love big cats, can I help?' " she said. "But I don't take volunteers. You just don't make mistakes with those animals; otherwise someone is going to get hurt."
A native of France, Baudy settled in Sumter County in the early 1970s after displaying his animals in shows abroad for more than 20 years.
He says he has bred 28 species of cats in captivity, including panthers, jaguars, cougars and a white Siberian tiger. His forearms and hands are covered with jagged scars showing when he got careless around nervous cats.
Baudy said he and other workers at Savage Kingdom will continue caring for the several cows, horses and sheep on his 40-acre property after the last cats have been placed in new homes. The cats can't be let loose in native areas, such as Asia or Africa, because they will starve.
Martin E. Comas can be reached at mcomas@orlandosentinel.com or 352-742-5927
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-bigcats2706dec27,0,4153202.story? coll=orl-business-headlines-tourism
12 lions, 14 tigers, 50 leopards kept privately in UK
Tuesday, December 26, 2006 Twelve lions, 14 tigers and 50 leopards are being kept by licensed private owners, researchers studying Big Cats in Britain have said.
The 154 assorted non-domestic cats are owned privately, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
There were also almost 500 assorted monkeys and 2,000 ostriches in private ownership as well as more than 250 poisonous snakes and 50 members of the crocodile family.
More than 300 American Bison are also grazing in our countryside - as well as more than 6,000 wild boar.
The Big Cats in Britain (BCIB) research group said it approached 408 local authorities to discover how many of the wild animals were being kept by licensed private keepers. The figures do not include zoo animals.
Under the Dangerous Wild Animal Act 1976, private owners of all animals that are legally deemed to be dangerous are required to annually buy a licence from their local authority.
The authority inspects the owner's premises, setting standards and confirming that the owner carries third party liability insurance for the animal.
Some smaller cats such as servals and leopard cats are being kept to hybrid with domestic cats to produce the "designer pet" varieties, researchers said.
Scientific adviser to the BCIB Chris Moiser said it was a "pleasant surprise" to see how many people went to such lengths to keep their animals properly and lawfully.
Mark Fraser, founder of the BCIB Research Group, said: "It is not the responsible legal owners that 'lose' their animals, but those that are kept illegally with ill regard and little thought to their welfare.
"More and more exotic animals are being seen in the British countryside today, making it an interesting place to be.
"In December of 2006 the Dangerous Wild Animals Act was introduced in Northern Ireland, and it will be interesting to see what effect this has."
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html? in_article_id=30651&in_page_id=34
The 154 assorted non-domestic cats are owned privately, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
There were also almost 500 assorted monkeys and 2,000 ostriches in private ownership as well as more than 250 poisonous snakes and 50 members of the crocodile family.
More than 300 American Bison are also grazing in our countryside - as well as more than 6,000 wild boar.
The Big Cats in Britain (BCIB) research group said it approached 408 local authorities to discover how many of the wild animals were being kept by licensed private keepers. The figures do not include zoo animals.
Under the Dangerous Wild Animal Act 1976, private owners of all animals that are legally deemed to be dangerous are required to annually buy a licence from their local authority.
The authority inspects the owner's premises, setting standards and confirming that the owner carries third party liability insurance for the animal.
Some smaller cats such as servals and leopard cats are being kept to hybrid with domestic cats to produce the "designer pet" varieties, researchers said.
Scientific adviser to the BCIB Chris Moiser said it was a "pleasant surprise" to see how many people went to such lengths to keep their animals properly and lawfully.
Mark Fraser, founder of the BCIB Research Group, said: "It is not the responsible legal owners that 'lose' their animals, but those that are kept illegally with ill regard and little thought to their welfare.
"More and more exotic animals are being seen in the British countryside today, making it an interesting place to be.
"In December of 2006 the Dangerous Wild Animals Act was introduced in Northern Ireland, and it will be interesting to see what effect this has."
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html? in_article_id=30651&in_page_id=34
Students spend break rebuilding FL sanctuary's cougar pens
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
By JEFF KART
TIMES WRITER
A group of Saginaw Valley State University students will usher in 2007 at an exotic animal sanctuary in Florida.
It's not a vacation. The students, including recent graduate Dan Luce, 22, of Bay City, will help rebuild cougar pens damaged during Hurricane Rita and construct a new living area for sulcata tortoises during a week-long community service trip to Peace River Refuge and Ranch, a nonprofit facility in Zolfo Springs, Fla.
The trip is part of the SVSU Alternative Breaks program, meant to give students an alternative to partying or just lying around over winter and spring break. The group will leave on Saturday and return Jan. 6.
Luce, who graduated on Dec. 15 with a bachelor's degree in math education, said he volunteered because it sounded "really cool."
"We're going to be working six-hour days," he said. "Until it gets dark, we're going to be out there doing whatever they want.
"We're not allowed to touch the animals or see the animals until they're behind the cage. It can be very dangerous. I'm OK with that."
The trip costs about $350 per person, for transportation and meals. The volunteers are staying in a cabin for free.
Luce said his group raised about half the money it needs, with donations from Bennigan's restaurant in Saginaw Township, pumping gas for tips at a 7-Eleven and even selling donated eggs in area neighborhoods.
He said the students had trouble raising money at first, because some people thought a group of college students going to Florida sounded more like a party than volunteer work.
The Alternative Breaks program is drug and alcohol free, said Ashley Verner, a 22-year-old biology senior from Adrian, the student site leader for the trip.
The 90-acre Peace River sanctuary is located in central Florida and accredited by the American Sanctuary Association, according to its Web site. It provides permanent habitats for abused, neglected, confiscated or unwanted exotic animals, many from the pet trade.
The SVSU group has been meeting once a week since September to plan for the trip, learning about cougars and tortoises.
The sulcata tortoise is native to Africa and can grow to be more than two feet long and weigh more than 100 pounds, according to www.anapsid.org, a reptile Internet site.
Verner said the students plan to volunteer at the Saginaw Children's Zoo next year, too, as a tie-in to the Florida trip.
Luce said he's had good experiences with the Alternative Breaks program. He spent the end of last year in New York City helping an organization that makes and delivers hot meals to homebound AIDS patients.
The Florida trip is the second volunteers at SVSU have taken this year through the Alternative Breaks program.
Twelve students left on Dec. 16 for a week-long trip to Washington, D.C., to assist Martha's Table, a charity that works with the homeless and less fortunate.
http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/ base/news-8/1167149744182720.xml&coll=4
By JEFF KART
TIMES WRITER
A group of Saginaw Valley State University students will usher in 2007 at an exotic animal sanctuary in Florida.
It's not a vacation. The students, including recent graduate Dan Luce, 22, of Bay City, will help rebuild cougar pens damaged during Hurricane Rita and construct a new living area for sulcata tortoises during a week-long community service trip to Peace River Refuge and Ranch, a nonprofit facility in Zolfo Springs, Fla.
The trip is part of the SVSU Alternative Breaks program, meant to give students an alternative to partying or just lying around over winter and spring break. The group will leave on Saturday and return Jan. 6.
Luce, who graduated on Dec. 15 with a bachelor's degree in math education, said he volunteered because it sounded "really cool."
"We're going to be working six-hour days," he said. "Until it gets dark, we're going to be out there doing whatever they want.
"We're not allowed to touch the animals or see the animals until they're behind the cage. It can be very dangerous. I'm OK with that."
The trip costs about $350 per person, for transportation and meals. The volunteers are staying in a cabin for free.
Luce said his group raised about half the money it needs, with donations from Bennigan's restaurant in Saginaw Township, pumping gas for tips at a 7-Eleven and even selling donated eggs in area neighborhoods.
He said the students had trouble raising money at first, because some people thought a group of college students going to Florida sounded more like a party than volunteer work.
The Alternative Breaks program is drug and alcohol free, said Ashley Verner, a 22-year-old biology senior from Adrian, the student site leader for the trip.
The 90-acre Peace River sanctuary is located in central Florida and accredited by the American Sanctuary Association, according to its Web site. It provides permanent habitats for abused, neglected, confiscated or unwanted exotic animals, many from the pet trade.
The SVSU group has been meeting once a week since September to plan for the trip, learning about cougars and tortoises.
The sulcata tortoise is native to Africa and can grow to be more than two feet long and weigh more than 100 pounds, according to www.anapsid.org, a reptile Internet site.
Verner said the students plan to volunteer at the Saginaw Children's Zoo next year, too, as a tie-in to the Florida trip.
Luce said he's had good experiences with the Alternative Breaks program. He spent the end of last year in New York City helping an organization that makes and delivers hot meals to homebound AIDS patients.
The Florida trip is the second volunteers at SVSU have taken this year through the Alternative Breaks program.
Twelve students left on Dec. 16 for a week-long trip to Washington, D.C., to assist Martha's Table, a charity that works with the homeless and less fortunate.
http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/ base/news-8/1167149744182720.xml&coll=4
NY: Two ocelots will move to Syracuse zoo
Money needed to prepare their home and pay for their move and quarantine.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
By Delen Goldberg
Staff writer
Syracuse's zoo family will grow by two this spring when a mother-daughter pair of ocelots arrive in Central New York.
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park is bringing the small South American cats from their current home at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. They are expected to arrive in late spring.
The trip won't be cheap: Zoo officials need to raise about $32,000, spokeswoman Lorrell Walter said. About $24,000 will be spent to create a home for the ocelots. About $8,000 will pay for the cats' transportation and quarantine.
"It's really cool that we're getting them here because we're all about conservation," Walter said.
Ocelots are an endangered species. Their population has dwindled in recent years because people hunt them for their pelts and keep them as pets. Wildlife experts believe there are only about 120 wild ocelots living in the United States. An additional 217 live in zoos worldwide, with 108 of them in America, according to the International Species Information Service.
When the ocelots arrive in Syracuse, they will take over what is now the zoo's sloth exhibit, Walter said. The sloths will move to a new area, and their former exhibit will be refurbished to fit the ocelots' needs.
"They have two totally different sets of needs, and of course, we want to make sure the animals are comfortable," Walter said.
The zoo's staff has launched an "ocelot appeal" to raise money for the spotted cats. As of Thursday, it had collected $24,399, Walter said.
"There are so many people that are cat fans," Walter said. "People seem to like it when we bring fur to the zoo."
Delen Goldberg can be reached at dgoldberg@syracuse.com or 470-2274.
http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/ news-8/116712827947390.xml&coll=1
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
By Delen Goldberg
Staff writer
Syracuse's zoo family will grow by two this spring when a mother-daughter pair of ocelots arrive in Central New York.
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park is bringing the small South American cats from their current home at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. They are expected to arrive in late spring.
The trip won't be cheap: Zoo officials need to raise about $32,000, spokeswoman Lorrell Walter said. About $24,000 will be spent to create a home for the ocelots. About $8,000 will pay for the cats' transportation and quarantine.
"It's really cool that we're getting them here because we're all about conservation," Walter said.
Ocelots are an endangered species. Their population has dwindled in recent years because people hunt them for their pelts and keep them as pets. Wildlife experts believe there are only about 120 wild ocelots living in the United States. An additional 217 live in zoos worldwide, with 108 of them in America, according to the International Species Information Service.
When the ocelots arrive in Syracuse, they will take over what is now the zoo's sloth exhibit, Walter said. The sloths will move to a new area, and their former exhibit will be refurbished to fit the ocelots' needs.
"They have two totally different sets of needs, and of course, we want to make sure the animals are comfortable," Walter said.
The zoo's staff has launched an "ocelot appeal" to raise money for the spotted cats. As of Thursday, it had collected $24,399, Walter said.
"There are so many people that are cat fans," Walter said. "People seem to like it when we bring fur to the zoo."
Delen Goldberg can be reached at dgoldberg@syracuse.com or 470-2274.
http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/ news-8/116712827947390.xml&coll=1
Florida crackdown targets reptiles, other exotics
Invaders like the Burmese python are a threat to the ecosystem, and owners would get rules.
By CRAIG PITTMAN, Times Staff Writer
Published December 26, 2006
It was the shot seen 'round the world.
When Everglades National Park biologist Skip Snow saw the intertwined carcasses of an alligator and a Burmese python, apparently locked in a struggle that was fatal to them both, he took a picture that wound up making global news.
That photo from September 2005 did more than stimulate watercooler discussions.
It spurred state officials to confront Florida's ongoing invasion by exotic reptiles, a problem reptile experts say first cropped up after Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida 14 years ago.
Now, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is considering new rules that would, for the first time, require anyone who bought a "reptile of concern" to get a permit and meet certain conditions for cages. Owners also would have to implant a high-tech identification tag in snakes of more than 2 feet in diameter. That way, if it got loose state officials would know whom to hold responsible.
In addition, the wildlife commission plans in March to sponsor an "Exotic Pet Amnesty Day" in Clearwater as a way to persuade Tampa Bay area pet owners to turn in their unwanted snakes and other critters, no questions asked, instead of turning them loose in the wild.
State officials hope their efforts will mark an end to the current anything-goes trade in pythons, which can grow to more than 20 feet long.
"We can still have the reptile trade, but everyone is going to be held to a greater level of accountability," said Gene Bessette, a longtime snake dealer from the Gainesville area.
But efforts to halt the proliferation of pythons already have hit several rough spots.
A bill that would have allowed the state to charge $100 for a python permit stalled in the Legislature this year. Unless lawmakers change their minds, the proposed permits for pythons won't cost anything. That raises the question of how the state would pay for the wildlife officers who would be needed to enforce the new requirements.
The state's first attempt at an Exotic Pet Amnesty Day, held in Orlando last spring, drew only six people. They turned in a gecko, some turtles and a cockatiel - but no snakes. Part of the problem, explained the wildlife commission's Scott Hardin: "Unbeknownst to us there was a large reptile expo going on virtually next door."
- - -
Florida has been a magnet for exotic wildlife for 500 years. The Spanish explorers turned loose hogs whose feral descendants leave a path of destruction across ranches and state parks all over the state.
Now, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa are all major portals for exotic plants and wildlife that are sold across the country, Hardin said. And when anything exotic gets free, whether it's iguanas in Boca Grande or Gambian rats in the Keys, Florida's tropical climate ensures it's likely to thrive.
These days hundreds of exotics infest Florida, from feral goats to walking catfish. Starting in the 1970s, state officials began listing the species they didn't want anyone to own. And it became illegal to turn any nonnative species loose in the wild.
But that didn't stop the practice of dumping exotic wildlife in the woods, Hardin said, because it's so difficult to prosecute anyone.
"We have to be there and watch the release and then recapture the animal," said Hardin, the state's exotic species coordinator.
Big snakes have been a particular problem, he said, because they're so easy to obtain, but people who buy them on impulse often don't know what they are getting into.
"Without a permit and without signing anything, you can go buy a young Burmese python for $20," he said. "But within a year it's going to be 6 feet long and in two years it's 12 feet long, and now instead of eating mice, it's eating rabbits. And you only have $20 invested in it, so it's disposable."
- - -
Pythons were first seen slithering through the Everglades in the 1980s. But the first time it became clear how big of a problem this could be was after Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida in 1992, said Bessette, the snake dealer.
Hundreds of people who owned exotic wildlife -- not just snakes but water buffalo and monkeys -- saw their homes, cages and everything else blown away by the storm, he said. Some of the wildlife was rounded up, but many animals got away.
That alerted reptile dealers and state officials to the potential problem of having many huge snakes roaming a delicate ecosystem, Bessette said.
But no one did anything about it, he said, until Snow's photo of the gator-vs.-python encounter hit the newspapers and airwaves -- along with the news that more than 200 pythons had been captured at the national park over the previous decade.
"That spurred a lot of interest by the public in where the pythons came from," said Capt. John West of the wildlife commission.
The state convened a group that included West, Bessette, several veterinarians and wildlife rehabilitation experts, Hillsborough County's animal control director and representatives from Ringling Brothers, Disney's Animal Kingdom and the Humane Society. They came up with the proposed rules, which will be voted on by the wildlife commission in February.
Bessette said reptile dealers are willing to go along with the new rules because they want to avoid further bad publicity such as Snow's photo.
However, buyers accustomed to the state's previous laissez-faire attitude would likely find the proposed regulations revolutionary. They would have paperwork to fill out, and there would be inspectors showing up at their door to check their snakes.
When state Rep. Ralph Poppell, R-Titusville, proposed a bill this year to regulate the purchase and sale of big snakes, it sparked a rebellion among reptile collectors. They circulated a petition that said snakes aren't as big a problem as feral cats and therefore, "We do not need more laws."
The bill died in committee, leaving the wildlife commission with no way to charge for the permits and inspections that the new rules would require.
"Quite frankly we don't have the people to inspect every reptile of concern in the state," said Col. Julie Jones, who heads up the wildlife commission's law enforcement division.
So at least at first, they would not, she said. Instead, they would "inspect upon complaint." In other words, if no one reported a problem, no wildlife officer would call.
After all, she said, at this point the agency doesn't even know how many permits would be needed because "we have no idea how many of these things are out there."
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/12/26/State/ A_Florida_crackdown_t.shtml
By CRAIG PITTMAN, Times Staff Writer
Published December 26, 2006
It was the shot seen 'round the world.
When Everglades National Park biologist Skip Snow saw the intertwined carcasses of an alligator and a Burmese python, apparently locked in a struggle that was fatal to them both, he took a picture that wound up making global news.
That photo from September 2005 did more than stimulate watercooler discussions.
It spurred state officials to confront Florida's ongoing invasion by exotic reptiles, a problem reptile experts say first cropped up after Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida 14 years ago.
Now, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is considering new rules that would, for the first time, require anyone who bought a "reptile of concern" to get a permit and meet certain conditions for cages. Owners also would have to implant a high-tech identification tag in snakes of more than 2 feet in diameter. That way, if it got loose state officials would know whom to hold responsible.
In addition, the wildlife commission plans in March to sponsor an "Exotic Pet Amnesty Day" in Clearwater as a way to persuade Tampa Bay area pet owners to turn in their unwanted snakes and other critters, no questions asked, instead of turning them loose in the wild.
State officials hope their efforts will mark an end to the current anything-goes trade in pythons, which can grow to more than 20 feet long.
"We can still have the reptile trade, but everyone is going to be held to a greater level of accountability," said Gene Bessette, a longtime snake dealer from the Gainesville area.
But efforts to halt the proliferation of pythons already have hit several rough spots.
A bill that would have allowed the state to charge $100 for a python permit stalled in the Legislature this year. Unless lawmakers change their minds, the proposed permits for pythons won't cost anything. That raises the question of how the state would pay for the wildlife officers who would be needed to enforce the new requirements.
The state's first attempt at an Exotic Pet Amnesty Day, held in Orlando last spring, drew only six people. They turned in a gecko, some turtles and a cockatiel - but no snakes. Part of the problem, explained the wildlife commission's Scott Hardin: "Unbeknownst to us there was a large reptile expo going on virtually next door."
- - -
Florida has been a magnet for exotic wildlife for 500 years. The Spanish explorers turned loose hogs whose feral descendants leave a path of destruction across ranches and state parks all over the state.
Now, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa are all major portals for exotic plants and wildlife that are sold across the country, Hardin said. And when anything exotic gets free, whether it's iguanas in Boca Grande or Gambian rats in the Keys, Florida's tropical climate ensures it's likely to thrive.
These days hundreds of exotics infest Florida, from feral goats to walking catfish. Starting in the 1970s, state officials began listing the species they didn't want anyone to own. And it became illegal to turn any nonnative species loose in the wild.
But that didn't stop the practice of dumping exotic wildlife in the woods, Hardin said, because it's so difficult to prosecute anyone.
"We have to be there and watch the release and then recapture the animal," said Hardin, the state's exotic species coordinator.
Big snakes have been a particular problem, he said, because they're so easy to obtain, but people who buy them on impulse often don't know what they are getting into.
"Without a permit and without signing anything, you can go buy a young Burmese python for $20," he said. "But within a year it's going to be 6 feet long and in two years it's 12 feet long, and now instead of eating mice, it's eating rabbits. And you only have $20 invested in it, so it's disposable."
- - -
Pythons were first seen slithering through the Everglades in the 1980s. But the first time it became clear how big of a problem this could be was after Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida in 1992, said Bessette, the snake dealer.
Hundreds of people who owned exotic wildlife -- not just snakes but water buffalo and monkeys -- saw their homes, cages and everything else blown away by the storm, he said. Some of the wildlife was rounded up, but many animals got away.
That alerted reptile dealers and state officials to the potential problem of having many huge snakes roaming a delicate ecosystem, Bessette said.
But no one did anything about it, he said, until Snow's photo of the gator-vs.-python encounter hit the newspapers and airwaves -- along with the news that more than 200 pythons had been captured at the national park over the previous decade.
"That spurred a lot of interest by the public in where the pythons came from," said Capt. John West of the wildlife commission.
The state convened a group that included West, Bessette, several veterinarians and wildlife rehabilitation experts, Hillsborough County's animal control director and representatives from Ringling Brothers, Disney's Animal Kingdom and the Humane Society. They came up with the proposed rules, which will be voted on by the wildlife commission in February.
Bessette said reptile dealers are willing to go along with the new rules because they want to avoid further bad publicity such as Snow's photo.
However, buyers accustomed to the state's previous laissez-faire attitude would likely find the proposed regulations revolutionary. They would have paperwork to fill out, and there would be inspectors showing up at their door to check their snakes.
When state Rep. Ralph Poppell, R-Titusville, proposed a bill this year to regulate the purchase and sale of big snakes, it sparked a rebellion among reptile collectors. They circulated a petition that said snakes aren't as big a problem as feral cats and therefore, "We do not need more laws."
The bill died in committee, leaving the wildlife commission with no way to charge for the permits and inspections that the new rules would require.
"Quite frankly we don't have the people to inspect every reptile of concern in the state," said Col. Julie Jones, who heads up the wildlife commission's law enforcement division.
So at least at first, they would not, she said. Instead, they would "inspect upon complaint." In other words, if no one reported a problem, no wildlife officer would call.
After all, she said, at this point the agency doesn't even know how many permits would be needed because "we have no idea how many of these things are out there."
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/12/26/State/ A_Florida_crackdown_t.shtml
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Python Bill To Be Voted On February 2007
A
Early edition: Invaders like the Burmese python are a threat to the ecosystem, and owners would get rules.
By CRAIG PITTMAN, Times Staff Writer
Published December 25, 2006
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADVERTISEMENT
It was the shot seen ’round the world.
When
That photo from September 2005 did more than stimulate watercooler discussions.
It spurred state officials to confront
Now, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is considering new rules that would, for the first time, require anyone who bought a “reptile of concern” to get a permit and meet certain conditions for cages. Owners also would have to implant a high-tech identification tag in snakes of more than 2 feet in diameter. That way, if it got loose state officials would know whom to hold responsible.
In addition, the wildlife commission plans in March to sponsor an “Exotic Pet Amnesty Day” in
State officials hope their efforts will mark an end to the current anything-goes trade in pythons, which can grow to more than 20 feet long.
“We can still have the reptile trade, but everyone is going to be held to a greater level of accountability,” said Gene Bessette, a longtime snake dealer from the
But efforts to halt the proliferation of pythons already have hit several rough spots.
A bill that would have allowed the state to charge $100 for a python permit stalled in the Legislature this year.
Unless lawmakers change their minds, the proposed permits for pythons won’t cost anything. That raises the question of how the state would pay for the wildlife officers who would be needed to enforce the new requirements.
The state’s first attempt at an Exotic Pet Amnesty Day, held in
***
Now,
These days hundreds of exotics infest
But that didn’t stop the practice of dumping exotic wildlife in the woods, Hardin said, because it’s so difficult to prosecute anyone.
“We have to be there and watch the release and then recapture the animal,” said Hardin, the state’s exotic species coordinator.
Big snakes have been a particular problem, he said, because they’re so easy to obtain, but people who buy them on impulse often don’t know what they are getting into.
“Without a permit and without signing anything, you can go buy a young Burmese python for $20,” he said. “But within a year it’s going to be 6 feet long and in two years it’s 12 feet long, and now instead of eating mice, it’s eating rabbits. And you only have $20 invested in it, so it’s disposable.”
***
Pythons were first seen slithering through the
Hundreds of people who owned exotic wildlife —- not just snakes but water buffalo and monkeys —- saw their homes, cages and everything else blown away by the storm, he said. Some of the wildlife were rounded up, but many got away.
That alerted reptile dealers and state officials to the potential problem of having many huge snakes roaming a delicate ecosystem, Bessette said.
But no one did anything about it, he said, until Snow’s photo of the gator-vs.-python encounter hit the newspapers and airwaves —- along with the news that more than 200 pythons had been captured at the national park over the previous decade.
“That spurred a lot of interest by the public in where the pythons came from,” said Capt. John West of the wildlife commission.
The state convened a group that included West, Bessette, several veterinarians and wildlife rehabilitation experts,
Bessette said reptile dealers are willing to go along with the new rules because they want to avoid further bad publicity such as Snow’s photo.
However, buyers accustomed to the state’s previous laissez-faire attitude would likely find the proposed regulations revolutionary. They would have paperwork to fill out, and there would be inspectors showing up at their door to check their snakes.
When state Rep. Ralph Poppell, R-Titusville, proposed a bill this year to regulate the purchase and sale of big snakes, it sparked a rebellion among reptile collectors.
They circulated a petition that said snakes aren’t as big a problem as feral cats and therefore, “We do not need more laws.”
The bill died in committee, leaving the wildlife commission with no way to charge for the permits and inspections that the new rules would require.
“Quite frankly we don’t have the people to inspect every reptile of concern in the state,” said Col. Julie Jones, who heads up the wildlife commission’s law enforcement division.
So at least at first, they would not, she said. Instead, they would “inspect upon complaint.’’ In other words, if no one reported a problem, no wildlife officer would call.
After all, she said, at this point the agency doesn’t even know how many permits would be needed because “we have no idea how many of these things are out there.”
[Last modified December 25, 2006, 19:55:49]
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/12/25/State/A_Florida_crackdown_t.shtml
Carole’s letter to the reporter:
Dear Craig, craig@sptimes.com
Thanks for covering the story about what the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission is doing (or more accurately not doing) about exotics. We pushed long and hard last year to get the Python Bill passed and got nothing but resistance from the FWCC and most of their Captive Wildlife Technical Assistance Group. Only Bill Armstrong and Ken Johnson seemed to think there was anything wrong with people being allowed to own whatever kind of dangerous animal they wanted. This link gives you the summary of what we were trying to do: http://www.bigcatrescue.org/laws/2006python.htm
The following is a partial listing (790) of incidents involving captive big cats since 1990. These incidents have resulted in the killing or deaths of 234 big cats, 68 human deaths, more than 240 human maulings, 211 exotic cat escapes and 362 confiscations. http://www.bigcatrescue.org/big_cat_news.htm
The Journal of Internal Medicine in 2006 estimated that 50 million people worldwide have been infected with zoonotic diseases since 2000 and as many as 78,000 have died. Read more about zoonotic diseases here: http://www.bigcatrescue.org/zoonosis.htm
To see the number of exotic cats abandoned each year go to http://www.bigcatrescue.org/animal_abuse.htm
To view a trend chart that shows the alarming escalation of big cat incidents go to http://www.bigcatrescue.org/Flash/BigCatBans/BigCatBanCharts.htm
Big Cat Rescue will be back in
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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Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Ohio: Proposed requirements for dangerous wild, exotic animals
Associated Press
Posted on Mon, Dec. 25, 2006
The bill introduced in the last session of the Ohio General Assembly by state Rep. George Distel, a Conneaut Democrat, will be reintroduced in the next session in January.
Among other things, Distel's bill would require people who possess dangerous wild animals or exotic animals to:
_Obtain a personal possession permit.
_Obtain and maintain liability insurance that covers claims for injury or damage to people or property caused by such animals.
_Post and display signs at intervals of 10 feet along the boundary of the property where the animals are confined, warning the public that a dangerous wild animal or exotic animal is on the property.
_Keep a log of all dangerous wild animals or exotic animals they possess.
_Not tether, leash or chain a dangerous wild animal or an exotic animal outside a cage or allow it to roam.
Source: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/16316753.htm
Posted on Mon, Dec. 25, 2006
The bill introduced in the last session of the Ohio General Assembly by state Rep. George Distel, a Conneaut Democrat, will be reintroduced in the next session in January.
Among other things, Distel's bill would require people who possess dangerous wild animals or exotic animals to:
_Obtain a personal possession permit.
_Obtain and maintain liability insurance that covers claims for injury or damage to people or property caused by such animals.
_Post and display signs at intervals of 10 feet along the boundary of the property where the animals are confined, warning the public that a dangerous wild animal or exotic animal is on the property.
_Keep a log of all dangerous wild animals or exotic animals they possess.
_Not tether, leash or chain a dangerous wild animal or an exotic animal outside a cage or allow it to roam.
Source: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/16316753.htm
Virile Florida panther 'doing fine' at new home
By Jeremy Cox
Monday, December 25, 2006
Editor's note: Through the end of the year, the Daily News will update some of the stories that were in the news during the past year.
He is the Florida panther that almost single-handedly (single-pawedly?) kept his species from disappearing by fathering at least 30 kittens over five years.
No wonder he earned the nickname "Don Juan."
Now, more than 10 months after his capture and removal from the wilderness in eastern Collier County, the big cat is "doing fine" and "in good health," his caretakers say.
The 11-year-old panther resides in a small enclosure surrounded by a chain-link fence in an area out of public view at Tampa Bay Busch Gardens. The enclosure is connected to a larger, concrete-covered area where the cat likes to roam at night.
"He's doing fine. There's really no change. He's in good health," said Aimee Jeansonne Becka, a Busch Gardens spokeswoman.
Although panthers and other cougar subspecies tend to acclimate well to captivity, biologists worried whether Don Juan would adjust to his new surroundings.
In the wild, his territory spanned 617 square miles, mostly in Big Cypress National Preserve. The dominant male prowled between Interstate 75 and the Ten Thousand Islands and as far west as State Road 29 and east to the Miami-Dade County line.
"Within a pretty short while, he adjusted pretty well," said Mark Cunningham, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission veterinarian who oversaw the cat's capture.
Don Juan sealed his fate after he attacked several pets and livestock in Copeland and Ochopee in southern Collier County earlier this year. Fearing the panther would strike again, officials with the National Park Service and state Fish and Wildlife decided Feb. 16 to capture the cat.
It was the first time biologists had ever decided to remove a panther from the wild because of bad behavior.
Don Juan, known as Florida panther 79, is a symbol of the successes and drawbacks of the effort to boost the panther's population.
In the mid-1990s, when there were fewer than 30 panthers left, biologists introduced eight female Texas cougars into South Florida to restore the health of the panther gene pool. For years, scientists had been troubled with genetic problems such as kinked tails and males born without testicles.
Born in September 1995, Don Juan was the offspring of one of the female cougars and an unknown male panther, according to state Fish and Wildlife records.
Between February 1999 and July 2004, he fathered 30 cats with seven different female panthers. With few options for a partner, he mated with one of his female offspring twice and another of his female offspring once.
There now are between 70 and 100 panthers living in Southwest Florida, scientists estimate.
After attacking a turkey at an Ochopee petting zoo earlier this year, biologists decided to check on Don Juan's health. After tranquilizing the cat and performing a quick physical, the biologists agreed to relocate the panther to Raccoon Point, an area on the eastern edge of his territory.
Within a few days, he returned to his marauding ways. After Don Juan killed a hog in Copeland, a team of biologists and veterinarians corralled him again just north of the small town along Jane's Scenic Drive.
This time, it was for good. Don Juan became one of eight Florida panthers in captivity across the state.
Don Juan's encounters with humans produced half of the six reported panther incidents this year — the most on record. Wildlife officials were so concerned with the sudden outburst that they convened a meeting with residents a few weeks ago to give them tips on how to live safely around panthers.
Deborah Jansen, a biologist at the Big Cypress preserve who monitored Don Juan's actions for years, paid the big cat a visit in November.
"It went from a large home range to what he has now," she said, "but at least he's not fighting his captivity."
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2006/dec/25/ virile_panther_doing_fine_new_home/?local_news
Monday, December 25, 2006
Editor's note: Through the end of the year, the Daily News will update some of the stories that were in the news during the past year.
He is the Florida panther that almost single-handedly (single-pawedly?) kept his species from disappearing by fathering at least 30 kittens over five years.
No wonder he earned the nickname "Don Juan."
Now, more than 10 months after his capture and removal from the wilderness in eastern Collier County, the big cat is "doing fine" and "in good health," his caretakers say.
The 11-year-old panther resides in a small enclosure surrounded by a chain-link fence in an area out of public view at Tampa Bay Busch Gardens. The enclosure is connected to a larger, concrete-covered area where the cat likes to roam at night.
"He's doing fine. There's really no change. He's in good health," said Aimee Jeansonne Becka, a Busch Gardens spokeswoman.
Although panthers and other cougar subspecies tend to acclimate well to captivity, biologists worried whether Don Juan would adjust to his new surroundings.
In the wild, his territory spanned 617 square miles, mostly in Big Cypress National Preserve. The dominant male prowled between Interstate 75 and the Ten Thousand Islands and as far west as State Road 29 and east to the Miami-Dade County line.
"Within a pretty short while, he adjusted pretty well," said Mark Cunningham, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission veterinarian who oversaw the cat's capture.
Don Juan sealed his fate after he attacked several pets and livestock in Copeland and Ochopee in southern Collier County earlier this year. Fearing the panther would strike again, officials with the National Park Service and state Fish and Wildlife decided Feb. 16 to capture the cat.
It was the first time biologists had ever decided to remove a panther from the wild because of bad behavior.
Don Juan, known as Florida panther 79, is a symbol of the successes and drawbacks of the effort to boost the panther's population.
In the mid-1990s, when there were fewer than 30 panthers left, biologists introduced eight female Texas cougars into South Florida to restore the health of the panther gene pool. For years, scientists had been troubled with genetic problems such as kinked tails and males born without testicles.
Born in September 1995, Don Juan was the offspring of one of the female cougars and an unknown male panther, according to state Fish and Wildlife records.
Between February 1999 and July 2004, he fathered 30 cats with seven different female panthers. With few options for a partner, he mated with one of his female offspring twice and another of his female offspring once.
There now are between 70 and 100 panthers living in Southwest Florida, scientists estimate.
After attacking a turkey at an Ochopee petting zoo earlier this year, biologists decided to check on Don Juan's health. After tranquilizing the cat and performing a quick physical, the biologists agreed to relocate the panther to Raccoon Point, an area on the eastern edge of his territory.
Within a few days, he returned to his marauding ways. After Don Juan killed a hog in Copeland, a team of biologists and veterinarians corralled him again just north of the small town along Jane's Scenic Drive.
This time, it was for good. Don Juan became one of eight Florida panthers in captivity across the state.
Don Juan's encounters with humans produced half of the six reported panther incidents this year — the most on record. Wildlife officials were so concerned with the sudden outburst that they convened a meeting with residents a few weeks ago to give them tips on how to live safely around panthers.
Deborah Jansen, a biologist at the Big Cypress preserve who monitored Don Juan's actions for years, paid the big cat a visit in November.
"It went from a large home range to what he has now," she said, "but at least he's not fighting his captivity."
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2006/dec/25/ virile_panther_doing_fine_new_home/?local_news
San Francisco Zoo closes Lion House after mauling
Chuck Squatriglia, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, December 24, 2006
The Siberian tiger that attacked her keeper was roaming her outdoor habitat with the San Francisco Zoo's other big cats Saturday, but visitors can no longer watch the animals being fed.
That's because the zoo's popular Lion House, where the feedings take place, will remain closed indefinitely while officials try to determine what led the tiger to lunge Friday and claw the arms of a keeper who has worked at the zoo for nearly 10 years.
The 350-pound cat, named Tatiana, attacked at 2:15 p.m., shortly after feeding time. The San Francisco Fire Department was called at 2:22 p.m. Zoo officials hope that accounts from employees who saw the incident -- and from the keeper, when she is ready -- will clear up what happened, zoo spokesman Paul Garcia said.
Zoo authorities would not identify the keeper, but sources told The Chronicle she was Lori Komejan. She suffered deep lacerations to her arms and underwent surgery Friday at San Francisco General Hospital. Garcia declined to comment Saturday on her condition at the family's request.
Komejan, a talented artist who likes to draw animals, has worked at the zoo since 1997.
She was attacked in the Lion House shortly after keepers fed the zoo's three tigers and four lions. Each animal receives 3 to 5 pounds of horsemeat through double doors in their cages. Once the keeper puts the food inside, the door on the keeper's side closes and one on the cat's side opens.
All went well during the feeding, zoo officials said, but minutes later Tatiana grabbed Komejan's arms. It's not known whether Tatiana squeezed her paw through her cage bars, which are just a few inches apart, or whether Komejan was close enough for Tatiana to strike.
Zookeepers in the Lion House when the attack occurred grabbed Komejan and pulled her away as dozens of visitors watched.
Until now, the zoo has allowed patrons to watch the feeding from behind a barrier about 4 feet from the cages. Zoo employees move freely between the cage and the barrier.
It is not clear what, if anything, will happen to Tatiana. Robert Jenkins, the zoo's director of animal care and conservation, said the animal had no history of aggression toward humans, and that it is "not normal procedure" to euthanize a big animal for such behavior. Garcia said the cat will not be examined as part o
Sunday, December 24, 2006
The Siberian tiger that attacked her keeper was roaming her outdoor habitat with the San Francisco Zoo's other big cats Saturday, but visitors can no longer watch the animals being fed.
That's because the zoo's popular Lion House, where the feedings take place, will remain closed indefinitely while officials try to determine what led the tiger to lunge Friday and claw the arms of a keeper who has worked at the zoo for nearly 10 years.
The 350-pound cat, named Tatiana, attacked at 2:15 p.m., shortly after feeding time. The San Francisco Fire Department was called at 2:22 p.m. Zoo officials hope that accounts from employees who saw the incident -- and from the keeper, when she is ready -- will clear up what happened, zoo spokesman Paul Garcia said.
Zoo authorities would not identify the keeper, but sources told The Chronicle she was Lori Komejan. She suffered deep lacerations to her arms and underwent surgery Friday at San Francisco General Hospital. Garcia declined to comment Saturday on her condition at the family's request.
Komejan, a talented artist who likes to draw animals, has worked at the zoo since 1997.
She was attacked in the Lion House shortly after keepers fed the zoo's three tigers and four lions. Each animal receives 3 to 5 pounds of horsemeat through double doors in their cages. Once the keeper puts the food inside, the door on the keeper's side closes and one on the cat's side opens.
All went well during the feeding, zoo officials said, but minutes later Tatiana grabbed Komejan's arms. It's not known whether Tatiana squeezed her paw through her cage bars, which are just a few inches apart, or whether Komejan was close enough for Tatiana to strike.
Zookeepers in the Lion House when the attack occurred grabbed Komejan and pulled her away as dozens of visitors watched.
Until now, the zoo has allowed patrons to watch the feeding from behind a barrier about 4 feet from the cages. Zoo employees move freely between the cage and the barrier.
It is not clear what, if anything, will happen to Tatiana. Robert Jenkins, the zoo's director of animal care and conservation, said the animal had no history of aggression toward humans, and that it is "not normal procedure" to euthanize a big animal for such behavior. Garcia said the cat will not be examined as part o