If you want to see them squirm, here are the questions to ask. And what I know about the real answer.

 

Michael Sandlin

 

1. Is it true there had been a ban on keeping tigers in Iberville Parish since 1993? Yes

2. Why was a special exception made for you?  I heard it was because of family relationships.

3. What accredited sanctuaries (GFAS or ASA, not Joe's USZA) have offered to take Tony at no charge and even to do so quietly to help you save face?  Big Cat Rescue, Wild Animal Sanctuary and possibly others.  I know that most GFAS cat sanctuaries would do it just to stop our phones from ringing with all of the complaints by those who see the tiger living in a truck stop.

4. Why choose Joe, who is still under investigation by USDA for the deaths of 23 tiger cubs, or Serenity Springs, which is currently in litigation with USDA for substandard care, over places with such great reputations and resources if you love Tony?

 

I know you only have 10 minutes so I will try to keep it to the most pertinent.  Questions for Joe Schreibvogel, but you should ask for proof because I think he is an experienced con man:

 

1. How many big cats live at GW Zoo? The reason to ask that is he claims to only own 47 of them and says the rest are owned by others, so see if you can pin down who they are and how many cats each of them owns.  Beth Corley hasn't been there in years, but someone, presumably Joe, keeps renewing her license to keep as many at 200 animals on one inspection report.  John Reinke or Joe always signs the USDA reports for all of these other "owners" that include a circus owned by Doug Terranova and I suspect one run by Gary Douglas, but not sure of the latter.

2. What are the ages of your cats? On his census he listed 2 born in 1999 and 3 born in 2000 and all of the rest were younger. Compare to real sanctuaries and you will find our average ages are 15-20, because we aren't breeding cats.  He has to keep a census, in case USDA wants to see it, so ask to see it.

3. How many big cats were born on his grounds in the past 20 years? The spreadsheet I'll send you will show 131 cats born there between 2001 and 2011.  (We bred cats here, back in the 1990s, before we knew that they can't help conservation in any way, and still have 12 alive from back then.  The rest of our 97 cats have been rescued.)

4. How many cats have you sold or given away?  Given the fact that Joe keeps offloading cats to places we consider pretty awful, and so many cats seem to just disappear, why is this the best place for Tony?

 

Please don't copy Joe with the following as we are building a case against him, but feel free to question him about the specifics.

 

Some Places Joe Sent Cats

 

1. 10/24/10 Joe sent a Tiger to Wildwoods in PA

 

In 2012 USDA cited Wildwoods for keeping a tiger in a cage only 72 in high and not big enough to move around freely.  Photos show tiny, barren, concrete and steel cells for tigers

 

Exhibits:  USDA inspections, three photos of tiny, barren cages

 

2. 6/21/11  Joe sent a leopard to Jeremy Hinkle (Joe’s spelling “Jeromy”)

 

As of 2011 Jeremy Hinkle had racked up13 bad USDA inspections in 5 yrs

 

Exhibits:  USDA inspections, news from 2011

 

USDA inspections included:

• Failure to provide veterinary care to animals who had broken legs

• Dangerous disrepair in big cat cages

• Failure to provide shade to the tigers

• Filthy conditions and rat infestation of feeding areas

• Failure to provide clean drinking water

• Improper handling of drugs and medications

• Storing a dead lion in the freezer with the animal food

 

3. 6/25/11 Joe sent three tigers to Noah’s Ark.  He sent a 4th tiger, but no date

 

Park manager says that these tigers were misrepresented to her as cats Joe rescued and did not have room for, but all of them had been born at GW Park and used as photo props.  Lost over $100k 2009 and 2010, raising issue of whether they were being sent to a place that could assure good care long term.

 

Exhibits:  USDA inspections