Carole Baskins Diary

We had to euthanize Cybil Serval today Jamie and Justin made the call to do it and it was the best thing. I’ve always felt awful about Cybil. She was born here, back before we knew any better, on 5/22/96 to Lucky Serval and a male named Nairobi. We had a pretty, young woman, named Katie, who would come in for the midnight, 2am and 4am feedings from 1994-1996. One morning when Cybil was 8 weeks old I took her out of her crate to feed her and her back leg was crushed beyond all recognition. The vet, Dr. Stacie Wadsworth, DVM, said there was nothing salvageable in the leg to pin or cast and that it would probably atrophy and have to be removed. I always hoped that technology would someday allow her artificial bones to enable the use of the leg, but that never happened and neither did the atrophy. Instead, she just held the leg in a very strange position and hopped about on the other three legs just fine. But she’s been failing in health for a while and her most recent lab work shows chronic kidney disease. She’s never going to get better and she is absolutely miserable and refusing to eat. It was time to set her free from her crippled and aging body. She was 19. I looked back in my diaries to the date of her injury to see what was going on in my life that day: Don came back from a week in Costa Rica. He created a SA Corporation, but of course does not have any of the documents, proving ownership of the shares, or the terms, or the by laws. He said he did not include any provision for me in the event of his death. The name of the Corporation is Witco. He closed on the farm for $82,000.00 in Bagaces. He complained about the cable I had installed for $9.99 per month and said the perfect picture “is lousy”. He complained that he can’t memorize the three new numbers of his favorite stations and that he cannot learn how to use the remote. I am so sick, I can hardly stand up. I rushed Cybil Serval in to Dr. Stacie Wadsworth, DVM today because her back leg was crushed over night while Katie was on duty. Katie claims nothing happened. I had Jumanji and Black Majik neutered. Majik has Beri Beri, or sometimes called Stargazer’s and Jumanji, as his sibling carries this fatal birth defect. There is no place for leopard cubs as pets and I do not want them in zoos, so I thought it would be the best for them. Don got so mad that he said he wanted a divorce and $1,000,000.00 to move to Costa Rica. He said he also wants 47 of the cats, and I’d be willing to bet that it is not the wild ones. Same day, different subject: Hi Carole, Tony D from NBC called. His phone # is. He is interested in a background conversation with you regarding new laws being passed in states limiting exotic pet ownership and their impact on sanctuaries such as ours. Diana — Sent from my iPhone Hi Tony! One of my volunteers said you called and I tried to call you back at but your mail box is full. Happy to talk to you about the changing laws that ban the private possession and handling of big cats and how it affects sanctuaries. My cell is . Meanwhile, I will send a couple of documents to back up this statement. Feel free to quote from this email, our website, or use the graphics. "In 2003 Big Cat Rescue had to turn away 312 big cats, but in December of that same year, the Captive Wildlife Safety Act became law. (After 6 years of trying) Every other year, the number of big cats that we had to turn away was doubling, but the very next year after the Captive Wildlife Safety Act passed, the number of big cats we had to turn away dropped, for the first time ever, and it dropped to 110. The new law made it illegal to sell big cats, across state lines, as pets, so there were a lot of parameters there, but the effect was that the breeders and dealers saw what was coming and scaled back the breeding." I've been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views. If I'm

Family dinner at Chuck and Trundy's house

They grilled steaks, chicken and fish and we brought deserts.  I weigh 194 lbs.

 

Today we had the best conference call to date on the Big Cat and Public Safety Act.  Our allies at HSUS and IFAW gathered in D.C., as did our lobbyist, Jason Osborne.  Howie and I joined via phone.  Our alliance with these, and other groups, including Born Free, WWF, and others, started in July 2011 when we met in D.C. to discuss the tiger crises and how to save the tiger.

 

The net result was that cub handling is at the root of 99% of the abuse and we decided to take a 3 prong approach that I’ve talked about elsewhere.  Today’s call was in anticipation of introducing our bill back into the 114th session of Congress (2015-2017).  We had 60 co sponsors in the 112th, and 120 in the 113th and good movement in the Senate as well last year.  We want to modify the bill a bit before reintroduction to make sure it has the fewest hurdles, with the biggest benefits to the animals.

 

We have been belaboring what exemptions have to be made for the circus, the AZA zoos and the Motion Picture Assn.  Every exemption, is an open door for the bad guys to exploit.  Today I suggested that instead of making an exemption for these industries suppliers (which has been the sticking spot) that we do so on the caveat that the suppliers cannot be involved in cub handling.  Everyone liked the idea and that should be an easy sell on the hill.  No one needs to abuse cubs to make a living.

I became interested in ancestry after seeing the commercials for Ancestry.com and remembering that my grandmother, Sara Maude Fisher Stairs had always said her son would be the King of England if not for one tragedy in the bloodline that had removed the family from their rightful place.   She was about as crazy as they come, but she was so adamant about it that I subscribed to the service to find out.  Turns out we do have royal blood, but I never had history in high school and am not sure what tragedy she’s referring to.  

 

Since there is nothing I could ever buy my dad, because he just didn’t want gifts, I would search out some member of his ancestry and print up a binder of genealogy and then stories from people in the chain for him.  He always seemed to enjoy learning about his ancestors.  

 

 

Jamie at Treasure Island on her 37th Birthday in 2017

 

King Clodius II is my 70th great grandfather

Marcomir III the Franks son of King Clodius II

CLODOMIR III The Franks ( - 63) son of Marcomir III the Franks

Antenor IV King of the Franks son of CLODOMIR III The Franks

Ratherius King of the Franks (52 - 90) son of Antenor IV King of the Franks

Richemer I Franks (50 - 114) son of Ratherius King of the Franks

Odomir Franks son of Richemer I Franks

Marcomir Of Franks son of Odomir Franks

Clodomir Franks son of Marcomir Of Franks

Farabert Franks son of Clodomir Franks

Sunno (Huano), King Franks (137 - 213) son of Farabert Franks

Hilderic Franks (158 - 253) son of Sunno (Huano), King Franks

The West Franks son of Hilderic Franks

Clodius Franks son of The West Franks

Walter Franks son of Clodius Franks

Dagobert I The Franks son of Walter Franks

Genebald Franks son of Dagobert I The Franks

Dagobert Franks son of Genebald Franks

Clodius Franks ( - 389) son of Dagobert Franks

Marcomir Franks (347 - 404) son of Clodius Franks

Pharamond Of Franks (370 - 427) son of Marcomir Franks

Clodion LeChevelu (395 - 447) son of Pharamond Of Franks

Sigimberus I Bishop son of Clodion LeChevelu

Ansbertus Ferreolus VonMarkgraf Schelde (465 - ) son of Sigimberus I Bishop

Ausbert The Senator (536 - 570) son of Ansbertus Ferreolus VonMarkgraf Schelde

Arnoldus Saxony (562 - 601) son of Ausbert The Senator

Arnoul Bishop son of Arnoldus Saxony

Duke Ansgise son of Arnoul Bishop

Pepin D Heristal son of Duke Ansgise

Charles Martel (676 - 741) son of Pepin D Heristal

Pepin the Short AKA Pippin Franks (714 - 768) son of Charles Martel

Charlemagne Charles the Great Holy Roman Emperor (742 - 814) son of Pepin the Short AKA Pippin Franks

Louis I Empir son of Charlemagne Charles the Great Holy Roman Emperor

Louis The German son of Louis I Empir

Carloman Of Bavaria son of Louis The German

Arnulf Of Carinthia son of Carloman Of Bavaria

Hedwig Of Germany daughter of Arnulf Of Carinthia

Henry I "The Fowler" Duke of Saxony (876 - 936) son of Hedwig Of Germany

Hedwige Princess Germany (910 - 965) daughter of Henry I "The Fowler" Duke of Saxony

Hugh Capet (939 - 996) son of Hedwige Princess Germany

Robert Capet ( - 1031) son of Hugh Capet

Adela Capet (1003 - 1079) daughter of Robert Capet

Robert I De Flanders (1035 - 1093) son of Adela Capet

Robert Fleming (1065 - 1111) son of Robert I De Flanders

Freskin LeFleming (1107 - 1172) son of Robert Fleming

William Freskin DeMoray (1139 - 1204) son of Freskin LeFleming

William DeMoravia (1164 - 1195) son of William Freskin DeMoray

William Murray (1195 - ) son of William DeMoravia

Margaret Murray (1220 - 1250) daughter of William Murray

John DeMontgomerie (1244 - 1357) son of Margaret Murray

Alexander Montgomery (1305 - 1380) son of John DeMontgomerie

Montgomery (1334 - ) daughter of Alexander Montgomery

John Sempill (1360 - 1397) son of Montgomery

Robert Sempill (1421 - 1478) son of John Sempill

William Sempill (1420 - 1480) son of Robert Sempill

Thomas Semphill (1420 - 1488) son of William Sempill

Marion Semple (1460 - ) daughter of Thomas Semphill

Margaret Stewart (1490 - ) daughter of Marion Semple

Patrick Hannay (1530

Joe Schreibvogel Lawsuit Update

Howard wrote this for our supporters, but it’s a great summary of work that has taken a lot of our time:

 

LAWSUIT UPDATE By Howard Baskin 3/17/15

 

It has been a busy six months since our last update.  So it is time to let our supporters know what is happening in our efforts to collect our judgment against Joe Schreibvogel and his zoo. We view Joe as one of the most notorious exploiters of tiger cubs in the world.

 

By way of review, after we won the $1mm+ judgment in early 2013, Joe had three individuals associated with him and/or the GW Park incorporate a new GW Zoo.  Joe’s “husband” John Finlay became President.   This is the same John Finlay who in depositions in our lawsuit said he did no work at the Park, he slept until noon and then went fishing or played video games.

 

Joe filed personal bankruptcy.  Then he had the old GW Park file bankruptcy and filed to dissolve the GW Park corporation.  Meantime, he claimed that almost all of the assets of the old Park were now owned by the new Zoo.

 

There are certain conditions under which your debts are not discharged in bankruptcy.  The one we are aware of is if you lie sufficiently in your bankruptcy filing.  Joe ended up signing a consent agreement that says his personal debts are NOT discharged by this bankruptcy.  This means we can continue to go after his income and assets indefinitely in our efforts to collect our judgment against him personally. So one outcome of his having used our name for his traveling show and losing the lawsuit is that he has to avoid ever owning anything in his name because we can go after it.

 

The Park bankruptcy was simply thrown out by the court.  So currently we are suing the new Zoo to obtain the Park assets that the Zoo claims to own.  There have been two very interesting and positive developments in our collection efforts.

 

JOE INHERITANCE OF KANSAS LAND

 

When you file bankruptcy you are obligated by law to list all your assets.  In his personal bankruptcy Joe conveniently failed to list his residual interest in a large tract of farm land with mineral rights in Kansas.  The land was owned by Joe’s maternal grandfather.  Joe’s mother has a life estate interest, and when she dies the land goes to Joe and his siblings.  To make a long story short, we discovered the residual interest Joe had failed to disclose and advised the Bankruptcy Trustee.  The Bankruptcy Trustee then took this residual interest from Joe and sold it to us.  So we now own Joe’s inheritance.

 

One humorous part is that Joe thinks that if he dies before his mother we will not get his interest in the land.  He rants about this repeatedly.  Most recently he talked about having his mother on life support for as long as it took for him to die if she ever needed it.  However, he is wrong.  As a result of legal actions we have taken, we do get his interest even if he dies before his mother.  So, we chuckle every time he rants about how proud he is that he will die first and keep us from getting his inheritance.

 

ZOO LAND

 

The other positive development relates to the land the Zoo sits on.  The day we sued him in 2011 Joe personally owned the land.  Apparently anticipating that he might end up losing the lawsuit and filing personal bankruptcy, in the days just after we sued him he transferred the land to his mother.  He later claimed under oath that when he did that he did not know he had been sued because he had not been served.   However, BEFORE he transferred the land to his mother, he wrote a Facebook post entitled “Shit has hit the fan” announcing we had sued him.  One more lie under oath.

 

The Bankruptcy Trustee sued his mother Shirley to bring the land back into the bankruptcy estate.  Sadly, Shirley seems to believe Joe’s lies, and has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars funding his zoos and his lawsuits.   We have evidence that indicates that she, like Joe, has blatantly lied under oath – this apple does not seem to fall

King Egbert (775 - 838) was my 37th great grandfather

 

Howie and I are watching the second season of Vikings and it is so cool to see my ancestors portrayed in this show.

 

King Egbert AKA Ecgberht, King of Wessex (775 - 838) was my 37th great grandfather

 

• Redburh Wessex (788 - 839) wife of King Egbert

• Ethelwulf Wessex son of Redburh Wessex

• Alfred LeGrand Roi D Angleterre son of Ethelwulf Wessex

• Edward I England (871 - 924) son of Alfred LeGrand Roi D Angleterre

• Eadgifu Edgifu Daughter of Edward the Elder daughter of Edward I England

• Guillaume Aquitaine son of Eadgifu Edgifu Daughter of Edward the Elder

• Adelaide Of Aquitaine ( - 1004) daughter of Guillaume Aquitaine

• Robert Capet ( - 1031) son of Adelaide Of Aquitaine

• Adela Capet (1003 - 1079) daughter of Robert Capet

• Robert I De Flanders (1035 - 1093) son of Adela Capet

• Robert Fleming (1065 - 1111) son of Robert I De Flanders

• Freskin LeFleming (1107 - 1172) son of Robert Fleming

• William Freskin DeMoray (1139 - 1204) son of Freskin LeFleming

• William DeMoravia (1164 - 1195) son of William Freskin DeMoray

• William Murray (1195 - ) son of William DeMoravia

• Margaret Murray (1220 - 1250) daughter of William Murray

• John DeMontgomerie (1244 - 1357) son of Margaret Murray

• Alexander Montgomery (1305 - 1380) son of John DeMontgomerie

• Montgomery (1334 - ) daughter of Alexander Montgomery

• John Sempill (1360 - 1397) son of Montgomery

• Robert Sempill (1421 - 1478) son of John Sempill

• William Sempill (1420 - 1480) son of Robert Sempill

• Thomas Semphill (1420 - 1488) son of William Sempill

• Marion Semple (1460 - ) daughter of Thomas Semphill

• Margaret Stewart (1490 - ) daughter of Marion Semple

• Patrick Hannay (1530 - 1581) son of Margaret Stewart

• Donald Hannah (1560 - 1620) son of Patrick Hannay

• Alexander Hannah (1560 - 1612) son of Donald Hannah

• Alexander Hanna (1600 - 1640) son of Alexander Hannah

• Robert Hanna (1680 - 1749) son of Alexander Hanna

• Robert Hanna (1695 - 1758) son of Robert Hanna

• Thomas Hanna (1720 - 1764) son of Robert Hanna

• John Hanna (1752 - 1832) son of Thomas Hanna

• Thomas Hanna (1790 - 1855) son of John Hanna

• Elizabeth Hanna (1821 - 1912) daughter of Thomas Hanna

• Mary Elizabeth Steel (1852 - 1932) daughter of Elizabeth Hanna

• Samuel Steel Fisher (1875 - 1950) son of Mary Elizabeth Steel

• Sara Maude Fisher (1913 - 2000) daughter of Samuel Steel Fisher

• Vernon Charles Stairs (1941 - ) son of Sara Maude Fisher

• Carole Ann Stairs Baskin You are the daughter of Vernon Charles Stairs

 

Ecgberht (771/775 – 839), also spelled Egbert, Ecgbert, or Ecgbriht, was King of Wessex from 802 until his death in 839. His father was Ealhmund of Kent. In the 780s Ecgberht was forced into exile by Offa of Mercia and Beorhtric of Wessex, but on Beorhtric's death in 802 Ecgberht returned and took the throne.

 

Little is known of the first 20 years of Ecgberht's reign, but it is thought that he was able to maintain the independence of Wessex against the kingdom of Mercia, which at that time dominated the other southern English kingdoms. In 825 Ecgberht defeated Beornwulf of Mercia, ended Mercia's supremacy at the Battle of Ellandun, and proceeded to take control of the Mercian dependencies in southeastern England. In 829 he defeated Wiglaf of Mercia and drove him out of his kingdom, temporarily ruling Mercia directly. Later that year Ecgberht received the submission of the Northumbrian king at Dore. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle subsequently described Ecgberht as a bretwalda or 'wide-ruler' of Anglo-Saxon lands.

 

Ecgberht was unable to maintain this dominant position, and within a year Wiglaf regained the throne of Mercia. However, Wessex did retain control of Kent, Sussex, and Surrey; these territories were given to Ecgberht's son Æthelwulf to rule as a subking under Ecgberht. When Ecgberht died in 839, Æthelwulf succeeded him; the southeastern kingdoms were finally absorbed into the kingdom of Wessex after Æthelwulf

The Church of the Cat and Alexandra Montiel

 

When I met the Reverend Alexandra Montiel in 1994, she was 55 and I was 33.  At the time I thought how hard this wealthy woman was working to preserve her youth and wondered if I would fight the signs of aging so fiercely.  She had just undergone a chemical peel on her face to remove any traces of wrinkles and the skin looked so fragile that I feared the sun would just cause it to melt from her bones.  I was soon to learn that “fragile” was not a term consistent with any part of this handsome woman’s makeup.

 

I wish I had written about her life’s story at the time, because that was more than 20 years ago, and the finer details escape me now.  What I do recall is that she said she was born in a foreign country to the royal family that was in power just a few years before that empire was overthrown.  In the mayhem that ensued, her entire family; mother, father and siblings were all executed in their home.  Her nurse, although born into the opposing clan, could not bear to see the baby princess killed and spirited her away.  If Alexandra were left alive, she would have rights to the throne, and be perceived a threat, so she was exiled and raised by strangers.

 

Fast forward to the 1980’s and Alexandra Montiel had several patents to her name, a cosmetic business, and a real estate investment firm in Brooklyn.  Through utter force of will she had clawed and scraped her way back from the brink of anonymity to power in her own right. She had branched out to invest in Florida’s real estate market at a time when banks were failing, and real estate was selling for pennies on the dollar.  She was fantastically wealthy, had a young stud at her side and a cougar as a pet.  Yes, that is how we met; as part of the exotic pet trade.

 

I wish I remembered more about her, because she was a fascinating individual, but there was a lot going on in my life then, and writing wasn’t a luxury I could afford.  We had just rescued 56 bobcats and lynx from a  fur farm the year before, and were in the process of rescuing another 28 at the time that Alexandra visited Easy Street.  At that time we had not incorporated yet, and were just exploring how we should manage our taxes.  There was no money coming in, and a LOT going out, so we were thinking that it would be prudent to incorporate as a non profit organization.  The Reverend Montiel suggested that we start the Church of Big Cats.

 

While the Church of Fat Cats is the pun that first played in my head; where all of the wickedly wealthy would come to absolve themselves of their guilt, I tried to bring myself back to the current situation.  We did need to do something, because the IRS was saying this wasn’t a viable business enterprise, and we knew nothing of non profits.  I never fully understood why Alexandra thought that a church was a better way to handle a sanctuary.  I did learn later that she had founded the Sons of La Caridad Del Cobre in 1986.

 

In 1994 the Internet wasn’t available to us yet.  We were finding it hard to learn the truth about the relevancy of keeping wild animals in cages and conservation.  (turns out there was none) We had been told that hybrids were sterile so we were surprised when a Bobcat/ Lynx hybrid named Czar produced a kitten with his Bobcat mate, Nakita.

 

Alexandra had given me a beautiful gift; a heavy gold bracelet, with 9 coins from Spain, France and England.  It was so heavy, and jingled so much, that I rarely wear it, but it was a treasure to me.  When this fluffy little treasure was brought into being by Czar and Nakita, I named him Alexander in her honor.

 

Up until as recently as 2004, Alexandra has continued to donate to the sanctuary, despite the fact that our attitudes toward owning exotic cats as pets has departed from what originally drew us together.  I would think about her from time to time, but never tried to make contact again.  It would just be awkward, I thought, since she may still harbor t

Howie’s Letter to Kansas Legislators re: cub handling

TO: Kansas House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee

RE: Cub petting misery and contribution to extinction in the wild

 

Dear Committee Member:

 

I am writing on behalf of big cat cubs to ask you not to support SB 97 for two reasons. The first is the misery this causes to the cubs during the time they are exploited in this way to make money and in the way they are treated once they are too big to use in this way.  The second is less obvious and well known, but very real - that rampant breeding of tiger cubs in the US impairs the credibility of our State Department in its efforts to urge banning the international trade in tiger parts that is driving the poaching that has decimated the tiger population.

 

How cubs used for petting are treated.  The people who exhibit the cubs have little choice but to physically punish the cubs.  Watch any domestic kitten or tiger cub that is four to sixteen weeks old.  When they are awake, what is their natural behavior?  Is it to sit quietly in someone’s lap for a photo? Or is it run, jump, and learn to use their claws and teeth, the things nature hard wires into them so they can develop the muscles and skills to survive?

 

We have numerous videos of cubs used for petting and for photo ops.  The cubs are constantly trying to get away, squirming and screaming.  Others are so exhausted from not being allowed the significant amount of sleep they need that they do not even move when handled. In one video we were sent cubs had raging diarrhea but were kept on display.  In another a cub leaped on a young child knocking him to the ground. In another the trainer is hitting the cub from behind with a stick with small whip at the end to show how to make a cub walk. It is impossible to “regulate” how the cubs are treated because you cannot afford to have inspectors there full time.

 

Being torn from their mothers at birth is a torment to both mother and cub.  Being used for petting and photo ops and physically disciplined to make them more “manageable” and deprived of sleep is just a miserable life for the cub.  But the mistreatment does not end there.  The exhibitors need to constantly breed more cubs.  When the cubs are too old to pet, they usually end up living in tiny spaces with no mental stimulation, resulting in ever increasing numbers of big cats living in inhumane conditions.  If you or your staff would like more detail on the misery caused by cub petting please visit http://bigcatrescue.org/pet-cubs/.

 

Effect on impending extinction of the tiger.  A recently published book Blood of the Tiger by Judy Mills provides a Woodward/Bernstein kind of expose’ of what is really happening in the international efforts to save the tiger from impending extinction.  The US, India and many other nations that are members of the CITES international treaty are trying to stop the trade in tiger parts and products made from tiger parts (“derivatives”).  China is trying to sabotage those efforts.

 

China has “tiger farms” owned by politically connected individuals that contain 6000 tigers they want to slaughter to sell for parts and derivatives.  This trade drives the poaching that is decimating the estimated small population of about 3000 tigers left in the wild.

 

But when the US State Department urges Asian nations to stop the tiger farm breeding and the trade in tiger products, the Chinese point to the rampant breeding and lack of tracking of tigers in the US and ask why should they stop breeding in captivity when people in the US do so freely?

 

The trend in public opinion and state law is to not just ban contact, but ban private ownership altogether.  Kansas showed wonderful leadership in caring both for people and for animals with the law passed after the tragic death of Haley Hilderbrand.  To step backwards now and allow public contact that creates so much misery for the animals and impairs our ability to preserve the tiger in the wil

Flew home from OKC after a long day of listening the Joe Schreibvogel lie, and lie, and lie.  This is my opinion.

 

Oklahoma City:

8:30 a.m.  I step out into the bone chilling air to walk a few short blocks to our attorney’s office.  Since arriving the day before, I’ve stayed out of sight, having all of my meals sent to the room, so that I don’t accidentally tip off Joe Schreibvogel that I’m in town.  He’s threatened me for years and is absolutely obsessed with his hatred for me.  Howard is still recovering from open-heart surgery and can’t make this trip, so he’s worried sick, but knows one of us should be here for the Hearing on Assets.

 

Our attorneys are excellent and specialize in this sort of bankruptcy work, but Joe Schreibvogel is a compulsive liar, from what I’ve seen, and no one knows his back story better than Howie and I do.  Plus we know the industry, so we can catch him in a lie faster than anyone else.  Part of the strategy is just to throw him off center.  The mere fact that we exist seems to be enough to keep him raving like a loon all day, according to his staff who left from the abuse, but having to sit across the table from either of us just sends him into nose twitching, nail biting, knuckle chewing fits.  He reminds me of a trapped animal, who will chew off their own limbs to escape, as he feverishly gnaws at his own hands.

 

Knowing the hundreds of cubs he’s pimped out and all they have suffered at his hands, it gives me some pleasure to see him so frantic.  I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.

 

But for now, I focused on getting from the hotel to the attorney’s office, without Joe Schreibvogel or one of his animal abusing minions interceding.  I must look paranoid as I slow or stop frequently to canvas parked cars, windows, check allies and the open bays of multi level parking garages for the glint of a gun, the red dot of a laser or a person acting suspiciously.  A black sedan has been in the parking lot and is now slowly pulling onto the sidewalk, blocking my path.

 

Fight or flight?

 

Yesterday it was 17 degrees and the most snow to ever fall in Oklahoma City in March.  The sidewalks are a treacherous mix of snow, slush and ice.  It’s not far, back to the hotel, but part of me is so mad that I’m frozen to the spot while debating, in milliseconds, if there’s anything in my bag that would suffice as a weapon to protect myself.

 

Mental checklist:  There’s an iPhone 6+.  It’s big, but the rubber case makes it an unlikely choice.  There is my Mac Air laptop, which has a thin, steel edge and just enough weight to be easy to swing and yet could have a pretty good impact.  There is the HDMI cable that I use to connect hotel T.V.s for more screen space, but it’s a flat edge and would fail as a garrote.  I peer hard through the dark, tinted windows, to see how many opponents I’m facing… Joe always has his entourage because he can’t seem to function if he isn’t the center of attention…

 

Turns out to be a young woman, so caught up in texting that she seems to be oblivious to the fact that she’s almost coasted out into traffic while looking at her phone.

 

One more block to go.

 

I said I was mad, and the more I learn about this clown, the madder I get.  He flew under my radar until about 2009 (although he will tell you that I was giving him a hard time since 2007) when I discovered that dozens of animal acts, that were traveling the U.S. pimping out cubs, were actually the work of one person.  While that would seem like a bad branding strategy, it was a great way to hide misdeeds.  For now, regardless of how angry it makes me to think of the abuse, I had to attend this hearing, to make sure we made the most of the opportunity to put a stop to it.

 

At Howie’s insistence, Heather has found an off duty officer to be my bodyguard for the rest of the day.  Tall, dark and fiercely protective, he looks like he could take on any trouble the skinny, loud mouthed, self proclaimed “Tiger King” and his

Raising Cubs documentary by Stephanie Holt 

wrote saying:  Hello,  My name is Stephanie Holt and I work for Offspring Films. We are a wildlife TV production company and we are currently finishing a landmark series about the evolution of the cat family, featuring well-known big cats, such as lions, tigers and cheetahs as well as the more uncommonly known cats such as pallas, clouded leopards and margay.

 

We are currently developing an exciting new series, in which we hope to follow young cubs from new-born or newly orphaned to one year old.  Over the course of the year, with a maximum of four visits, we want to show viewers the main trials and challenges faced by those rearing young cubs, helping fight against the extinction of some of our most stunning felines.

 

Through this series we will answer questions such as, what are the pivotal moments for their early development? When are the riskiest periods during which a cub’s health can turn for the worst? When do they become more dangerous or feisty? And other techniques for rearing a big cat for its potential release back into the wild.

 

I would love to hear if this may be something you would be interested in being involved in, and if you have or know of any cubs coming in to any rescue centers or due to be born in the next six months. I would be happy to phone and chat further about any ideas you may have on this and options for our possible star cubs/kittens?  All the best, Stephanie Holt OFFSPRING FILMS LTD

 

Susan Bass responded to Stephanie saying:

 

Stephanie, your current project sounds interesting. Your developing project sounds horrendous if you are indeed talking about showing your viewers how captive cubs -- bred by breeders and exhibitors in order to make money off  of them, with cub handling schemes when they are very young, and then sentenced to a lifetime in a cage when they become too large for direct contact with the paying public -- are exploited and abused by their owners/breeders/exhibitors. There is absolutely nothing educational or species-saving about watching these cubs and there is currently no way to release captive-raised cubs into the wild. Please take a few minutes to educate yourself on the issue of cub abuse:  http://bigcatrescue.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/FactsheetBigCatsHandling_rev.1.pdf - Susan

 

Hi Susan,  I'm afraid perhaps I haven't made myself clear enough, we are mostly looking for rescued wild cubs and how they can be reared and returned to the wild. And indeed the hardships people face in the decisions they must make when rearing these helpless cubs. We are already in contact with rescue and rehabilitation centres in Asia and Africa and I was more aiming towards any rescued cubs in America that you may know of, or indeed good people to contact.  Our passion is towards conservation and certainly not towards breeding for the exotic pet trade.  All the best,  Steph

 

Susan to Steph:  America has no wild tigers or lions, so there would never be wild cubs needing rescue. And even in Asia and Africa there are extremely few wild cubs that are rescued. I have read one or two articles about orphaned cubs found In the tiger reserves in Asia who were temporarily taken to zoos and then released. In Africa you need to be very careful about the lions bred for canned hunts. The owners of these breeding places will happily lie and tell you the cubs in their care were orphaned or abandoned, when in fact they were purposely bred and then socialized with humans before being sold off to canned hunt facilities.

 

I wrote them both and said:  Usually once a year we will have orphaned bobcats who are raised for release back to the wild, but we are hands off, so most of their care is monitored via CCTV as we have to stay completely away from them to keep them wild enough for release.  We have no bobcat kittens in rehab right now.  Spring / Summer is usually when that happens.  For the cats, 

Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue

 

"Judge me by

Reno the Leopard Dies

We probably can’t use a lot of this, until after Bengali dies, so that the circus doesn’t take him out of spite, but here is the background on Reno, so you know it for his tribute.  Maybe you can find a nicer way to say some of this.

 

I was lying to him and he knew it.  I was saying, “It’s going to be alright, but my voice faltered.”  He couldn’t see me, so his other senses were heightened.  This was going to be a long trip and if he didn’t stop pacing around in circles, he was going to be bruised and bloodied from hitting the sides of the cage.  I asked him to think of a time when he was happiest.

 

He instantly thought back to that day in March of 1995 when all was good in his world.  He was suckling at his mother’s breast; kneading the warm milk from her with his tiny, freckled paws.  His mother lovingly groomed his golden fur and tiny black spots with a big, raspy tongue.  She was assuring him then, as I was telling him now, that we would protect him, but we both failed.  We had both been conned.

 

Within just a few short days of giving birth, his mother had to step outside the den to drink and eat so that she could sustain her little cub.  As soon as she did, the door slammed shut, locking her out and sealing her cub’s fate.  He would be bottle raised, by some well meaning, but ignorant young girl, who would be told that he had to be taken from his mother, because she had abandoned him.  Instead of the leopard milk nature had intended him to thrive upon, he’d be fed goat’s milk, reconstituted from powder, because it’s cheaper, and he’d be deprived, even this poor substitute, so that he could be used as a photo prop.

 

As a growing cub, his ancient instincts were telling him he should bite and use his claws.  He should practice his stalking, pouncing and play killing because very soon he would be relying on those skills.  Instead, he was smacked, kicked and his lips pinched hard against his sharp little milk teeth, to try any break him.  His bottle would be with held until there was a paying customer, and they would use it to keep him quiet long enough to get their photo, and be on their way.  Now they had a trophy to show others what a great bond they have with wildlife.

 

When he outgrew this lucrative stage in his life, where people would pay by the minute to fondle him, he was sold to the circus.  His betrayal meant that for the next 7 years he would perform on command…or else.

 

I met Reno on New Year’s Day in 2002.  The circus trainer who “worked” the leopard was tearfully saying good-bye to him, after Reno had bounded from his barren beast wagon, into the lushly landscaped, lakeside enclosure at our sanctuary.  I was told that Reno had been trained to ride in a chariot, pulled by horses, and that his act had been canceled, so he was no longer needed.  I heard someone say how sad it was that this trainer loved Reno so much, and now had to give him up.  I snorted silently to myself thinking, “Those crocodile tears had nothing to do with love for this leopard.  Those were tears of guilt.”

 

“Guilt for the years of cracking a whip down across Reno’s beautiful face for even thinking about pouncing on those prancing tails of the horses in front of him.  Guilt for keeping this magnificent, intelligent animal in a barred circus wagon for the past 7 years.  Guilt for taking the crowd’s applause and taking pleasure in being thought to be a big cat whisperer, when he knew that the positive reinforcement, that he claimed to be the key to his success, was just the smoke and mirrors used to hide the fact that beatings and deprivation were what really kept Reno under control.  And the worst guilt of all, was in knowing that the cats grow up, and when they do, they won’t tolerate circus life any more, so you have to dump them somewhere and start the abuse all over again on some innocent little cub.”

 

In the year 2000 I’d been working on a contract with the circus for over two years, to try and ge