[FEL-L] lost mountain lion

[ellen moshenberg]

I just heard about this list and immediately joined. There have been
correspondences between some of the list members and myself over the years.
I thank you for your past responses and also thank you for allowing me the
possibility to again bring up this painful incident.

In July 2001 on a visit to Connecticut I met Jake the mountain lion being
kept at  the West Rock Nature Center in New Haven, CT. At that time the city
was getting ready to rid itself of the mountain lion by any means necessary.
The head of the parks dept. Robert Levine who claimed that for over two
years was unable to find suitable alternative facilities for Jake, proudly
announced Jake was being shipped to Texas to the wonderful International
Wildlife Center in Frost Texas owned by Jim Garretson and Nicole Ammons.
With a few emails I was able to easily find several alternative facilities
as well as the fact the The Center was not accredited and had several
problems.

Apparently Jake was once mentioned in a book about captive exotics as a
mountain lion that was transferred from a parking lot in VA to be sent to
CT. The age and dates fit perfectly. Key people in the New Haven
administration were originally Virginians.

For the first year it seemed that Jake was doing ok there though USDA
reports were less than favorable. Then USDA reports were classified by the
federal government and no longer available. During the summer of 2002 the
county Frost belonged to closed down the center. Many of the animals went on
the road with the owner as a traveling circus of sorts. Some of the tigers
were killed in a fire, another was involved in a human killing. Here and
there reports on the owners made negative headlines then would disappear and
again resurface briefly. Some of the animals were dropped off at a refuge, I
think in OK. The existance and whereabouts of Jake seems to have become lost
forever. Someone knowlegeable about these matters once told me that it was
conceivable that Jake could have been released to the wild.

In 2001 Jake a very friendly and affable big cat was estimated to be about 6
or 7 years old. I highly doubt he is still alive. I wrote and wrote
extensively and joined lists and wrote some more trying to track him down.
Though I "met" some very kind and interesting people, Jake was never found.

I am sending this in case someone out there might have come in contact with
Jake or his former owners and know or can find out what happened to him.

Thanks and purrs,
Ellen
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