[FEL-L] Lions, tigers sent to sanctuaries

[BigCatSimba at aol.com]

Lions, tigers sent to sanctuaries
 
 
Tuesday, October 23, 2007 3:34 AM 
By Dana Wilson 

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH 
Six lions and tigers left behind when their owner was evicted from a Knox 
County farm last spring are settling into a new home. 

The giant cats, wards of the county since September, were taken this weekend 
from their home in Gambier to Big Cat Rescue, a nonprofit sanctuary in Tampa, 
Fla., Roger Reed, Knox County humane officer, said yesterday. 

"The safety and welfare of the animals is the most important thing to us," 
Reed said. 

His office began caring for the cats in April after owner Diana McCourt was 
evicted from the Deal Road property where she and the cats lived. At that site, 
McCourt ran the Siberian Tiger Conservation Association, an exotic-cat 
training facility closed to the public. After a series of complaints, McCourt gave 
up her federal license to exhibit cats in 2002. 

After McCourt's eviction, the animals remained at the farm, which is owned by 
Donnalynn and Christian Laver of Columbus. The Lavers looked after the 
animals until county officials determined they had no legal obligation to do so. 

On Sept. 28, a judge labeled the lions and tigers "abandoned" and officially 
turned them over to animal control, Reed said. 

Reed then worked to place them with a rescue facility. He estimates the 
county spent about $4,700 to build cages for the cats, and he said local donations 
of chicken and beef helped to offset feeding costs. 

On Saturday, representatives from the International Fund for Animal Welfare, 
Big Cat Rescue and the Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio loaded the cats 
and drove them to Florida. Four of the six will stay in Florida. The other two 
will be taken to Texas. 

The cats arrived safely and are doing fine, said Scott Lope, director of 
operations for Big Cat Rescue. 

"They'll have a big, natural enclosure," Lope said. "We'll give them the best 
life in captivity that we can." 

McCourt said she is appealing her eviction and maintains that the cats are 
her property. She was angry that she wasn't told the cats were being moved. 

"I don't know what will happen now," she said. 

_http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/10/23/newhome.AR
T_ART_10-23-07_B2_NJ88PN5.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101_ 
(http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/10/23/newhome.ART_ART_10-23-07_B2_NJ88PN
5.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101) 




************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.breuckman.com/pipermail/felines-l/attachments/20071023/b3180130/attachment.html