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TEXAS CRACKS DOWN ON
EXOTICS
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Our phones have been ringing off the hook with requests to pick up animals in Texas. As some of you know, the Texas state government recently enacted legislation that requires county governments to either regulate or prohibit the ownership of lions, bears, alligators and other "dangerous wild animals." Given a choice, most counties simply ban them as pets, to avoid the expense of regulating them if they are allowed. "Banning them is the easy way out for local governments, but that unfortunately creates problems for the animals," said Joe Schreibvogel, Park
Director.
Most counties have given residents 15 days notice to remove any and all exotic pets from their property, which puts us all in a rather bad position. These animals need someplace to go, and when faced with stiff fines and penalties, we fear folks will be dumping or even euthanizing a number of endangered creatures. And yes, there is the black market for animal "parts" that has to be considered. Sanctuaries down south are already overburdened with
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unwanted animals, and with no help from local, state or federal governments, animals are going to be lost. The sanctuaries were a primary force in getting this legislation passed, and it has seemingly backfired on them because no provisions have been made to help them absorb the
animals.
"We have been called to
rescue a tiger from Bohnam, a lioness from Houston, and a
tiger and seven primates from Frost, Texas," said
Schreibvogel. "We have room for the primates, thanks to
our brand new primate house, but I don't know where we can put
the large cats." The park is still backed up on
construction needs for the animals rescued from Kansas, and
"…there is no end in site," added Schreibvogel.
"As it is, we finished the primate house on credit
because we just couldn't wait any longer," he added.
"We need to get busy on compounds for the animals in
holding so that we can move on and help rescue these animals
from Texas. The rush is on folks, so please lend a hand or
these animals face being put to death." |
BABY TIGER UPDATE
 All of our baby tigers are doing very well. The first litter of four cubs has been spending their days outside in the holding pen attached to the new primate house so that they can stretch their legs. "We still have six cubs who need official names," explained Schreibvogel. Remember, for $500,
you can sponsor and name a tiger cub.
All eight cubs need permanent housing, and as they grow, shuffling them in, out and around on a daily basis will become more difficult. "They are already becoming rather…. feisty, because they are very healthy," he added. Spending days in holding is a very temporary thing for the babies, as that area will be needed to absorb animals already in long term holding when new animals arrive from Texas. We still have 3 bears and 2 mountain lions in limbo from Kansas who don't have permanent homes yet. "We are rather tight and cozy right now, and we have to keep building to make room for more animals who are in dire need of a home," Schreibvogel added. Please see our waiting list and rescue status article for more
details.
PARK WELCOMES NEW
SPONSOR
 We are absolutely thrilled to welcome The Bayer Group as one of our valued sponsors at the G.W. Exotic Animal Park! Bayer sent us Advantage for all of the animals, and antibiotics in case any of our residents fell ill. On behalf of the animals at the G.W. Exotic Animal Memorial Park, please accept our heartfelt thanks for your kind donation!
OUR FIRST RESCUE OF
2002
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Jill's
den had not been cleaned in months |
Staff from the GW Exotic Animal Memorial Park rescued a black bear from a home in Sulphur on Friday, January 9. "Jill" was cooperative and all went well during the call.
The GW Exotic Animal Park received a call from a concerned citizen in Sulphur a few weeks ago. "He came home to see his father after hearing that he was ill, and it became obvious that his father could no longer care for this bear," said Joe Schreibvogel, Director at the park. "This is a very large, dangerous bear, and she does not belong in someone's back yard," added Schreibvogel, adding fuel to the debate in Oklahoma about exotic animals being kept as pets.
Aside from the fact that her cage was filthy and hadn't been cleaned in months, she posed a hazard for local residents. "You had to see this cage. It was held together by rusted U nails and rotted wood. She could have easily escaped if she wanted to."
The 1100 lb, 10-year-old North American black bear is very overweight. She was be put on a diet as soon as she arrived at the GW park. "She is larger than most of the male black bears that we have at the park," he said. The bear's owner had kept Jill since she was a cub, in his backyard as a pet. She loves jellyrolls and donuts and was apparently very happy right where she was, which is fortunate for neighbors.
 After being darted, it took eight men, including several from the Sulphur Fire Department to remove Jill from her den. "I don't know how we would have gotten her out of there without the Fire Department's help," said Schreibvogel. "We have to stop this. People should not be allowed to keep these wonderful animals as pets. Something has to be done here in Oklahoma. The law needs to change." added
Schreibvogel. "I know that the owner loves this bear, but his son did the right thing when he called us. We will take good care of Jill and she will be able to live out her days in safety," he added. Jill has been placed in holding for now, next to the Siberian Brown Bears already in residence at the park. It will cost some $3,500 to build a suitable compound for her permanent
housing.
"Winter is a very tough time for us. Folks tend to forget we are here, yet these animals have to eat every day, not just during summer when visitors come to the park more often," added Schreibvogel. You can visit Jill at the GW Exotic Animal Memorial Park at exit 64 in Wynnewood. All donations are tax
deductible.
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A NOTE FROM OUR PARK
DIRECTOR
I wish to thank everyone who helped sponsor Brian's memorial. It is under construction and will be finished soon. The exotic birds are going to love it! Special thanks go out to Brian's 14 year-old nephew, Josh Shaffer, who sent us $2,000 from his savings to help make his uncle's dream come
true.
Spring is just around the corner and this park is growing so quickly, we can barely keep up. This is truly a place for all of you to be proud of, as you are the ones who help build it. We hope that you continue to spread the word for us. Our goal is to reach a visitor count that is double what it was last summer, and we like folks that have big mouths! So please pass on a newsletter, or give someone our website address
so that we can continue to save animals in need.
Until next month, God bless you all.
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FUNDRAISING REPORT
As you know, we have been very busy rescuing all of the animals that we possibly can, and it seems like each case is an emergency. Well, unfortunately, that's the nature of our business, and that's basically why we are here. We don't always have the funding on hand to take in animals ahead of time. In fact, we never do, and we rely heavily on you to pick up the tab for housing and feeding the animals. This is where we stand on several of our projects at the moment. Keep in mind that these are building costs only, and do not include the cost to feed the animals we
house.
| Project |
Estimated cost |
Where we are |
What we need to complete |
| Primate House |
$18,000 |
$10,000 |
Finished on credit $8,000 |
| New Fence * |
$5,500 |
$0 |
$5,500 borrowed to finance |
| Exotic Bird Compound |
$2,700 |
$2,000 |
Finished on credit $700 |
| Kansas Rescue12/01 ** |
$35,000 |
$0 |
$35,000 |
| Sulphur Rescue 1/02 |
$3,500 |
$0 |
$3,500 |
| Stage and Arena |
$19,400 |
$0 |
$19,400 |
| Vet Bills |
$3,000 |
$0 |
$3,000 |
| Frost, Texas Rescue |
$11,100 |
$0 |
$11,100 |
| Housing 8 Tiger Cubs*** |
$4,000 |
$1,000 |
$3,000 |
* The fence is an immediate need, as it is a USDA requirement that we extend our fence. We borrowed these funds in order to remain compliant with USDA
law.
** The Kansas rescue included 3 mountain lions, 2 bears, 2 African Lions and 3 tigers. Some of these animals are still in holding and HAVE to be moved as their cages are much too small to accommodate them comfortably. Angel, one of the female bears, is still waiting for a dentist to offer services for her teeth. We have several more animals, including 6 tiger cubs in Frost, Texas waiting for rescue, and we simply have to make room for
them.
*** The cubs will be housed in a compound that is to be part of the stage and arena, so this figure is included in the stage figure, but listed separately in case folks want to donate specifically to the cubs' compound. A donation of $500 will allow you to name a tiger and be listed as a sponsor on their compound
sign.
The primate house was finished slightly over budget. Keep the above projects in mind if you plan on making a donation, and you may specify what project you would like your donation to fund. If you have any questions regarding any of the above projects, please contact us by phone, mail or email. We would be more than happy to explain where every penny of your donation goes.
 The Park would like to build a stage for fundraising events and for educational exhibits so that we can better inform our local schools and visitors from Oklahoma and Texas. The estimated cost listed above includes the compounds surrounding the stage project. It is our dream to conduct events here to benefit the animals and our other worthy causes, such as our annual Tigers for Tots Christmas Dinner, and our annual Easter Egg Hunt. We have had offers to participate in benefit concerts with Country & Western recording artists, but were unable to provide the necessary set-up for such events. The stage we would like to build would be a three-sided structure, elevated two feet from ground level and it would have a dance floor in front made of smooth concrete. If you know of an individual or group that could make this dream come true, please contact us. The cost for the stage alone would be $9,500.
A NOTE FROM OUR
ASSISTANT PARK DIRECTOR
 "And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof." Gen. 2:19
God created all of the animals of the world, and yet he let Adam name them all. God tells us in Gen. 1:28, that we are to have dominion over every animal that he creates.
"…and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every thing that that moveth upon the earth." Ask yourself what "dominion" means. It is defined as "to rule over and be master of". As Christians, who is our master? Jesus Christ is our master, he has dominion over us, and we over the creatures of the earth. Our Master takes great care of us and protects us. Should we not do the same for the animals of the world? Many of the animals are in danger of becoming extinct, and this is a serious problem for our eco system for scientific reasons. God takes pleasure in the things He creates. Rev. 4:11 "for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." If god takes such pleasure in the animals he created would it not please Him for us to do thing to keep these such animals from becoming extinct? This is our job given to us by God in Gen.1:28 in having dominion "over every thing that moveth upon the earth?"
Working at this park every day I see how pleased God is in what we do for His creatures, and in what we do for him, for he blesses us with all of the things we need from day to day. God is very much a part of this park. When you say your prayers at night please keep this park and our works in your prayers, so that it will continually be pleasing to God. Heb.11:6 says "but with out faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him…" . We thank God for all things and let Christ's name be glorified in all things we do.
Words inspired by God and composed by His willing servant, JD Ace
| Hats Off to the Sulphur and
Wynnewood Fire Departments for their assistance with Jill's
rescue! We could not have moved her without your help.
Hats off as well to Bayer, for
their wonderful support for our park residents!
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