Animals are safely en route, soon to find refuge at sanctuaries
November 24, 2015 (Alpine)--Bobbi Brink, Founder/Director of Lions Tigers & Bears (LTB) in Alpine, and her team are making a 5,000 mile round trip journey to rescue and provide transport to six exotic animals, including four tigers from Ohio. The animals are en route to reputable sanctuaries in Nevada and California.
"We are happy to be able to provide these animals with a second chance." states Brink, in regards to this cross-country rescue.
The four tigers were surrendered as a result of state legislation in Ohio, SB 310, which regulates the private ownership of exotic animals. One of the tigers, a white tiger, is being transported to Safe Haven Wildlife Sanctuary in Imlay, Nevada, while the three other exotic felines will be calling The Shambala Preserve in Acton, Calif. their new home.
"It takes a lot of coordination and the collaboration and cooperation of many to put together a rescue like this. It takes all of us sanctuaries coming together to do the right thing for these animals, to really give them an opportunity for a new life,"says Brink.
This rescue is the third rescue mission in three consecutive months for LTB . LTB is the only accredited sanctuary in the United States that has a fully-self contained animal transport hauler with features including: onboard first aid (for both animals and humans), an anesthesia machine, running water, air-conditioning, fans, tools, capture equipment and safety transport cages. This hauler is the safest and least stress-inducing way to transport inherently dangerous wild animals like lions, tigers and bears.
Since 2012, Brink and her rescue team have successfully relocated over 60 captive big cats (lions, tigers, cougars) and bears out of Ohio, to reputable sanctuaries across the United States, more than any other sanctuary or transporter. Each animal was provided baseline medical examinations and transport to lifetime homes at reputable sanctuaries.
Lions Tigers & Bears (LTB) is a federally and state licensed non-profit 501(c)(3) rescue facility dedicated to providing a safe haven to abused and abandoned exotic animals while inspiring an educational forum to end the exotic animal trade. LTB is a NO KILL, NO BREED and NO SELL facility that allows the animals in its care the opportunity to live out their lives with dignity in a caring and safe environment. LTB is one of few sanctuaries in the United States with the highest level of accreditation from the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries and the American Sanctuary Association.
For more information or to make a donation to help care for the animals at LTB, please visit www.LionsTigersAndBears.org or call (619) 659-8078.
Comments
Get your facts straight!!!
The lion was put down by the Ohio Dept. of Ag
that seized an older lion in failing health. While there is controversy over that decision (http://www.examiner.com/article/ohio-department-of-agriculture-kills-leo...) that animal was not the subject of our article, which focused on a local San Diego organization.
To clarify, your use of "they" in referencing the lion being put down had nothing to do with Lions, Tigers and Bears or Bobbi Brink.
Here is the necropsy report conducted by a veterinarian with the state of Ohio. It shows the lion had serious health conditions that obviously predated the seizure by the state. Among other things it was anorexic, had degeneration of five disks, a large mass under its tongue, watery diarrhea, cirrohisis, hepatitis, kidney disease, internal cysts, lesions, and pneumonia. To suggest the state euthanized a healthy animal, or that this lion was well cared for when left to suffer in pain this way, is absurd. Also hepatitis is a contagious disease which may be why the state chose to dispose of the body in the manner that it did.
I would caution all commenters here to please refrain from any libelous statements and stick with facts or your own opinions, otherwise we will need to restrict comments on this story.
Truth
What's your source of info on these claims?
The white tiger arrived at its new home at Safe Haven Wildlife (Lions Tigers and Bears merely used their vehicle to transport the tiger). According to Safe Haven it needs a lot of dental work and the video shows the animal arrived limping - doesn't seem like it was well cared for wherever it was before.
https://www.facebook.com/safehavenwildlife/
The other three tigers were taken to Shambala preserve in California, which says all three tigers were living in one "small cage" and were confiscated by the state of Ohio: http://www.shambala.org/news_new_tigers.htm. Again, these do not sound like humane conditions. Why would you defend such treatment of these animals when there are better places that can offer them more space, veterinary care and humane treatment?
The Ohio law was passed after an irresponsible owner of many exotic animals in Ohio let them all loose before killing himself. It was night and most wound up shot and killed by authorites to protect the community. So Ohio banned private ownership of these animals. Now they have to go somewhere. If not for groups to transport them to safe havens, they would have to be killed.
Many would argue that "pursuit of happiness" should not include the "right" to keep exotic animals and treat them inhumanely. I've visited Lions Tigers and Bears many times and seen the deplorable shape many animals were in when they arrived there, and how they thrived in the coming months and years with good veterinary care, TLC and more room to run.
It is simply libel to state that the animals were "stolen" unless you have proof of that. If you do, send it to me at editor@eastcountymagazine.org. If you don't, we'll be removing your comment in the future since our site rules prohibit libelous remarks.
Are you seriously using posts
See above, we posted links to the state of Ohio
necropsy report on the lion that clearly shows it had many serious conditions, some of which take time to develop. The animal was far from healthy when seized, whether due to neglect or other reasons I cna't speculate. But for someone to suggest it was "murdered" when the state put down an elderly feeble animal with conditoins ranging from 5 degenerative disks to hepatitis, liver and kidney problems and pneumonia was clearly an exaggeration. I did not suggest "abuse" though perhaps some of these animals were neglected given things like the medical report on the lion.
What constitutes "humane" treatment is an entire separate discussion. but keeping large animals confined in small cages is of concern to many. Is it possible some individuals have profited off the new law? Perhaps. But as for profiteering, there has been a great deal of that in the exotic animal trade for many years and also some clear misuse of these animals. For instance in border states that allow ownership of big cats, they have been used by drug smugglers who hide drugs in tiger or leopard cages knowing Border Patrol agents will be wary of looking too closely. Some use the animals to guard their drug caches, too. I've heard this directly from Border Patrol agents.
LOL LIBEL
photos show injuries animals had before they left Ohio
There are some public records here from the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture which clearly absolve Bobbi Brink from harming these animals which were in bad shape when she got them, and according to the ODA, they were in bad shape when they were seized.
https://lionstigersandbears.org/the-state-of-ohio-an-in-depth-look-at-th...
Hi Exotic owner
Hi Exotic owner
I would not mind to listen to your side of the story, but creating multiple anonymous accounts and calling an article crap etc... with no evidence
and very little info is not the way to get people on your side. (who is "We") "We even have the voicemail from Dr forshey"
Take a look at this:
http://www.peta.org/blog/ohios-exotics-owners-lose/
I'm not sure who's cages those are, but your not going to get much sympathy from Californians who see locked up cats in Ohio.
More on caged animals (exoticowner) sorry I need to laugh at your mind set.... LOL
http://911animalabuse.com/mike-stapleton-paws-and-claws-animal-sanctuary/
Looking more into Mike Stapleton, he might have a good attitude with the cats but
looks like he is limited in resources and It would be hard to ask the cats "are these cages adequate for you"
here is a news story showing Mike building a bigger cage, but this many many years after he rescued the cats.
http://nbc4i.com/2015/07/28/tiger-owner-builds-new-sanctuary-for-big-cat...
In contrast, look at this solar powered Sanctuary in Nevada that offers tours, vets, lots of space. http://safehavenwildlife.com/
This is where some of the cats went. If I were a cat.... hmm let me think "Property of someone in Ohio" (in tiny cage for 15 years)
or Solar powered, environmental enrichment, toured, dedicated facility in Nevada. No webcams though, they could use those.
I am not a big tree hugger, but I am not a Michael Vick fan either. If someone gets on the side of the animals even if its the state
they will have my support and others too. If you want people to hear your message, give it to them. Don't attack a messenger that is trying
to give alternatives to mainstream media.
First off...this is my one
Interesting, thanks for the video.
It appears Stapleton had some good neighbors who tried to help him build a bigger tiger enclosure for the tigers he'd long kept in fairly confined spaces, but Ohio outlawed ownership of tigers by private individuals, so no matter how big a space he built this would not have been legal. So his battle really is with the state of Ohio.
I doubt his claim of a constitutional right to own exotic wild beasts will hold water. Plenty of states ban ownership of far less dangerous animals, for instance owning ferrets is illegal in New York and California.
This is a complex issue with many facets. For instances, the exotic pet trade creates demand for capturing these animals from the wild, where some are endangered or at risk of becoming endangered. Governments arguable have a role in helping to protect endangered or threatened animals, to protect the health and safety of animals that are owned by humans, and also to protect the health and safety of the public from potentially dangeorus animals, which is why many states outlaw ownership of lions, cats, bears, etc.