If you want to see them squirm, here are the questions to ask. And what I know about the real answer.
Michael Sandlin
Is it true there had been a ban on keeping tigers in Iberville Parish since 1993? Yes
Why was a special exception made for you? I heard it was because of family relationships.
What accredited sanctuaries (GFAS or ASA, not Joe's USZA) have offered to take Tony at no charge and even to do so quietly to help you save face? Big Cat Rescue, Wild Animal Sanctuary and possibly others. I know that most GFAS cat sanctuaries would do it just to stop our phones from ringing with all of the complaints by those who see the tiger living in a truck stop.
Why choose Joe, who is still under investigation by USDA for the deaths of 23 tiger cubs, or Serenity Springs, which is currently in litigation with USDA for substandard care, over places with such great reputations and resources if you love Tony?
I know you only have 10 minutes so I will try to keep it to the most pertinent. Questions for Joe Schreibvogel, but you should ask for proof because I think he is an experienced con man:
How many big cats live at GW Zoo? The reason to ask that is he claims to only own 47 of them and says the rest are owned by others, so see if you can pin down who they are and how many cats each of them owns. Beth Corley hasn't been there in years, but someone, presumably Joe, keeps renewing her license to keep as many at 200 animals on one inspection report. John Reinke or Joe always signs the USDA reports for all of these other "owners" that include a circus owned by Doug Terranova and I suspect one run by Gary Douglas, but not sure of the latter.
What are the ages of your cats? On his census he listed 2 born in 1999 and 3 born in 2000 and all of the rest were younger. Compare to real sanctuaries and you will find our average ages are 15-20, because we aren't breeding cats. He has to keep a census, in case USDA wants to see it, so ask to see it.
How many big cats were born on his grounds in the past 20 years? The spreadsheet I'll send you will show 131 cats born there between 2001 and 2011. (We bred cats here, back in the 1990s, before we knew that they can't help conservation in any way, and still have 12 alive from back then. The rest of our 97 cats have been rescued.)
How many cats have you sold or given away? Given the fact that Joe keeps offloading cats to places we consider pretty awful, and so many cats seem to just disappear, why is this the best place for Tony?
Please don't copy Joe with the following as we are building a case against him, but feel free to question him about the specifics.
Some Places Joe Sent Cats
In 2012 USDA cited Wildwoods for keeping a tiger in a cage only 72 in high and not big enough to move around freely. Photos show tiny, barren, concrete and steel cells for tigers
Exhibits: USDA inspections, three photos of tiny, barren cages
As of 2011 Jeremy Hinkle had racked up13 bad USDA inspections in 5 yrs
Exhibits: USDA inspections, news from 2011
USDA inspections included:
• Failure to provide veterinary care to animals who had broken legs
• Dangerous disrepair in big cat cages
• Failure to provide shade to the tigers
• Filthy conditions and rat infestation of feeding areas
• Failure to provide clean drinking water
• Improper handling of drugs and medications
• Storing a dead lion in the freezer with the animal food
Park manager says that these tigers were misrepresented to her as cats Joe rescued and did not have room for, but all of them had been born at GW Park and used as photo props. Lost over $100k 2009 and 2010, raising issue of whether they were being sent to a place that could assure good care long term.
Exhibits: USDA inspections 2008 and 2010, 990 2009-10
USDA inspections 2008 and 2010 included:
Failure to obtain health certificates for wild animals crossing state lines
Improper storage and handling of food items to protect from contamination
In 2011 Tiger World was fined by USDA for a long history of violations and their 990 shows them in the red.
Exhibits: USDA inspections 2007-2011, 990s 2009-10, news article trying to send cats to Iraq, photo of tiny barren cage, Born Free press release re USDA revoking owner license and being sold to someone he trained.
USDA inspections included:
Fine $2,571 in 2011 for the improper handling of a tiger, its escape and lack of barricades to protect the public, gave lions and tigers inappropriate toys they had chewed, including plastic barrels with chunks of sharp pieces missing and possibly ingested.
Exhibits: USDA inspections 2009-2011
USDA inspections included:
Dilapidated cages, insecure doors, missing fences, poor housekeeping and flies and rats in the washroom, news article of zoo guests tormenting animals, facebook pictures of Sooner the tiger, who appears to have come from Joe and is chewing plastic
Engessor reportedly has sold lion cubs via the Animal Finder’s Guide
Exhibits: USDA inspections 2007-2011, visitor comments “sad exhibit of miserable animals” and another who said the facility was just as bad
USDA Inspections include:
• In 2011 USDA cited The Zoo numerous times for:
• Using a 16 week old cub that was unmanageable for interaction and photos
• Using a 6 week old lion cub who had not been vaccinated yet for photo ops
• Failing to provide proper food and water sources
• Failure to provide adequate veterinary care
• Failing to provide environmental enrichment to primates
• Failing to maintain enclosures and transport trailers
• Poor housekeeping
• Leopard attacking a 5-year-old girl, causing injuries
• In 2007 he was cited for Using an unvaccinated 6 week old cub for interaction and photos
• Failure to keep proper transfer records
On Forever Wild’s website they state that the person they got the cub from (Joe not mentioned by name) lied to them saying the 12 wk cub was DNA surplus for Indo Chinese breeding program. Had ringworm and was actually 20 weeks old.
Exhibits: 2007 news article that they were in over their heads financially and that if their house went into foreclosure they would euthanize all of their animals, news article bragging that they wrestle with bears, 3 news articles about a leopard being so fat that her belly dragged the ground to the point of gaping holes that had to be sewn shut.
The very next month the USDA sued them for violations dating back to 2007 for:
• No vet from 2007-2010
• The deaths of 31 young animals
• Failure to vaccinate against distemper and failure to safeguard cats from carriers
• Failure to treat ringworm on tiger cubs
• Lacking perimeter fence
• Unsafe conditions
• Performing euthanasia without a vet by cutting the tiger’s throat
• Owner bilked a volunteer out of $40,000 after volunteer was bitten by a tiger (owner was convicted of fraud).
Exhibits: USDA inspections 2007-2011, USDA lawsuit 2012, news article 2006 about dishonest dealing, OSHA report, 990s 2007-2010, Joe’s missing health certificate 1714878 for import 12/11 of *4 tigers, 3 leopards, 2 ligers, 1 serval and a paca, news article bilking volunteer for 40,000 after injury by tiger
This was just a few months after Terranova was fined 25,000 by USDA for:
• Failure to properly handle tigers, elephants and others
• The death of two cubs that were born on the road while the circus was traveling
• (offspring of a brother and sister mating)
• The third cub was in such poor condition that it was seized by USDA
• Failure to maintain proper records
• Failure to allow USDA inspections
• Exhibiting animals without proper licenses
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Joe says he NEVER sends big cats to private owners; only USDA facilities, but these people are not USDA licensed
They do not have a USDA license
2008 caught trying to sell tiger cubs in WalMart parking lot to Mexicans
Joe issued press release describing the horrid conditions of the cats at Springhill
Exhibits: Joe issued press release 4/27/08 saying that he was rescuing “two more tigers in jeopardy at the Springhill Wildlife Park in Calvert, TX.” He went on to say that he had rescued 18 tigers from there the year before who were “requiring surgeries and veterinary rehabilitation,” and that many were missing toes and feet from botched declaw jobs, and that one had been hit so hard in the eye that part of her skull had to be removed. 4 news articles about Springhill being busted selling tigers to Mexican nationals in the parking lot of at TX WalMart and 4 photos of same
No USDA and no record of her anywhere. (HB: Facility could have license under a different name, but this is name Joe listed in census.)
Exhibits: Screenshot of USDA search showing no one by that name and a screen shot of Joe’s facebook page showing that she is not a friend of his there
Tammy Thompson had been dead for more than a year, if it was the same Tammy Thompson who had been a big cat collector since the 1990s.
(Now might be a good time to remind the Judge that Joe uses Brian Rhyne to set up companies and accounts because Brian Rhyne has been dead for years too.)
Exhibits: There is a Tammy Tomson in USDA records. I have a 2010 notation in AbandonedAnimals.xls where her husband called me saying she had died and needed to place her leopard but the phone number is no longer any good
Joe didn’t list these on his census but others reported buying from him
Exhibits: 2008 USDA Consent Order which terminated Mr Azzopardi’s license at the Amarillo Zoo after he was found guilty in 2006 of a federal crime involving the interstate trading in endangered clouded leopards and a white tiger, PeTA factsheet, 4 pages of bad reviews from TripAdvisor
USDA inspections revealed:
• Animals standing in mud and waste
• Insecure exotic cat caging
Cited by USDA for :
• Keeping animals in dark or dimly lit quarters
• Filthy conditions, incl cages full of matted fur and feces
• Lack of barricades
• Lack of perimeter fence
• Unsafe cages
• Improper diets
• Escaped animals
Exhibits: USDA inspections 2007-2011, PeTA factsheet
Joe sold cub born around July 7, 2010 for $5000.
(We submitted FOIA request to get import permits from FWC but not arrived)
Exhibits: TBO article 9/14/10 indicating 9 week old white cub came from GW Park and Joe says he sold it to her for $5000. USDA inspections 2007-2012, 20 photos of wretched conditions, a visitor’s report of deplorable conditions for the cats, LookOut Mtn lawsuit and Dept Ag complaint that includes is, foreclosure and bankruptcy documents, mug shots from bad check charge and a Yelp 2 star rating.
USDA inspections included:
• Failure to provide vet care to injured animals
• Lack of shelter for tigers
• Dilapidated big cat cages
• Unsafe handling of dangerous animals with the public
• Rusty serval cage
• Nails protruding in tiger cages
• Poor drainage causing the cats to wade in deep water and mud after rain
• Inadequate perimeter fence
• Lack of barricades
• Refusal to allow inspections
Recently lost lawsuit and ordered to return two gibbons to rightful owners.
Reportedly under investigation by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs. Arrested for bad check charges, has multiple entities and multiple bankruptcies.
Sent two cubs here in the same year that Time Magazine ranked this the fourth worst zoo in the country. The zoo closed in 2009, one year after the cubs arrived. The Nay Aug director noted that one cub came with a case of ringworm that she had been fighting for months and that the cub appears to have a compromised immune system. Director said she had to “donate” to GW to reserve the cubs.
Exhibits: News articles about the cubs coming to Nay Aug and the zoo closing, photos of the decrepit cages.
Exhibits: Facebook post by Wild Bill about it, screenshot shows no USDA license
Exhibits: USDA inspection June 2011, news article about the 2010 cats, news article about 8 week old cub Aug 2011.
USDA inspection contained:
The three tigers were being fed improperly and that the adult tigers had suffered metabolic bone disease as a result
Foreign Zoos where Joe sent cougars
Exhibits: PeTA factsheet, document stating that the name above is not the name of a zoo, but is an organization of zoos, so we don’t know exactly where the cat ended up, two photos of people posing with adult tigers and photo of rampant tiger poaching in Thailand, 3 pages of bad TripAdvisor reviews for Thailand’s Phuket Zoo
Exhibits: PeTA factsheet, 4 photos of stark conditions at the zoo, a journalist’s review of the zoo, along with photos showing it to be a miserable place for animals
Exhibits: PeTA factsheet and three articles showing barren cages and discussing the lack of funding for heating and animal care due to Bulgaria’s political unrest
Exhibits: USDA reports from 2011 and 2012 citing that animals were living in transport cages and some cages were unsafe. Also that the animals had cuts on them.
Exhibits: USDA order fining Palazzo $10,000 and suspending license for three years on 5/10/10 in a lawsuit that had been pending since 2007. Many 2009-2010 USDA inspections showing a lack of proper vet care, no shot records and many repeated violations.
Exhibits: USDA inspections from 2010 and 2011 showing that animals were being kept in incompatible groups and not providing proper dens and shelter.
Exhibits: TripAdvisor visitor reviews only give this “zoo” 3 out of 5 stars and 3 USDA inspections from 2010 and 2011 stating that cages were in poor repair, insufficient shelter or dens and dangerous gaps in rusty cages.
Exhibits: 8 bad USDA inspections from 2010-2012 including a bear biting a keeper, lack of proper barriers, cats kept in transport wagons, cages too small and dilapidated, no shelter for big cats, sharp edges in cages, lack of vet care and refusing to allow access for inspections. Joe’s census says that he loaned Gregg Woody a white tiger cub DOB 4/17/11 (Galiath x Norma Gene) who died while in his care. Joe provided no transfer USDA form, nor health certificate on this cub, but it is likely that he sent the cub to be a photo prop, which means the cub had probably already died before Joe sent Woody 6 more lions and 2 bears.
Exhibits: 6 bad USDA inspections in just 2011 and 2012 including repeated violations on 12 issues, dead lemurs found, spoiled meat, platforms are chewed and clawed and splintered, and failure to provide proper vet care and follow up care.
Exhibits: Charlotte does not have a USDA license under her name. Charlotte’s facebook photos and text saying: Charlotte Turton aah i thought you knew... I adopted this baby when she was only 4 days old from a cat sanctuary in Oklahoma. I got to play with her for about a month and a half then she went out on the road with the traveling magic show.. then without letting me know they gave her to a facility in Illinois. if you look through my albums you can see her pics from day 4 forward
Joe says he sends all of his dead tigers to the "Bone Museum" but they said, in deposition, they only ever got one tiger from Joe. I have a copy of citations by the county against Joe for burning and burying carcasses, so where do all of the tigers (and other dead bodies) go?
The reason this is an important question is because all of these charlatans who are breeding and pimping out cubs say they are doing it for conservation. The fact is that it hurts conservation because China is banking on the extinction of the tiger in order for their farmed tiger bones, teeth, claws and pelts to become more valuable.
Judy Mills, copied here, just wrote a thrilling narrative on the subject called Blood of the Tiger. In the book she makes it clear that we have to stop breeding tigers in the U.S. if we are going to save them in the wild because China points a finger at us, when we try to curb their tiger farming, and says, "You don't even know where your tigers are!"
You could do an entire segment with Judy on how tigers will completely disappear from the wild if we don't stop the captive trade in them. For the cats, Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue
Hi, I’m Carole Baskin and 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 going to share my story, it should be the whole story. The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/
I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story. My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet.
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Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion.