Three lions are settling into their new digs at the Detroit Zoo after leaving a rat-infested junkyard in Kansas.
Zoo officials took delivery of the trio -- one male and two females -- early Thursday morning. They were taken from the Prairie Cat Animal Refuge, a makeshift sanctuary next to a motel. The cats, all of whom have already been checked out by a Kansas vet, will be quarantined for 30 days before being introduced to the zoo's three other lions.
The zoo was contacted last fall by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals about the lions' living conditions at the 1-acre refuge next to the Free Breakfast Inn.
"These lions, unlike so many animals who are still stuck in shabby roadside zoos, are the lucky ones who got out," said Debbie Leahy, PETA's director of captive exotic animals. "We are grateful to the Detroit Zoo for making them ambassadors of hope for all the other animals who are living in miserable conditions and who have no laws to protect them."
"And to think in the past zoo's would not exhibit white tigers, because they could not justify the cage space and expense of exhibiting an non endangered animal!!!!" Why would the Detroit Zoo even answer the phone from Peta, let alone get into bed with them. This bit of insanity ranks right up there with Prince Alberts gift to Born Free. It is indeed sad if zoo's are now going to become "sanctuaries" for confiscated felines, of no genetic use to any population. As LA, Dallas and other zoo's struggle to maintain their elephants and prevent their moving to a sanctuary, Detroit is working in conjunction with Peta. I suggest someone has gone off the AZA reservation and needs to be stopped for the good of all.
They even greeted them with a "gift basket!!!!" What a load of self serving BS."
Courtesy of Casey Cainan
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13 comments:
Detroit’s zoo director is very sympathetic to PETA. Others among today’s zoo professionals feel the same way.
The Detroit man has stated that the role of zoos ought to be in caring for animals taken from places like that where these lions originated.
Detroit also took the polar bears seized from a circus in Puerto Rico several years ago.
And, the Detroit director is a leading advocate for removing elephants from zoos.
Richard,
He is not the same clown who was suspended, with pay for a month, for lying on the application form that he had a degree, where as he never completed the finals, and thus was not issued a degree?
Wade
What should have happened to the lions, if you don't think the zoo should have taken them?
Ruben,
First we need to enact a "nitwit law", which has a sever financial penalty for something like this to be split equally among AZA accredited institutions. Then the lions need to be euthanize with the guilty parties being make to pay for said procedure and disposal.
It will serve 3 purposes, it will make someone think twice before they commit to something like an exotic animal without the necessary finances to support them. It will eliminate the need for sanctuaries, and most importantly there will be nothing for an activist to do, so they focus their misguided concerns on something useful, maybe word hunger, the amber alert, or promoting the buying of United States Savings Bonds. At least they will have a real life.
Wade
I'm very confused: these lions were not in an AZA facility before, were they? So why is the AZA being financially penalized? For allowing them to be taken in? Are the lions to be euthanized simply because they have nothing to contribute to the gene pool? Is there a quality of life issue for them here, or are they just surplus animals and therefore disposable?
What is wrong with trying to give them a better life
than what they had? There are other zoos within the AZA that try to "rescue" animals needing better homes. Should they all stop, or only the guy who
closed his elephant exhibit?
That "get a life" argument is nonsense, and I assume that you know it. You have no more idea of what else any given activist is doing in their other time than I have of what you are doing in your other time (when you are not posting pictures on your blog, that is). Should I assume that this is all you do, and criticize you for not working to end world hunger, etc. etc.? -R
Ruben,
I never suggested AZA be penalized. What I was suggesting was the nitwit who had the lions in the first place be penalized, and the monies be be split/donated equally to AZA institutions.
Wade
Wade, the Felid TAG recognizes five subspecies of African lion: azandica, senegalensis, nubica, bleyenberghi and krugeri. Only two of these subspecies, krugeri and nubica, have studbooks and SSP programs. Most of the lions in zoos in the U.S. are generic, "of unknown origin", and are being "managed to extinction", and so lion cubs are seldom seen. Therefore, there is a shortage of generic lions, as well as the SSP lions.
Mary Ann
Mary Ann,
A shortage of "generic lions" is a good thing. That fact just adds to the insanity of what the Detroit Zoo has done.
Wade
Seems to me that if the nitwit who had the lions is penalized, as well he should be, the money should go to whoever was responsible for the lions being taken away from him. I'd be willing to bet that the AZA had absolutely nothing to do with that.
And I still don't understand the position that only animals who can make a contribution to the gene pool of the species should be kept alive. Does that apply to all animals, or just cats? -R
Wade, with a shortage of SSP lions and a shortage of generic lions, many zoos are taking anything they can get, rather than have their lion exhibits sit empty.
Mary Ann
Ruben,
No, it should go to AZA institutions. If you gave it to the reporting person, those nitwit's would be "finding ghosts." Nobody who truly loves animals needs a reward for finding abuse.
Of course it applies to all animals, and not just tigers. If you have an old brood mare that is not producing any longer and is a burden on the over head, she should be humanely euthanize. I you can afford to keep one or two old favorites humanly that's fine, but not if you are going to run a profitable business. In the case of exotics no hard resources are wasted on non contributes. That money could be well spent on the breeding and maintaining of endangered species. Every cent donated to a sanctuary, if donated to a place like the National Zoo's Front Royal, would do so much more for endangered animals.
Wade
Mary Ann,
Again there need's to be a shortage of Generic lions. The less the better. The space should be utilized for something more in need of saving, or expanded into larger exhibits for things like elephants etc.
Wade
Wade, I absolutely cannot fathom a major zoo without a lion exhibit, or a tiger exhibit either. That's the bare minimum for cats, and that's all Detroit has.
Mary Ann
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