Tarzan is Alive!

[Present Day]:  I thought I'd post this in the "Courage" Blog as it fit in nicely with the timeline.  The email sent to the OAG regarding this subject can be found in the January 2010 BB Blog).]
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Nicole surprised me with the news that she thought Tarzan was still alive and that it was Leo whom had passed away.  I emailed her pictures of Tarzan and Leo, taken in 2005, in the hopes she would be able to identify the lion living with Sheba and Sebastian.

After looking at the photos, Nicole confirmed with the workers that it was indeed Tarzan living in the enclosure with the other two lions:

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From: TMinchew1@...

Date: Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:03:31 -0400

Subject: Re: FW:

To: waonicole@...; michelleanthonycryer@...; waoheathernoe@...; waomyrna@hotmail.com; jenna.elizabeth517@...; m.reininger@...

Mike and I think this looks like the lion we now call Leo.

Terry

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From: waonicole@...

To: tminchew1@...
Subject: RE:
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:09:28 -0500

Thank you . I am going to get to the bottom of this. It is making me sick to think that Tarzan was never dead and this lie is going to be another heartbreaking moment.

Love you both,

Nicole Garcia
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From: m.reininger@...

To: waonicole@...; michelleanthonycryer@...; tminchew1@..; waoheathernoe@hotmail.com; waomyrna@...; jenna.elizabeth517@...

Subject: Re: FW:

Date: Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:40:30 -0500

Hi everybody,



Tarzan - 2004




Tarzan - 2005



I've attached a photo that was taken in 2004 of Leo (he was ~2 years old, so his face would not be changed that much).

Michelle and I are positive that the cat in with Seb and Sheba is Tarzan and not Leo. Tarzan was/is not microchipped. Yes, chips can move, but if you compare the photo of Leo with the face of the lion in question, you'll see it's not the same cat. The lion in question does, however, match the photos of Tarzan from 2005.

Look at the line of spots on the side of the left nostril. Leo had 3 almost equal lines where the whiskers are. Tarzan has 2 long lines with a shorter line in the middle and 2 spots that are almost parallel w/ the side of the nostril. (I've also attached close-ups of the area referred to on each cat -- sorry, my email won't let me put them directly into the message).

I hope this clears up any questions about the identity of this lion. This spot arrangement on lions is like a tiger's stripes, they do not change.

Mary

From: n garcia

Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2009 12:13 AM

To: Buck Benson

Cc: Karen Maxfield; Sumner Matthes; Michelle Cryer

Subject: Legal Concerns

I have a concern, it has been brought to my attention that there is a lion that Carol Asvestas claimed had passed away in 2007. This lions name is Tarzan. The reason it was so important that she state that the animal that passed was Tarzan is because the lion who really passed away (LEO) was a lion that was funded by International Fund for Animal Welfare. If they would have found that this lion had passed, it would not have been good and they most likely would have lost the regular funding from this organization (they funded over $700,000 worth of grants since 2001). - I did some research to find this information.

I do know that it was brought to her attention that it was actually Tarzan in 2007 that was alive and she made it very clear that it was to be said that Leo passed. (There is a lot more to this story but I will get to the point). A newsletter was put out in March of 2008 for Tarzan the lion - to raise funds and those who see these lions on tours some times do question whether this lion in the enclosure on the tour is Tarzan or Leo. I have confirmed that it is in fact TARZAN and our complete staff agrees that this cat is Tarzan. In light of current events, I do not want to lie to anyone about our animals on our tours and those who have been following us for quite some time are going to know that this has been lied about when they visit. How do I instruct our guides to handle this situation in a way that we can be honest about who is actually in the enclosure. We would also like to change our stories to the correct ones since they have been incorrect. Is this okay to do? We don't want to lie to our supporters but I don't want to get slapped with a lawsuit either.

Just FYI - There was another newsletter put out about Vivi the tiger (3 weeks ago - approx) who actually passed away in July 2009. I am sure that there will be questions soon from some of those who are receiving the newsletter. We have already received over $30,000 in donations from this newsletter and I want to know how I should approach this and is it okay for me to be depositing these funds into our account since she has passed. I don't want to do anything illegal. Please let me know how you suggest I handle this.

Thank you very much,

Nicole Garcia

I am greatly saddened by the loss of Leo for he was such a sweet lion who deserved so much better than he received.  Leo was such a great buddy for Tarzan and I imagine Tarzan must miss him very much.

I learned from the animal caretakers that Leo was found dead in his enclosure.  No necropsy was done to discover cause of death. 

This proves that my allegations I made against the WAO to the OAG were correct--WAO and its Board of Directors did indeed lie about the deaths of its animals and they did indeed conduct fundraising activities for DEAD animals. 

May God Bless Leo in Heaven Forever.