Suicide Attempt?
'Lyin Queen' Overdoses On Pills, Booze
Disgraced Ex-Animal Sanctuary's [female director’s name] Hospitalized
Political Snitch Copyright 2-23-2010
Disgraced animal "angel" [female director] was carted off by ambulance last Saturday, having overdosed on pills and alcohol.
Her husband, [male director], was seen speeding away on his motorcycle just moments before EMS arrived. [Police] also responded.
After the emergency vehicles left, [male director], returned to his home.
[Director’s names] were booted from their jobs after a series in the [name of the on-line newspaper] pointed out discrepancies in money, animals and general operations at the [sanctuary].
A new regime has taken over at the orphanage, and is scrambling to undo the damage caused by years of neglect and greed. The [directors] couple made about $200,000 a year operating the facility, even though bills and taxes went unpaid, and exotic big cats went hungry. Scores of animals vanished mysteriously.
[female director] was taken to Christus Santa Rosa Hospital.
Where she has gone now, is unknown.
* * *
[Director’s names] live on property next to the [sanctuary] and pipes used to move water to the exotic animals were abruptly blocked off on Valentines day. Those pipes crossed [directors] land.
A smear campaign against the shelter has been raging on the internet, and unexplained damage to electrical lines and equipment have been reported.
* * *
Other notes:
[Former director’s attorney], [director] lawyer, reportedly has suffered a "heart attack." He may actually be sick, or it may just be lawyer talk for "I haven't gotten paid."
[female director] has been putting together a new organization that fund raises for animal charity. So far, it hasn't grown legs.
All person's named in this story are offered free space to respond.
More to follow.
- Developing -
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
The Weekend Drama
The juvenile antics of the former directors are escalating. I've been warning as many people as I can these horrible antics are escalating to dangerous proportions.
The new director reports the former directors are now throwing garbage into the patas monkeys enclosure and the former director reported finding a a garden hose pushed from their property line through the fence into the cougar enclosure. This is very upsetting because the former directors may administer poison into the cougars' enclosure (i.e. anti freeze as the former directors have been known to use this poison animals) via a hose.
That explains why the new director wants to move the patas monkeys and cougars so quickly. I thought it was because of the heat situation, but the primates are receiving heat. The sad thing is, if they want to hurt or kill the animals, they could when everyone leaves the property. Again, is shows these people have no compassion for the animals. The are evil and vindictive.
Meanwhile, the former directors called the USDA/APHIS inspector again last week to report the sanctuary is not receiving heat or water. Needless to say, this was a complete lie and continued harassment on the part of the former directors. The new director responded to the USDA that arrangements were made to keep the water holding tanks full and the sanctuary rewired the electricity lines so all the primates are prepared for the freeze starting tomorrow night.
The commercials have been airing regularly (which must be driving the former directors nuts)! I have seen the commercial several times myself! On Sunday, many folks came to the sanctuary, saying they saw the commercial on TV! This is excellent news!
On Saturday, (2/20/10), the juvenile work crew came out and mulched Bubba's enclosure (he loves his new mulch for he was smiling up a storm!) and the tigers' run-off area in between Apollo and Mac's enclosure. The day was cloudy and for the most part, it lightly rained. Despite the weather, the grounds looks so much better!
There was an incident on Saturday which occurred around 2:00pm. The second juvenile team was preparing to leave, when the former male director revived up his motorcycle and proceeded down the road in front of the sanctuary. He laid on the horn, staring at all the workers. When his eyes hit mine, he appeared surprised, his face hardened and he stopped honking. He resumed his juvenile honking as he passed the main office. Five minutes after the honking stopped, an ambulance arrived with the lights and siren blaring as it passed the sanctuary and entered the former directors' driveway. I was told a small blond woman was taken by stretcher into the ambulance and it drove away. A few minutes after the ambulance departed, the male director drove his motorcycle back home!
About five minutes later, the first police car showed up at the sanctuary. Before I could find out what was going on, the officer entered into the office. When the second police car arrived, I thought it prudent to direct the officers to the correct address. The gentleman, a wonderful person who fixed the sanctuary's water system, so now it can remain on well water and not from the city, thereby saving the sanctuary a ton of money), was ahead of me and joking with the officer saying his shirt was torn by the monkey and that he may have been intoxicated! The officer joked back, that if he could identify the monkey that tore his shirt, she would take him in for drunk and disorderly behavior! They both laughed and that is when I asked if she was here in response to the incident that occur ed next door.
The officer said they were there because of a report that a woman was drunk and disorderly. I told her no one made the call from the sanctuary, but there was a incident next door whereas an ambulance reportedly took the female director to the hospital. One of the officers asked why the sanctuary was listed as their property, and I mentioned they had operated the sanctuary for many years, but were no longer in charge. The officer asked if they had been fired and I said it was something like that. I was asked why they were fired and I suggested they read the XXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX magazine on-line and enter the sanctuary's name into the search engine on the magazine's web page so they could read about what happened at the sanctuary. One of the officers said something like "0ooh, I see."
The first police car departed for the former directors' residence, and before the second car left, I was able to tell the officer that the male former director had returned home. The officer thanked me and departed. About 10 minutes later, both police cars departed from the former directors' residence, waving to us as they passed by.
This was the second police report made against the former directors' as the first one dealt with the malicious damage to the water pipes which occur ed last week.
Good news -- OAG is preparing to close their case against the sanctuary. Bad news is they are fining the sanctuary $25k because the board members were responsible for the actions and in actions taken by the former directors and should have removed them long before they did in 2009.
So the former directors are getting off Scott-free and the animals get penalized by their illegal actions! This is outrageous. I never wanted the animals to be punished. I wanted the board to be held accountable for their behavior. Each board member, from 2006-2009 (with the exception of one person who quit and tried to tell the rest of the board she saw the same problems as I), should have been charged $5k each!!!
It was reported that the board met on Friday and it was another explosive meeting. The board members, with the exception of the President/Financial Officer, rarely visits the organization. I have never seen the new member and the one who continues to underhandedly try and take over the facility, visit (let alone work) a Saturday or Sunday at the sanctuary. Did they work the rodeo event? I'm willing to bet the board members will not even help with the sanctuary's big open house which is to take place on the last Saturday of March.
Instead, it was my understanding from witnesses that the board trashed the new director for not finishing the bear enclosure, even though one new member was supposed to take the lead in finding free help to finish the enclosure! Instead he called the new director a liar and ineffective. The new director was then told to leave the room at the behest of this male board member (whom we found out later was working in concert with the only female board member desiring to seize the organization with the help of her criminal husband). That is when the board attacked the new Prez/Treasurer, claiming his financial actions are just like the ones made by the former directors. Insulted, the board member (holding two seats) quit.
Now from what I understand the new director is going to talk to him to see if he will stay on as a board member. I did see him on Saturday with family or friends and he didn't seem too happy, but under the circumstances, who could blame him. The board is completely dysfunctional and they should all be fired and new members added who truly supports the organization (as its current mission statement states). I cannot STAND board only members who have no clue as to what they are talking about when they meet. One board member can barely write a sentence and wants to take over the organization with her criminal husband and apparently the other board member wants to turn the sanctuary into a "theme park." This is unacceptable.
I truly feel horrible for the new director, because not only does she have to worry about the former directors escalating problems, she has to deal with employees that want to do thing their way, water and electricity challenges, an increase of animal related health issues (Sierra and Ecketrina were not feeling well this weekend, so today the vet visited the animals to determine the root of their lethargic behavior), fundraising as the funds are really low, and so forth.
Now I'm beginning to understand why she just doesn't have time to talk with me (and I can be a talker). I just wonder how long she can continue on this fast paced lifestyle. Between her family issues and her work issues, I have to admit I'm worried about her, but she is holding her own!
I guess the best thing I can do is to be here in case she needs help and try to come up with more ways to help the animals.
So I end on a plus note that I can finally make changes to the sanctuary's web site without crashing it! So have I have posted driving directions, corrected some image problems on the site, and added a page where folks can sign up for the sanctuary's monthly newsletter! Speaking for which, I'm spotlighting the two new tigers at the sanctuary, Giszmo and Borris! The two tigers are older animals and they are both adorable! Even though they arrived with no money (which IFAW I believe initially said they would sponsor the animals), I think they can be worked into the sanctuary's budget without sacrificing health care for the rest of the animals. Fortunately, they appear to be healthy and they both came up to me for greetings, so they appear to be well acclimated to be around humans. I'll post their story later in the blog, as my fingers are starting to hurt with all this updated information!
Hang in there new director! You are not alone!
Later:
The former directors have been up to their juvenile antics today. Apparently, the former directors, with the help of one of their former employees with a criminal record, purposely frayed and ripped electrical wires in/around the box. Then the directors called the city's code compliance and requested an investigator to investigate the damage. Clearly, this was a set-up for there was nothing wrong with the wires until after it was reported. Plus, how did the former directors even know there was problems with the wiring? And why would they even care -- especially if the assumption is even to be believed that this was normal wear and tear, why wasn't this corrected before 10.01.09, the time frame when the former directors were in control?
So to keep out prying eyes, a new cheap privacy fence, painted hot pink on the former director's side, will be installed. Love it! Don't mess with the animals!
Bad news, Sierra the white tiger is not feeling well and she had problems coming out of her sedation administered by the new vet. Blood and urine was taken and the test results should be available tomorrow. God Bless Sierra--please heal her Jesus!
Good news, the sanctuary's bank has agreed to overdraft protection and the television commercial appears to be successful (God is Great!). Just today, the sanctuary received a $6k donation!! This covers the commercial and the radio event next month!
Back to the former directors -- clearly the former directors are escalating in their activities. I am concerned for the safety of the animals and staff. Fortunately, there was enough money available to hire a night guard. I just pray evidence can be shown to a court of law what these "people" are doing to the sanctuary, which they professed at one time, to love. I will continue to pray the directors are forced away from the sanctuary for the protection of the staff and animals.
On a good point, I am expanding the website to include donations for t-shirts and the announcement that the sanctuary is available for kids' parties! So many ideas, so little time!
The new director reports the former directors are now throwing garbage into the patas monkeys enclosure and the former director reported finding a a garden hose pushed from their property line through the fence into the cougar enclosure. This is very upsetting because the former directors may administer poison into the cougars' enclosure (i.e. anti freeze as the former directors have been known to use this poison animals) via a hose.
That explains why the new director wants to move the patas monkeys and cougars so quickly. I thought it was because of the heat situation, but the primates are receiving heat. The sad thing is, if they want to hurt or kill the animals, they could when everyone leaves the property. Again, is shows these people have no compassion for the animals. The are evil and vindictive.
Meanwhile, the former directors called the USDA/APHIS inspector again last week to report the sanctuary is not receiving heat or water. Needless to say, this was a complete lie and continued harassment on the part of the former directors. The new director responded to the USDA that arrangements were made to keep the water holding tanks full and the sanctuary rewired the electricity lines so all the primates are prepared for the freeze starting tomorrow night.
The commercials have been airing regularly (which must be driving the former directors nuts)! I have seen the commercial several times myself! On Sunday, many folks came to the sanctuary, saying they saw the commercial on TV! This is excellent news!
On Saturday, (2/20/10), the juvenile work crew came out and mulched Bubba's enclosure (he loves his new mulch for he was smiling up a storm!) and the tigers' run-off area in between Apollo and Mac's enclosure. The day was cloudy and for the most part, it lightly rained. Despite the weather, the grounds looks so much better!
There was an incident on Saturday which occurred around 2:00pm. The second juvenile team was preparing to leave, when the former male director revived up his motorcycle and proceeded down the road in front of the sanctuary. He laid on the horn, staring at all the workers. When his eyes hit mine, he appeared surprised, his face hardened and he stopped honking. He resumed his juvenile honking as he passed the main office. Five minutes after the honking stopped, an ambulance arrived with the lights and siren blaring as it passed the sanctuary and entered the former directors' driveway. I was told a small blond woman was taken by stretcher into the ambulance and it drove away. A few minutes after the ambulance departed, the male director drove his motorcycle back home!
About five minutes later, the first police car showed up at the sanctuary. Before I could find out what was going on, the officer entered into the office. When the second police car arrived, I thought it prudent to direct the officers to the correct address. The gentleman, a wonderful person who fixed the sanctuary's water system, so now it can remain on well water and not from the city, thereby saving the sanctuary a ton of money), was ahead of me and joking with the officer saying his shirt was torn by the monkey and that he may have been intoxicated! The officer joked back, that if he could identify the monkey that tore his shirt, she would take him in for drunk and disorderly behavior! They both laughed and that is when I asked if she was here in response to the incident that occur ed next door.
The officer said they were there because of a report that a woman was drunk and disorderly. I told her no one made the call from the sanctuary, but there was a incident next door whereas an ambulance reportedly took the female director to the hospital. One of the officers asked why the sanctuary was listed as their property, and I mentioned they had operated the sanctuary for many years, but were no longer in charge. The officer asked if they had been fired and I said it was something like that. I was asked why they were fired and I suggested they read the XXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX magazine on-line and enter the sanctuary's name into the search engine on the magazine's web page so they could read about what happened at the sanctuary. One of the officers said something like "0ooh, I see."
The first police car departed for the former directors' residence, and before the second car left, I was able to tell the officer that the male former director had returned home. The officer thanked me and departed. About 10 minutes later, both police cars departed from the former directors' residence, waving to us as they passed by.
This was the second police report made against the former directors' as the first one dealt with the malicious damage to the water pipes which occur ed last week.
Good news -- OAG is preparing to close their case against the sanctuary. Bad news is they are fining the sanctuary $25k because the board members were responsible for the actions and in actions taken by the former directors and should have removed them long before they did in 2009.
So the former directors are getting off Scott-free and the animals get penalized by their illegal actions! This is outrageous. I never wanted the animals to be punished. I wanted the board to be held accountable for their behavior. Each board member, from 2006-2009 (with the exception of one person who quit and tried to tell the rest of the board she saw the same problems as I), should have been charged $5k each!!!
It was reported that the board met on Friday and it was another explosive meeting. The board members, with the exception of the President/Financial Officer, rarely visits the organization. I have never seen the new member and the one who continues to underhandedly try and take over the facility, visit (let alone work) a Saturday or Sunday at the sanctuary. Did they work the rodeo event? I'm willing to bet the board members will not even help with the sanctuary's big open house which is to take place on the last Saturday of March.
Instead, it was my understanding from witnesses that the board trashed the new director for not finishing the bear enclosure, even though one new member was supposed to take the lead in finding free help to finish the enclosure! Instead he called the new director a liar and ineffective. The new director was then told to leave the room at the behest of this male board member (whom we found out later was working in concert with the only female board member desiring to seize the organization with the help of her criminal husband). That is when the board attacked the new Prez/Treasurer, claiming his financial actions are just like the ones made by the former directors. Insulted, the board member (holding two seats) quit.
Now from what I understand the new director is going to talk to him to see if he will stay on as a board member. I did see him on Saturday with family or friends and he didn't seem too happy, but under the circumstances, who could blame him. The board is completely dysfunctional and they should all be fired and new members added who truly supports the organization (as its current mission statement states). I cannot STAND board only members who have no clue as to what they are talking about when they meet. One board member can barely write a sentence and wants to take over the organization with her criminal husband and apparently the other board member wants to turn the sanctuary into a "theme park." This is unacceptable.
I truly feel horrible for the new director, because not only does she have to worry about the former directors escalating problems, she has to deal with employees that want to do thing their way, water and electricity challenges, an increase of animal related health issues (Sierra and Ecketrina were not feeling well this weekend, so today the vet visited the animals to determine the root of their lethargic behavior), fundraising as the funds are really low, and so forth.
Now I'm beginning to understand why she just doesn't have time to talk with me (and I can be a talker). I just wonder how long she can continue on this fast paced lifestyle. Between her family issues and her work issues, I have to admit I'm worried about her, but she is holding her own!
I guess the best thing I can do is to be here in case she needs help and try to come up with more ways to help the animals.
So I end on a plus note that I can finally make changes to the sanctuary's web site without crashing it! So have I have posted driving directions, corrected some image problems on the site, and added a page where folks can sign up for the sanctuary's monthly newsletter! Speaking for which, I'm spotlighting the two new tigers at the sanctuary, Giszmo and Borris! The two tigers are older animals and they are both adorable! Even though they arrived with no money (which IFAW I believe initially said they would sponsor the animals), I think they can be worked into the sanctuary's budget without sacrificing health care for the rest of the animals. Fortunately, they appear to be healthy and they both came up to me for greetings, so they appear to be well acclimated to be around humans. I'll post their story later in the blog, as my fingers are starting to hurt with all this updated information!
Hang in there new director! You are not alone!
Later:
The former directors have been up to their juvenile antics today. Apparently, the former directors, with the help of one of their former employees with a criminal record, purposely frayed and ripped electrical wires in/around the box. Then the directors called the city's code compliance and requested an investigator to investigate the damage. Clearly, this was a set-up for there was nothing wrong with the wires until after it was reported. Plus, how did the former directors even know there was problems with the wiring? And why would they even care -- especially if the assumption is even to be believed that this was normal wear and tear, why wasn't this corrected before 10.01.09, the time frame when the former directors were in control?
So to keep out prying eyes, a new cheap privacy fence, painted hot pink on the former director's side, will be installed. Love it! Don't mess with the animals!
Bad news, Sierra the white tiger is not feeling well and she had problems coming out of her sedation administered by the new vet. Blood and urine was taken and the test results should be available tomorrow. God Bless Sierra--please heal her Jesus!
Good news, the sanctuary's bank has agreed to overdraft protection and the television commercial appears to be successful (God is Great!). Just today, the sanctuary received a $6k donation!! This covers the commercial and the radio event next month!
Back to the former directors -- clearly the former directors are escalating in their activities. I am concerned for the safety of the animals and staff. Fortunately, there was enough money available to hire a night guard. I just pray evidence can be shown to a court of law what these "people" are doing to the sanctuary, which they professed at one time, to love. I will continue to pray the directors are forced away from the sanctuary for the protection of the staff and animals.
On a good point, I am expanding the website to include donations for t-shirts and the announcement that the sanctuary is available for kids' parties! So many ideas, so little time!
Friday, February 19, 2010
So Much to Do, So Little Time Left!
I know I've been pushing the WAO staff , as we work hard to turn the WAO around. I think Nicole and Marsha receive the most pushing from me, and I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds or driving them nuts. I just know if we don't improve the grounds and the WAO's public reputation, the Orphanage will continue to slide into debt.
I know the ladies are up to the challenge and we will all get through these difficult times.
From: kbrunner@...
To: waonicole@...
Subject: Re: Email Update
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:02:18 -0600
Thanks for the info! I've delivered another 100+ WAO brochures today! Have you seen an increase in green card coupons and drawing for the T-shirt cards?
BTW~ would you be interested in setting up a Groupon for the spring break guests? I think it would be a great advertisement! We can talk more on this later!
Hope you survive the meeting...k
----- Original Message -----
From: Nicole Garcia
To: kbrunner@...
Sent: Friday, February 19, 2010 11:44 AM
Subject: RE: Email Update
animals are great and you and Marsha can decide on the auction.
Nicole Garcia
________________________________________
From: kbrunner@...
To: waonicole@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: Email Update
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:25:47 -0600
Whew! Thanks for helping to get the animals fresh mulch - sounds like we are right on track. If the guys have have the weedeaters out and ready to go tomorrow, we'll tackle the growth around the tiger cages as the grass has grown rather high in some places. I think we can knock out the weeding first so the tours will see a well-manicured grounds.!
I'll get with Marsha on the table advertisements - does this mean no auction? If no auction, I will have to let KONO know soon so they can pull it from the commercials.
I checked the web traffic and it appears to be going up! You had over 100 visitors in just one day -- no sure what the normal traffic is for the website, but I'll keep an eye on the numbers each day to see how the traffic is flowing through the site.
Don't forget, need details on the new arrivals for the March newsletter - perhaps one of the animal caretakers can send me something about the new tigers. You didn't mention how the animals were doing? Everyone make it through the freeze this week?
Anyhoo, good luck with the board meeting. Perhaps you can encourage them to help with the March 27th event? We need more volunteers to help with traffic flow and parking. Also need to station folks around the trail to make sure folks from large groups do not branch off to conduct their "own" tours.
Hang in there kiddo - it will eventually slow down - the first year of a major organizational change is the worst -- after that it gets much better. I scheduled a day of leave to help set up for March 26th, making sure the tables are ready, grounds are clean, animals and their enclosures look perfect for their big open house. I'll see if I can get the Juveniles to help prepare the grounds on that Friday to make sure the parking lot looks perfect and to make signs for overflow parking in case we need it! Also, KONO will probably come out to check on the power source and where they plan to place the party tent.
Hugs,
k
----- Original Message -----
From: Nicole Garcia
To: kbrunner@...
Sent: Friday, February 19, 2010 9:22 AM
Subject: RE: Email Update
Okay -
Mulch is on the way.
Weedeaters are here.
Marsha can handle the arts and crafts tables.
Directions are perfect.
No responses on the commercials.
Parking not secured yet.
Mindy is doing the same but not bad.
Bubba - I will talk to her today. Today is a BUSY day because of the board meeting which will take hours.
I LOVE YOU and yes I am always busy busy busy.
Thank you and I miss you and we should go to dinner or lunch soon.
Nicole Garcia
________________________________________
From: kbrunner@...
To: waonicole@
Subject: Email Update
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:12:42 -0600
Greetings Nicole:
It never fails...it seems every time I call, you have someone on the other line, someone waiting for you, some place you have to go, you are driving and cannot talk, you are in the store and cannot talk, you aren't feeling well, yada yada yada, so I figured the best way to communicate is through email until you find some free time.
On Saturday, the CSR juvenile work crew will be mulching tiger enclosures (Bubba, T'savo, and the run-off area next to Mac & Shirley/Apollo & Dee Dobins' enclosures). Can you please ask someone to remove the bad hay/mulch next to the clinic and have someone bring in some good mulch from the creek bed?
We will also need to have two operating weed eaters on Saturday. I tried to start them last weekend, but they were both out of gas and no one had the key to the fuel storage area. If someone could make sure they are operational, I would most appreciate it!
Did you want me to put on the website something about accepting arts/crafts vendor tables for the March 27th event? If so, what is the cost of the vendor tables or do you want the vendors to call you to discuss price?
Did you like the addition of the "directions" page on the web site? Did you happen to notice any other changes I made (other than correction the animal pictures)??? All okay? I tried to call you earlier today to discuss the changes, but you were not available -- so I figured if you didn't like it, I could always just take it down.
Were either Marsha or Kim able to secure additional parking from the Church (empty parking area nearest their ball field) for the March 27th event?
I'm working on the next newsletter and so I will need some information on the new tigers. Is there a web link I can visit to obtain the history of the two tigers? If not, can someone send me the biographical data on the animals? Any construction projects you would like to see in the newsletter? Any other special items you'd like to see in the newsletter? Is the WAO still holding an auction? If not, I'll need to let KONO know right away and I'll change the entry in the newsletter.
How did the animals do this week (freeze should be over for now)? Did everyone make it through it okay without injury or worse?
Did Dr. Finkelstein say whether or not Bubba needed pancreas as part of his diet? If so, when will I receive the letter from the vet? How is Mindy doing?
Did you receive any responses from the commercials that ran today? I had several people tell me they saw the commercial and they really liked it. Any response from your end? I sent you earlier this evening an updated commercial schedule -- I asked KSAT-12 to send me the schedule for each day so we can randomly check to make sure the commercials air. Remember, trust, but verify.
Please thank Marsha for me as she has been sending the email address regularly -- the newsletter list is growing again!
Well, that should do it for now. k
Thursday, February 18, 2010
The Animals' Big Day
Today, at 5:17am the first sanctuary commercial aired on TV! The commercial looked better on TV than on the computer screen. It really left me wanting to see more of the animals.
I was disappointed to learn very few (if any) sanctuary employees saw the commercial this moring as everyone else said they were either asleep or had something else to do. I can't get over the muted response I received regarding the commercial. I would have thought everyone would have been very excited to see the commercial on TV. Oh well, I'm still the animals' biggest fan!
I was disappointed to learn very few (if any) sanctuary employees saw the commercial this moring as everyone else said they were either asleep or had something else to do. I can't get over the muted response I received regarding the commercial. I would have thought everyone would have been very excited to see the commercial on TV
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Pathetic Behavior
What is more pathetic than the former directors cutting off water and electricity to the animals? How about blasting the music so loud from their personal residence (yep, they live right next door) that it disrupts the visitors’ tour. I commented on this behavior on Saturday, February 13, 2010, to the sanctuary workers when I helped prepare the grounds for the Valentine event. When I commented on the loud music to the animal caretakers, I was told the “kids” were probably home alone. The music was extremely loud for about an hour or so, and then it was turned off.
As it turns out, it was not an isolated event. Apparently the former directors are now resorting to music noise to disrupt a sanctuary’s business—thereby making it so uncomfortable for guests, perhaps causing them to either leave early or possibly not return. That means less money for the animals!
As it is, it will cost the sanctuary about $3100 to reroute the water from well to the city’s water system. That means the sanctuary will have to pay an expensive monthly bill for water as it will now be metered. The former directors really did their best to disrupt the sanctuary. But what can the sanctuary do? They need the water, so now they have to budget the extra cost of water to financial plan.
The pathetic behavior of the former directors is escalating and I pray the new director can weather through the storm.
As it turns out, it was not an isolated event. Apparently the former directors are now resorting to music noise to disrupt a sanctuary’s business—thereby making it so uncomfortable for guests, perhaps causing them to either leave early or possibly not return. That means less money for the animals!
As it is, it will cost the sanctuary about $3100 to reroute the water from well to the city’s water system. That means the sanctuary will have to pay an expensive monthly bill for water as it will now be metered. The former directors really did their best to disrupt the sanctuary. But what can the sanctuary do? They need the water, so now they have to budget the extra cost of water to financial plan.
The pathetic behavior of the former directors is escalating and I pray the new director can weather through the storm.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Juvenile Antics that are Pure Evil
San Antonio Current
On 2/12/2010 2:30:48 PM, Anonymous said:
It looks like [current director’s first name]‘s true colors and inability to do anything honest is starting to surface. Pay your bills [sanctuary]. Plenty of judgments are coming your way. Even your website has a collection statement on it while it is currently down. Good luck with your little fundraiser this Sunday. I hope they are aware of your book keeping. I would not give you even monopoly money. Where is all the money going too? It certainly is not going to pay bills. You have to pay the bills FOR THE ANIMALS! "FOR THE ANIMALS" Your words [director’s first name], not mine.
After re-reading this paragraph posted to the newspaper’s comment Internet site, I realized this was a prophetic statement made, possibly by the former directors, against the sanctuary.
The new director learned from a current customer that the former directors are calling to various vendors, doing business with the sanctuary, to encourage them to file a lawsuit against the facility. Hence the comment made that “plenty of judgments are coming.”
The new director also believes the former directors may be illegally accessing the sanctuary’s bank account, which is how they know how much money they have in the account. As to the “collection” statement on the website – the site was down temporarily, but it had nothing to do with an overdue “collection.” For whatever reason, the board refuses to change the account’s password information, so any past employees who knew the account information and password has access to the sanctuary’s bank account. I guess the former directors are worried that they really will never see another dime from the animals since the account funds are low. I find it so ironic that the very same people who allegedly stole from the sanctuary, has the audacity to hint that there is something going on with the “bookkeeping.” Considering the former directors knowingly filed false 990s (2006 and 2007) to the IRS and then refused to submit amended copies to the same, says so much about their management style!
But what I find most disturbing is the comment “good luck with your little fundraiser this Sunday.” The event held on Sunday was the sanctuary’s Valentine’s Day special enrichment tour. Just as the tour was about to start, the sanctuary’s water was cut-off. It was temporarily established yesterday (the tanks still had water), just enough to clean and water the animals. When the workers checked out the water situation, they found a hole which had be recently dug, located on the former director’s property, and the water pipe transporting water from the neighbor’s well to the sanctuary was maliciously damaged. The former directors placed and buried the sanctuary’s water pipes years ago, and then last month the former directors threatened to have the sanctuary’s water cut-off if they were not dug up and moved elsewhere by the end of January 2010. Oh, and of course, the sanctuary was not given access to retrieve and move the pipes, so the former directors knew they were cutting the water off for the animals. So much for the LOVE they had for the animals. Once again, they proved my assertion that they never cared about the animals—it was all about the money. And now that they are no longer profiting from the animals, they are taking out their rage against them, by way of the new director. It’s just pure spite – pure evil.
On Saturday, as we were preparing for the event, I heard the former director’s motorcycle revving up (sounded really terrible) and as he sped down the street, he laid on the horn very loudly. It was the most juvenile thing I have ever heard – just goes to show the mentality level of the former director – and he was in charge of operating the facility for over 20 years??
But back to the Valentine’s Day special enrichment tour—it was great! The animals had a wonderful time hunting for their treats. The lions, as always, demonstrated their strength and agility. The monkeys loved the papier-mâché balls, which I made special for the event, stuffed with peanuts (from Roadhouse), dried fruit, rice cakes, and animal cookies.
Sad to report, last week a non-human primate (Vervet) passed away. Cause of death is unknown and the temperature was above freezing. It’s just so frustrating when a primate dies and the cause of death is not obvious.
Like always, the sanctuary has its “ups” and “down” moments. The loss of the Vervet was definitely a down day, and the Valentine Day event was an “up” day. Cutting the sanctuary’s water pipes was a “downer,” but the sanctuary will survive despite the juvenile antics of the former directors.
An “up” moment will be on television tomorrow as the sanctuary airs its first commercial! A local station will air a wonderful commercial which I pray bring people to the website (think donations) and the sanctuary for tours. More than ever, monetary contributions are needed! If the sanctuary did not have to deal with the former directors’ antics, she could then focus on more important issues!
Later...
The not-so-smart former directors apparently contacted the USDA/APHIS vet inspector to report they not only cut the water lines, but they were also turned off the electricity (switch box is on their property) powering the monkey's heat boxes! I guess the former directors thought the USDA would write them up for not having "portable clean water" and heat for the primates! Instead, the former directors admitted to willfully causing harm to animals -- how stupid can they be! Needless to say, I was told a police report was filed in regards to the malicious damage caused to the sanctuary's water pipes. The more this lawsuit drags on, the more folks are finally seeing the former directors' true colors. Finally!! Now everyone is seeing what I saw for the last 4 years!!!
Good news is the sanctuary was able to work out a plan to keep water in the sanctuary's water storage tanks until permanent new pipes can be laid down. Also, the power was on again last night, so the monkeys got their heat -- thanks to the hard work of the construction staff.
Meanwhile the sanctuary's first-ever TV commercial is set to air on Thursday, 2.18.10at 5:00am! I am so excited for the animals -- this is their big chance to shine!
I've also added a few of the event photos to the sanctuary's website so folk can take a peek at a few of the animals we hope the public will support. Baby steps!
[Present Day: Below is the email sent to Nicole, the director, regarding the electricity issue]:
And here is a letter from the Asvestas' attorney "threatening" to cut the utility lines. Noticed how the Asvestas waited until the WAO's Valentine Day event to carry out their "treat:"From: waonicole@hotmail.com
To: elizabeth.c.pannill@aphis.usda.gov
Subject: RE: Heat and Water
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:38:53 -0600
Dr. Pannill,
They are harrassing us and this is untrue. We invite you out to visit. Dont know what else I can tell you. We have an actual electrical line and water.
Thank you
Nicole Garcia
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To: nicole.garcia@...
Subject: Heat and Water
From: Elizabeth.C.Pannill@aphis.usda.gov
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:54:06 -0600
Nicole,
Your Dad called me this morning to let me know that he does not think the cages up near their house have heat. He said that you all may have run extenstion cords but where you plugged them into may not be "Hot ".
You might want to make sure that the extension cords are working.
Please email or call me and let me know when you have working power and electricity .
Also you will be receiving a letter from the office concerning the date of April 1st when the perimeter fence at Tally Road MUST be completerd.
I have talked to the office to allow you to have til April 1st to get the fence completed. I'm afraid if that deadline is not met then the fines from past violations will be go into effect.
Dr. Pannill
Real nice, huh?
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The Animals have Star Power
Well, today a local television station came out to take footage of the animals. The new director was in Austin, so I filled in for her. The camera man took some really good shots of the animals and so needless to say, I am really excited to see the finished product!
The day started off with rain and at the sanctuary, sleet. The filming was to take place in the afternoon, so needless to say I was worried the rain would continue throughout the shoot. I asked God for a 3-hour rain break so the shooting could take place without interruption. When the cameraman arrived, it was still sprinkling. As I took him around for a mini-tour we noticed the rain stopped! For three hours it did not rain! Of course the rain resumed once I returned home. God really loves the sanctuary's animals!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
A Miracle is Needed
I have been so busy, I don’t know if I am coming or going and as a result I am falling behind in my blog postings!
First exciting news – I visited the second site with the volunteer vet and his assistant two weeks ago ( I may have blogged this already). It was exciting to see Sabu (who remembered me!), Sachimo, and Jinx again. I really missed the animals living at the 100+ acre property. I was sad to see the condition the 20 bears were living in – such small 10x10 cages where the concrete shelter took up more than ½ of the enclosure space. I can’t wait to see them move into the larger areas once they are complete. I have got to find the funding to make this happen!
First exciting news – I visited the second site with the volunteer vet and his assistant two weeks ago ( I may have blogged this already). It was exciting to see Sabu (who remembered me!), Sachimo, and Jinx again. I really missed the animals living at the 100+ acre property. I was sad to see the condition the 20 bears were living in – such small 10x10 cages where the concrete shelter took up more than ½ of the enclosure space. I can’t wait to see them move into the larger areas once they are complete. I have got to find the funding to make this happen!
The volunteer veterinarian is from a local research facility (he volunteered to be a consultant on primate issues) and before we went to the second property, we toured the first property so his assistant could see the animals. Now she is hooked! She and her co-worker want to volunteer on a regular basis. Anyhoo, since the vet’s car was low to the ground, I suggested we take my truck. Now picture this, my messy truck, with a cracked windshield transporting the vet’s assistant in the front and the vet riding in the back of the truck…and the weather was in the lower 40’s. The vet was such a trooper! It turned out to be an all-day affair because we were having such a great time meeting the all animals.
Next news – I was able to arrange the sanctuary’s first-ever television commercial. Taping starts tomorrow morning at the tour facility! I am so excited!! Finally, the animals are going to be stars and boy do they deserve the attention. Next week the commercials airs – I cannot wait to see the animals’ debut!
I also participated one day at the local stock show and rodeo event. I think I did a very good job, if I say so myself. It would have been a great event, except the person who was supposed to relieve me was over 1 ½ hours late! Since I was the only one working the booth for the day, I was unable to leave the table for very long, which meant I was unable to use the “facilities” for 12 hours! I barely made it home without an accident. Sadly, my dogs were unable to hold it for 12 hours and so I came home to “dog lakes.” The person who was supposed to relieve me left work at to travel to the coliseum to relieve me. At around , a voice message was left on my work phone (??? – yeah, as if I was at work) saying the employee was “lost.” Finally, when she arrived at , I had given up hope for relief and decided to pack up and leave even though we were not supposed to leave until the event closed at . Needless to say, I was not a happy camper.
The juvenile community service restitution program is in full swing! The kids got a lot of work done so far after just two visits. Last weekend we mulched 3 tiger enclosures and removed brush and old enclosure panels from the touring path. The place is looking so much better. This weekend we plan to finish our mulching project and remove weeds and overgrown grasses from the touring trail. The Valentine tour will be held on Sunday, so I want to make sure the place looks really good!
I continue to make the primate “enrichment” toys (a paper mache balls containing peanuts donated by Roadhouse, dried fruit, rice cakes, and animal crackers) for the animals – this time I’m using red and pink paper for Valentine’s Day.
I produced my 2nd on-line newsletter last week. I only have a small amount of e-mail address, but I think I’m making some progress in letting folks know about the sanctuary accomplishments. http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=c95107a9f0dc5a47c9dca4cc7&id=3fb1056ba3
I’m working on getting Bubba, the white tiger, free pancreas (if the vet decides he needs this for good health) and free bones for all the big cats from a local meat processor. Who would have thought I would ever call a meat packing plant.
The things I do for the animals, huh?
Sad to report that a primate who lost one of his fingers in a fight with another primate was put to sleep due to what the vet believes to be a serious tetanus infection. The primate's name was Brodie and he died on January 29, 2010. I was told the male long-tailed macaque was very sick and the vet recommended euthanasia.
I was told by the new director that all animals are cremated by a cremation company outside of town. I feel so much better knowing they are not put out with the trash and taken to a dumping ground like the other directors did for the deceased animals.
The director is also thinking about putting Mindy, the black spotted leopard to sleep because she has what the vet believes to be a cancerous growth in her uterus. The former directors allowed the growth to grow very large – when she’s walking the growth is not scraping the ground, but when she lays down, it rubs unnaturally and it developed some sores. When I saw Mindy, I saw the large growth, but I could not see any sores, but then Mindy was at the back of the enclosure.
The new director planned on having Mindy put to sleep this Thursday, but I just heard today Mindy was doing better on the medication she was given by the new vet. I was told the new director was not getting her hopes up yet – she doesn’t want to put the leopard to sleep because she helped raise Maverick and Mindy from cub-hood (they were born at the WAO – something the former director never told me) 17 years ago. I am so worried about Maverick because if Mindy is put to sleep, I think he will go down hill fast as he will be all alone at the second property. Sadly, the animal caretakers will only be able to interact with him during feeding and cleaning before they move onto the next enclosure. Maverick and Mindy used to live at the tour facility until 2004 and then they were moved with the surviving jaguar (now dead) to the second property.
The big event is going to be on March 27 at the touring facility. A local radio station will host a rock ‘n roll party during the lunch hour, giving out prizes and free hotdogs & drinks to the touring visitors. All tours will be $2 for adults and children and assuming we get enough items, we will also hold an auction and a rummage sale.
I was able to work out the radio station deal – there will be continuous advertising during the week, leading up to party day. I just pray all this hard work will pay off.
I plan to continue my door-to-door campaign. I just got to get the word about the animal sanctuary before it’s too late.
For you see, the sanctuary is not doing financially well. I believe the coffers may be empty.
I was told the new director and a board member had an appointment with the bank to see if they could obtain a loan for the sanctuary, to help them get through the winter. On the morning of the appointment, the director called the board member only to learn he was intoxicated. The appointment was cancelled and rescheduled. Last week they went to the bank only to learn the sanctuary could refinance the current loans, but were unable to obtain a loan at this time. The new director put together a business talking paper for the bank and tomorrow the same board member will meet with the bank representatives so as to obtain a lower interest rate on the current loans (vehicles and equipment).. I spent a couple of hours today reviewing the paper because I wanted to make sure she put her best effort forward in order to gain favor from the bank. The director is unable to attend the bank meeting as she will be in Austin, visiting the Texas OAG. I believe she is interested in obtaining records under the Public Information Act. I pray the board member makes the appointment sober, so the sanctuary can benefit from a lower monthly loan payment.
I am working on a couple of grants for the sanctuary, but unfortunately the award will not be several months down the road, assuming of course we even get the award. So, I am praying really hard for a miracle. The animals could really, really use a miracle right now.
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