A Most Difficult Day

 Today will undoubtedly be a most difficult day for the new director. Let me explain – as you may recall in my previous posting, one of the animal caretakers is pregnant and she plans to return home to have the baby. The employee submitted her two week notice and this week is her last week with the sanctuary. I was told the following events occurred early Monday morning.
The soon-to-be departing employee was supposed to report to the non-touring facility as she was scheduled to work at this facility for the week. Two animal caretakers must work together at all times for safety reasons, and since one of the animal caretakers at this facility was out (her day off), the other schedule employee was expecting the departing employee to arrive.

When she failed to show up for work, the worker called the new director asking whether or not the employee plans to work that day. The new director called the missing employee and was told by the soon-to-be departing employee that she decided to work at the touring facility for her last week. The new director told her she needed to report to the non-touring property because animal caretakers, as a minimum, must work in pairs. The employee, questioning the new director, asked if someone else from the touring facility could go in her place. The new director told her no, she was the one scheduled for the week, and unless she planned to resign that day, she needed to go to the property. The employee told her she was going to the property

The new director, thinking the issue was resolved, was surprised to receive a phone call from the employee waiting at the second property – apparently, the soon-to-be departing employee called her and asked if she could manage without her for the day as she planned to stay at the touring facility! The director at this point was forced to confront the employee in person, wanting to know why she called the other employee when she knew she had to report to the other property. The employee apparently let off on a tirade about how the new director hated the employees, did not care about the animals citing the bears at the other property living in the small quarantine cages (which the old directors put them in since 2003); how the new director spent $80k on a new printer when the animals were not receiving the vitamins and minerals they needed; etc. The employee brought up the issue about not allowing the workers to publish the animal stories after they were told to write the stories up for the web. The new director apparently tried to explain that the animal stories needed to be reviewed to ensure consistency between what is said on tour, what was written, the accuracy of both, and the stories may need to be approved by the board before they are posted because it may be considered as “news stories.”

Even I was surprised about the new printer when I first saw it, but when I learned it was leased (with an option to buy) and it would cut out the cost of the professional printer (which runs about $300,000 annually), I believed it was a good idea to purchase as (1) they need a printer to print brochures, fliers, newsletters, etc, and (2) they don’t have to worry about having to make payment arrangements with the current printer as the sanctuary already owes the owner a lot of money. The sanctuary director is looking at long term big picture as to ways the sanctuary can save money . Since the workers are not privy to all the financial decisions, they should speak to the director before making allegations—this is clearly a communication problem.

I did inquire about the missing vitamin and mineral powder. When I asked about the powder I learned both sites did not have any powder mix for the last two week or more. So I asked the director on the status of the powder and was told the vet switched the sanctuary to a new powder. Due to the critical financial situation, the ordering was put-off until they had the money to purchase. I was told the powder has since been ordered (120 lbs total) for both properties. I did let the new director know that if she ever ran out of powder again, to let me know and I would find a way to pay for the powder. I did not want the animals to eat chicken without the powder mix.

I asked the animal caretakers at the second site what type of meat the animals were eating. I was told that for several weeks they were only eating chicken! This was a surprise to me because the touring facility animals were eating a combination of red meat and chicken. I was told Thor, one of the tigers, was having some difficulty eating the chicken, but he was eating the chicken. I spoke to the director about my findings and was told that she was not aware of the red meat situation. She told me the workers never called her to let her know they ran out of red meat. The workers claimed they send an email explaining the situation and the director said she did not see this email.

So, to help with the communication process, I suggested the workers contact the new director to let her know of the meat situation via telephone and then following up with an email. I sent this e-mail last week to the workers and thus far the workers have not called the director and they have not responded to my email.

Meanwhile, the Wal-mart meat program is in full swing! On March 29, 2010, the first delivery of Wal-mart meat arrived! I asked if some of the red meat could be sent out to Thor. The new director did not know what types of meat arrived, but she said she would check to see if there was red meat that could be sent out to him.

But I digress from the original story. So, the soon-to-be departing employee went to the second property, complaining all the way. The other employee at the other property allegedly told the director that she complained about situation for most of the day. Oh joy.

So, the new director decided to move up the employee’s resignation date for today instead of waiting for the end of the week. This will no doubt spur the other animal care divas to voice their discontentment.

What is sad is these workers spend so much time complaining, they do not properly clean up the animal areas. It really bugs me when the animal caretakers leave old decaying meat in the animal enclosures; or how about leaving animal poop in clear view for tours on top of the concrete shelter box; or how about leaving cat liter boxes overflowing with feces left out in plain view for tours to see? The workers complain how they are so overworked, but they fail to clean out used cat cages (you should see the mess they left behind in the old clinic—they actually put cats in this old falling down building, contaminated with rat feces, and then forgot about them as I found the cats in this building with barely any water, very little food, empty dried out cat food cans, and the litter boxes overflowing with feces. This made me so angry and when the director found out the workers stashed cats in this building, she had them removed. But did the workers remove the animal cages and cleaned them out thoroughly so they can be used again elsewhere? You guessed it – nope. It is my opinion; these workers do not like to actually do any physical labor. The sanctuary needs new animal caretakers willing to care for ALL the animals, big and small, and willing to be part of a team to make sure all tasks are done, even if it means they stay a little longer (especially after special events) to make sure the place is clean and ready for inspection/tours either by the USDA or by visitors wanting to see the animals. These workers have an amazing chance to care for animals that cannot care for themselves and make a difference in the community. Instead they squandered this chance because they are, in my opinion, lazy. So will I be sad to see the divas leave?

Later: Turns out the departed employee decided to take a final shot at the new director by voicing her complaints--complaints that were for the most part out of the director's hands due to lack of funds (ie. the vitamin enriched meat). One comment the former employee allegedly made to the board president is that she planned to tell the board memeber who lives in Florida he frequently arrives at the sanctuary drunk. Funny she waits to say this to the board member as she departs and not while she was still employed. Anyway, this just caused more upheval during the time when everyone should be pulling together. By my estimates, if the sanctuary does not receive a lot of donations very soon, the sanctuary may have to close its doors forever. When will the workers wake up and do everything they can to save the animals?

What a Crazy Weekend

The sanctuary held its first open house in many years. A local radio station brought out their party tent, prize spinning wheel, prizes, and one of the local radio personalities hosted the event.

Unfortunately, the new director was unable to attend due to family emergency, so that left one employee and I in charge of making sure the grounds were clean, gift shop was clean, rummage table set-up, and volunteers ready to greet the visitors. It looks like the sanctuary earned about $1200 total for the day – not too bad considering the tickets were just $2 per person. That means approximately 350 people came out to see the animals.

The reason why the sanctuary only charged $2 per ticket was to draw in people living nearby to see the animals. Most of the people who attended never even knew the sanctuary existed and were very surprised to see so many tigers close-up. The event was also a publicity tactic to put a wonderful face on the sanctuary after the past reports leading up to the former directors’ departure. I am really concerned that once the OAG report comes out, laying out all the findings, attendance and donations may dramatically decrease. Right now is the time to show the people the animals are thriving and doing well – not when the report finally comes out. Rumor has it the OAG plans to levy a fine of $25k against the sanctuary, mainly due to the actions and inactions of the board.

Anyhoo, the event itself went great! The visitors seemed to have a great time. Three tours were going at the same time with about 20+ visitors per tour guide. This event ran from 10am – 4pm. The first tour had a few folks, but by the time KONO showed up, the place was “rock’n.” The event theme was “Rock n’ Roll” Party at the [sanctuary’s name].

Okay, now the downside. The juvenile probationers caused a few problems, talking trash in front of guests, wearing “crack” jeans (jeans hanging half way down the boys backsides), wearing hats backwards, etc. Management received complaints from guests about these boys, which made me reevaluate their use at these events. In the future they can help set-up the function and clean-up at the end, but they cannot be present for the event unless they pay for a ticket.

And the icing on the proverbial cake was the diva workers refusing to help clean-up after the event. Everyone was tired that day, no question about it, but instead of coming together, the workers decided to sit around while I and a volunteer broke down 15 rummage tables by ourselves. That meant sorting through 15 tables of non-sellable stuff, but them in bags, and placing the bags in my truck to be taken to Goodwill that evening. It took us almost two hours to breakdown the tables. Did the workers help us? Nope. They sat in the office, no doubt “bitching” about me because I had the audacity to ask for their assistance in putting away two cat cages. These cat cages had soiled newspaper lining, litter boxes, food scattered through out. When I started to clean out the cages, one of the volunteers (turned out to be the husband of one of the diva animal caretakers), turned to his wife and asked if it was okay to leave the mess inside the cages. The diva animal caretaker replied yeah it was okay because they would eventually put another animal in the cage!! OMG!! I told him no, we were going to clean the cages and then put them away. Then real loud I said, oh, look at all the urine on the paper” to which he responded I guess this one will need to be cleaned out. After I removed all the stuff from the cage, the diva’s husband loaded the cage in the gator. Then we walked over to the second cage. I started to remove the stuff from this cage when diva’s husband said you don’t have to remove the stuff. I told him yes, we do have to remove the stuff. Before I got the sentence out, diva’s husband spoke around me and asked the diva animal caretaker if we needed to the clean out the cage! Again, OMG! She said no, and when he said the animal caretaker said no, I told him I don’t care what she said, we are going to do things the right way. That is when he yelled at me, “fine you can clean the damn thing out by yourself,” walked over to the gator and sped off, leaving the second cage behind. Okay, it’s not like he helped me clean out the first cage or anything – all he had to do was load the empty cage into the gator! Good thing I did clean out the cage because there was dried up throw-up at the rear of the cage. And to think, the diva animal caretakers thought it was okay to leave animal cares in a messy state, and even scarier, reuse the messy cage for either sick or healthy animals! These ladies need to read USDA guidelines regarding animal care. In my personal opinion, these ladies are lazy and really do not care about the animals living at the sanctuary. They care more about “looking good” than the health and welfare of the animals and this scares me greatly.

Another example: the divas placed a chocolate Labrador puppy in what used to be a bird enclosure on tour, along with another dog up for adoption. During the course of the event, the puppy dug his way out of the enclosure. The enclosure was located in between a tiger and bear enclosure! I put the puppy back, covered the hole with very large rocks, and notified an animal caretaker of the digging, suggesting that he be placed somewhere else as he may dig out again. Sure enough, a minute later, the puppy was out again! He had dug another hole in the soft dirt and fled the cage. This time I asked the animal caretaker to place him somewhere else because he could not stay in this cage. By the way the diva animal caretaker tossed the puppy into the used and not cleaned out marmoset enclosure which was empty for about two months, I could tell she was pissed that I had to tell her to put the puppy into a different enclosure. What’s worse, the puppy received no water or food in this filthy cage (animal droppings were easily seen in the bottom of this cage). Sometime during the late afternoon, someone put the puppy back into the same enclosure where he kept escaping from!!! And sure enough, just as the volunteer and I were wrapping up our clean-up effort, there goes the puppy running towards to bear enclosure! While the volunteer was trying to round up the puppy, I ran inside to get one of the divas to help us contain the dog. This time, the diva scooped up the puppy and placed the puppy in the used cat cage which I emptied and the volunteer and I lugged up to the office. Why did we place the empty cat cage in the office instead of the warehouse? Simple – the divas in a fit of spite, knowing the volunteer and I were still cleaning up, locked up the warehouse so we could not finish putting up chairs, tables, cat cage, and miscellaneous items the sanctuary could use from the rummage sale! Can you believe how childish these so-called adults can be towards people who actually know the meaning of the words “hard work” and “integrity?”

So, the last I saw of the puppy, he was in the cat cage, located in the office, laying on what looked like to be plastic covering with a water bowl with water splashed all over the enclosure. I didn’t see any dog food for the puppy.

Later that evening, the diva’s husband, without authority from the director, in a fit of defiance, posted animal stories to the sanctuary’s web site. The uploaded pages were horrible! Links that went no where and pages that contained gross inaccuracies were posted to the site. When I discovered their little defiant act against me, I immediately notified the director. Why do I and the director think this was an act of rebellion against me? Simple, the diva animal caretaker knew I was now working the web pages and on the day of the open house she wanted me to know that her husband was this great webmaster and that he was redesigning the sanctuary’s site. I told her great, he and I would need to sit down together because I have ideas on how I would like to see the layout of the website. This statement did not go over well with the diva as her face hardened and she stalked away! So, I have reason to believe the diva and her husband were trying to make a point that they still “owned” the website and posted the horrible pages as their way of getting back at me. Needless to say, the new director told me to take down the pages immediately, which I did. Unfortunately, a lot of people saw these pages before they were removed from the web site. The new director told me she sent me an email to all employees they could not post anything to the website without her authorization. This email spurred a lengthy email spouting out excuses as to why he thought it was okay to post material to the website without any permission.

In the meantime, on Saturday, another macaque was injured from a fall (the cage tops are extremely high and if the primate fights or slips from the top of the enclosure, it could cause serious injury or death). In this case, the primate was having trouble moving his limbs and supposedly the vet was supposed to come out Monday to check on the primate. I have a feeling the two animal caretakers did not express to the vet the seriousness of the injury and what is worse, they never notified the new director of the incident. The new director happened to walk into the warehouse and found one of the workers sitting on the ground with the dying macaque in her arms. The macaque was vocalizing and was able to move his head. When the director saw this, she said she told the worker she did not like what she was seeing – for you see, the workers are not allowed to handle the macaques, especially when they are not wearing the quarantine gear. The macaque died on Monday, March 29, 2010. For at least two days the primate was allowed to suffer without any vet care. The new director is at a loss as to what to do at this point. With several of the workers acting out causing problems for the organization, it makes it very difficult for her to effectively fundraise for the animals.

Update on the second pregnant worker – she turned in her two week notice. One less diva working at the sanctuary. I met the new animal caretaker and she seems nice. Needless to say, the other workers were mad because no one informed them of the new animal caretaker selection! One of the divas took it upon herself to send a chiding email to the director, demanding an explanation. As if!

This was one crazy weekend…

Making A Run for It

It appears the former directors are planning to make a run for it! Today, I saw this ad on-line for the local newspaper:

HUGE MOVING SALE: Starts at 8 am till dark; Saturday and Sunday, March 27th and 28th

Refrigerator, Apt Size fridges, Clothes, Ornaments, Bedroom, Living Room, Kitchen Furniture, Office Furniture and Equipment (Cubicles, Chairs, Copier etc) Pool Table, Fuse Ball Table, Gazebo (needs assembly) 2 ATV's (Projects, Sand Rail, Frame and Accessories), Ice Chests, 12' Picnic Table, Collectibles: Old Records, Old Pictures and Doll Collection, Elvis Figurine Collection and lots more.

Electronics, DVD Players, Amplifiers, Speakers, Mixers, Key Boards and More.

YOU NAME IT WE HAVE IT! COME BY AND SEE WHAT WE HAVE.

The male director is the owner of this ad and what a coincidence - they are having this "huge moving sale" on the same day as the sanctuary's big open house.

I believe the former directors are planning on selling sanctuary property (picnic table, bedroom, living room, kitchen, and office furniture, office equipment, cubicles, chairs, copier, etc). I'm willing to bet they don't even have a city permit to sell this stuff.

Which begs the question, when and where are the directors moving? Since they are selling all their possessions, it makes me wonder if they are planning on skipping the country. I guess only time will tell.

Drama and Finances

I am still saddened by the death of Jasmine the tiger. When I asked one of the workers what happened to her, he seemed rather hesitant to share details as we were around others. He mentioned a couple of names, but that was all the details given.

The employee drama continues at the sanctuary. One animal caretaker walked off the job last week because she allegedly refused to provide her work restrictions to the director. This employee, a young single lady, was pregnant and she decided to keep the baby. Needless to say, the office required the doctor’s work restrictions so as not to violate the doctor’s orders pertaining to the employee’s work limitations.

There is a rumor that another single female employee is pregnant by one of the single male workers—whom she apparently argues with often. Now both workers are supposedly leaving the sanctuary to go back home to be with family. The new director is stressed out from all the workers’ “drama and childish games.” How did the new director find out that the two employees were leaving? From Facebook, of all places!

The new director welcomed my offer to help her write a job announcement for two separate positions so as to help her recruit quality employees, so I guess I will get started on both position announcements.

Sadly, all this is happening right before the Big Open House on Saturday, March 27, 2010! I keep praying for excellent weather and lots of people. My biggest fear right now is that it will rain and no one will show up.

The radio commercials are running this week and lots of fliers were given out regarding this BIG event.   The web site statistics are still running strong as there have been a lot of people hitting the sanctuary’s website.

I’ve been updating the web site often, putting up fresh and new text/pictures of folks to read/see. It takes about 2 hours just to get a webpage just right with all the links working properly! Good news is the former directors have been laying low for the last couple of weeks, but I have a feeling they are up to something—perhaps they are planning on ruining the Saturday event? I don’t know, but I am keeping my eyes and ears opened for any rumors or strange web postings.

Last week, Spring Break, the web site received a lot of traffic! And the tour guides were slammed with tours, taking folks around (20+ per tour) for about six hours each. That left only two hours to clean and feed the animals. But I believe it was worth it because instead of making only $200 per day, the sanctuary made $1,000 per day! Next Spring Break I plan to go all out and advertise this event! Spring Break would have been a great time to have folks come out and visit the animals. This year we simply were not ready.

It took forever to clean the grounds this year, removing a mountain of dead brush, fixing the fences, mulching the animal enclosures, and landscape. Now we are ready, and next years should be an even better year for the animals & staff.

Thank goodness a group of local high school student showed up last Saturday to help prepare the grounds. It was raining earlier that day and I honestly thought there would only be the juvenile probationers available to help me. Fortunately, the juveniles and the high school students showed up and boy did we kick butt! The grounds look a zillion times better now due to the hard work and I can never thank them enough for all their hard work!

Now, more drama – last week the sanctuary needed to open a new bank account with a different bank so IFAW funds could be deposited. The board president went to the bank to open the account, but instead of establishing a new account, he was asked to leave the bank and never to return (he was banned from the bank). Apparently, he got very upset with one of the bank officers when this person asked for sanctuary financial papers so as to establish a legitimate account. When he started hooting and a hollering security was called and he was asked to leave the building and never return. Embarrassed, the new director went back to the bank to apologize and she was able to open an account with the bank. Needless to say, the new director is not happy with the sanctuary’s board president. This is just one of many major faux pas this director has made in conducting business for the sanctuary.

The money situation is dire—so far payroll this month was missed twice, causing employee some hardship (cell phone turned off etc). Apparently the workers are screening calls because the bill collectors are calling constantly. I believe some of the IFAW money will be used to pay off bills and the employees.

I just pray this event will help raise money for the animals this weekend. I don’t know where the sanctuary will get the money if folks simply do not donate…

Joan Byron-Marasek Wants A Grand Jury to Investigate Me!

As promised, here are the documents submitted by Joan Bryon-Marasek and Lilac Alfke. What can I say about these two “whack-jobs?” Joan knew full well I never was in cahoots with Ron and Carol Asvestas because she was reading my blog up until I cut public access once Carol discovered the existence of the blog. Joan knew exactly what I was up against and she knew I had the evidence to prove it.

Joan Byron-Marasek and Lilac Alfke Statements to OAG - 080409

Every day, up until I cut-off the public blog access, I watched Joan enter and peruse the contents of my blog by way of my web tracking program. So for Joan to send this piece of cr*p to the Texas OAG, Greg Abbott, is simply libel.    She wanted a Grand Jury to investigate me and for a court to prosecute me!  Me???  Unbelievable.

Oh, and then there’s Lilac Alfe. What she wrote was a complete farce! How anyone can write this piece of fiction with a straight face is beyond me.

Well, my Internet and paper case records speak for itself. Both Joan and Lilac’s libel statements were proven wrong and thus far, neither person had the courage to apologize to me for making this ludicrous statements or to the OAG for wasting their time with their garbage submitted on August 4, 2009. At this point, I pray I never hear from either of these two "people" ever again.

Anyhoo, here is my response to the OAG regarding the false statements made against my person:

From: Kristina Brunner

To: James Anthony ; christopher.krhovjak@oag.state.tx.us
Sent: Saturday, July 10, 2010 3:37 PM
Subject: ASUS/WAO - Statement to File

VIA E- MAIL :

TO: james .anthony@oag.state.tx.us
CC: christopher.krhovjak@oag.state.tx.us

July 10, 2010

Please accept this memorandum to file in response to Ms. Joan Byron-Marasek and Lilac Alfke’s statements previously submitted to your Office. The information contained herein pertains to my original complaint regarding alleged Animal Welfare Action violations and misappropriation of funds perpetrated by the non-profit 501 (c) (3) tax exempt organization’s owners/operators of the Animal Sanctuary of the United States, d/b/a Wild Animal Orphanage (WAO); f/k/a the Primate Sanctuary of the U.S. (PSUS), f/k/a the National Sanctuary for Retired Research Primates (NSRRP), f/k/a The San Antonio Wildlife Emergency Centre, f/k/a Primate Sanctuary of America ( PSA ); f/k/a Chimp Aid; f/k/a Cat Haven; and f/k/a Feral Cat Rehabilitation Center and Whisker’s and Wag’s Humane Society.

I am in possession of the “Certification of Lilac Alfke” dated July 2, 2009: Normally I do not respond to such false inflammatory comments made against me, but in light of questions received from a local reporter pertaining to this very same statement filed by Ms. Alfke, I felt it imperative I correct the record.

On October 6, 2002, I was asked by Ms. Carol Asvestas to prepare a “response” statement to allegations made by a former employee, Ms. Alfke. At the time of the request, I was a volunteer, not an employee, who volunteered about 2.5 hours per week at the Leslie Road facility. My main function was to help clean the animals’ water bowels and tend to the landscaping. At no time did Ms. Alfke discuss any problems she had with the Asvestas or with animal care with me. I was not even aware Ms. Alfke left the WAO until asked to respond to her October 2002 statement.

When I read over Ms. Alfke allegations against the WAO, in Ms. Asvestas presence, I told her that most of my responses would reflect that I had no knowledge of the events mentioned since I was just a weekend volunteer. She told me that’s okay, do the best as I could because Ms. Alfke was determined to harm the WAO’s reputation and Ms. Asvestas required my assistance in countering her claims. I was told by Ms. Asvestas that Ms. Alfke was no longer employed at the WAO for cause. She did not go into detail why she terminated Ms. Alfke’s employment; just that she was now a disgruntled employee out to hurt the WAO’s reputation. She briefly told me Ms. Alfke was testifying in the New Jersey 24-tiger custody case (that was how it was described to me at that time) for the defense. I was not aware of the names of the individuals involved in the case, nor did I learn the specifics of the case until the animals arrived in San Antonio. Again, at that time I was only a weekend volunteer, not an employee, not a board member nor in any position of authority at the WAO. I simply cleaned water bowls, kept the grounds clean and worked on the landscape.

At the time I made the rebuttal statement, I was absolutely truthful in my reporting. I did not conspire with Ms. Asvestas regarding my responses. I did not perjured myself by responding to the allegations made by Ms. Alfke in my certification statement, as I honestly believed the information contained in the document to be true and correct at the time.

On December 15, 2008, Ms. Alfke contacted me through a third party, wishing to discuss the case with me. From December 15, 2008 to on/about January 14, 2008, Ms. Alfke was most interested in helping me with the WAO case. Ms. Alfke’s provided me with backup documentation supporting my claim of alleged misappropriation of funds and violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

During the first week of January 2008, I invited Ms. Alfke and her mother to my home to discuss the WAO case for she had some documents and pictures she wanted to share with me. During the course of our conversation, we discussed what happened to her in 2002. Needless to say, Ms. Alfke’s account of what transpired at the WAO was eye opening. I told her that I was asked to write a rebuttal statement, along with Mary and Michelle Reininger. I briefly described a couple of responses which I made in my rebuttal statement and I could tell at this point our conversation was not sitting well with Ms. Alfke. She became increasing upset when I mentioned that a local television reporter may be interested in interviewing us together and that the reporter asked me if Ms. Alfke had a criminal record. The reporter only asked the question because several of WAO’s past employees had criminal records on file. I told the reporter that there was criminal history on file at the courthouse, but she would need to discuss the details with Ms. Alfke. Ms. Alfke did not like my answer that I gave the reporter, fearing her past history may prevent her from opening her own wild animal sanctuary called Skies of Zion Animal Sanctuary. She was also adamant that, knowing what I know now, I should correct my rebuttal statement and send it to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) immediately.

I explained to her that (1) her criminal history was on file for anyone to see at the Bexar County Courthouse; and (2) I did not believe it was a good idea for me to rewrite my statement because at the time (2002) I believed the information provided was true and correct.

We discussed at length how the Asvestas and other WAO employees mischaracterized our reputations once we filed our allegations with the authorities. I advised Ms. Alfke to put aside her concerns regarding “what other people think” of us since the truth of the situation was finally coming out and at the end of the day our reputations would be restored [at least that was what I was praying for!].

I believed the issue regarding the rebuttal response statement had been settled after our conversation. I was wrong. On January 9, 2008, I received the following email from Ms. Alfke:
 

lalfke@yahoo.com wrote:

Thank you for the OAG info and thank you for coming forward with the truth about Carol manipulating you all into making those horribly slanderous statements about me. It breaks my heart to know that people can so easily do such terrible things to a person trying to stand up and do what's right and without thinking twice about how damaging that is to someones life, reputation and career. I am very saddened to know that everyone so easily went along with the hateful, horrendous lies she perpetuated about me and how quickly I was thrown under the bus. Not to mention the fact that it was a multiple occurrence that I was slandered and thrown under the bus. That's just one more reason why I'd rather work with animals than people. I am truly saddened by it all, but I know that in the end when all is said and done, there is going to be accountability for everything whether it is this lifetime or the the next. Knowing that...is the only thing that brings me comfort and peace about this whole situation.

I responded with:

Kristina Brunner ; kbrunner@... ; wrote:

You are most welcome, Lilac!


Looking back, I now realize the WAO's atmosphere is very cult-like. Brain washing and manipulation is a common theme at the facility. At least you are in good company, as I too, have been "thrown under the bus" - by people I considered my friends. Good news is investigators are not buying what they are saying about us any more and open records gives us to see what they are saying, thereby allowing us to counter their "claims."

Don't take what people said in the past personally - everything happened for a reason...k

Again, I thought the issue was over, until I received this email:

From: lalfke@yahoo.com
To: Kristina Brunner
Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2008 6:09 PM
Subject: Re: AG Investigator

Thank you again! Did the OAG ever give you a chance or even ask you for clarification about those statements made about me seeing as how some of the statements made were signed off by you? I guess I am just hoping that you were able to explain that the statements made about me were false and that my name was cleared for the record. It would be great if that was clarified so I don't have to continually defend myself; so that in the future, if those terrible lies surface again, I have someone with credibility that can clear my name of the false accusations made. The only one that can or could do that is you, considering everyone else is still in cahoots with Carol. At least you didn't really have to worry about anyone seriously second guessing your credibility, unlike myself. With these lies being available via public records, it makes me wonder if I will have to deal with this topic again in the future. I'm sure you can understand my concern. Do you think I am going to have to fight that battle now that things are truly surfacing? Can I count on you to verify the truth on my behalf? I can't have those terrible lies interfering with me trying to obtain my goals and dreams.
-Lilac

I was surprised to read this email since we already discussed, in person, my reasons for not submitting a rebuttal to my “rebuttal” statement. I figured she would forget about this issue if I changed the subject, but alas I was mistaken:

lalfke@yahoo.com wrote:

Hi! I must admit, you not responding to my last email is not sitting well with me. If I am suppose to trust you, then I need to know that you are willing to right your wrongs too. I need to know that if and when this whole case finally ends up in court, you will do the right thing and clear my name. I need you to tell that reporter (which should have asked ME about my past to begin with) that you misinformed her. It may seem like harmless lies to you but I take everything having to do with my passion in life (the animals) very seriously. It hurt me to the core to hear those lies because when it came to my job at the WAO, I was 110% dedicated to those animals and making sure I was doing the very best job I could do for them. I do not take having my character attacked lightly, especially when it has to do with something I love with all my heart and soul. You know that you are the only one that can come forward and clear my name of those lies. I have to know before I have anything else to do with helping you, that you will offer me your support and retraction about the false statements made and used to discredit me as Joan's witness and as an employee at the WAO. If you are truly a woman of faith as you proclaim, you will do what is right. I want to believe you and work with you but right now I need to know that I can absolutely trust you. With no response to my last questions...I am starting to doubt that I can. I have been threw enough because of the Asvestas's , I am praying that you are not trying to deceive me too. – Lilac

Thinking it best we discuss this over the phone, I asked her to call me. On January 11, 2008, Ms. Alfke sent me this email:

From: lalfke@yahoo.com
To: Kristina Brunner
Sent: Friday, January 11, 2008 10:16 PM
Subject: Re: Joe Fury

Sorry I didn't get to call. I've been out with the family all day, I'm beat. I have to be up early tomorrow so I'm going to call it a night. Me and the family are going to be busy this weekend, trying to have a little quality fun time before school starts again next week and we hardly see each other. I will call you on Monday though, we really should talk, after all we are essentially fighting the same fight. Talk to you Monday, try to have a good weekend.

-Lilac

We discussed the situation once again the following week. I explained to her again that the OAG did not even have a copy of my 2002 rebuttal statement on file as part of her complaint package against the WAO and therefore there was no need to “correct” the record. I told her the OAG never even asked me about her or her past experiences. I also told her that at the time I made the statement I believed what I wrote to be true and correct to the best of my knowledge. I suggested if she wanted to “correct” the records, she should write a letter to the OAG, but that it probably was not necessary since the event took place so long ago and so much new evidence has been obtained and submitted to the OAG.

Ms. Alfke told me she was very hurt that I would not “correct” the record for her and that she could no longer trust me. It was at that point, we stopped corresponding with one another.

In my opinion, Ms. Alfke was more interested in getting me to write a letter to the OAG so as to clear “her name,” rather than pursue justice for the WAO animals.

Ms. Alfke was again brought up my “credibility” in her July 2, 2009 “statement” by claiming an email that I sent her on June 19, 2009 was “unsupported, inflammatory propaganda.” The email in question was the same email I sent to the USDA/APHIS on June 19, 2009, so it should be available under FOIA. After sending the email to the USDA, I blind copied those closest to the case the same email. I must have inadvertently added Ms. Alfke’s name to the list for it was never my intention for her to see this email since she was no longer working with us.

Regardless, the information in the email was absolutely correct as I was provided with hard copy evidence regarding the settlement agreement; the same agreement which was discussed in the San Antonio Current’s magazine article written by Enrique Lopettegui titled “Animal Wrongs, “November 4-10 edition. The WAO entered into the settlement agreement in June 2009.. If Ms. Alfke had contacted me regarding this issue, I would have provided her proof regarding the contents of the email. A copy of the settlement agreement may be obtained by contacting the USDA/APHIS FOIA office. The individuals that received the June 2009 email already knew about the settlement agreement and was interested in what I sent the USDA/APHIS director regarding this subject , which was why I provided them a blind copy of the email.

Ms. Alfke made serious accusations against me and my character without providing any supporting documentation. I believe the July 2, 2009 statement was made in retaliation against me because I refused to “clear her name” in 2008.

As to Ms. Joan Byron-Marasek’s complaint filed with the Texas OAG—since her complaint was based primarily on the word of Ms. Alfke, it does not bear a response from me. Ms. Byron-Marasek and I never discussed the above listed events and therefore she is not in the position to question my thoughts, actions or integrity.

Thank you for including this statement to the ASUS/WAO file.

Kindest Regards,

Kristina Brunner

God Bless Jasmine

More sad news to report. Jasmine, one of the New Jersey tiger, died on 3.17.10 at Talley Road. She was approximately 16-17 years of age and she was the first tiger to die since the new director took over.

From what I understand, Jasmine was under the care of the new vet and on medication for an internal infection. Actual cause of death will not be determined as the vet is on vacation for 1.5 weeks and the sanctuary is unable to keep Jasmine's body in the freezer that long.   The new director is disappointed that a necropsy cannot be performed and is saddened by the loss of the tiger.  I pray Jasmine is in Heaven with the other sanctuary animals. She was a beautiful tiger and she will be missed.

It is days like this when I reflect upon the damage done to the New Jersey tigers--those who were kept in tiny prison-like cages for years on end without relief-- I can't get out of my mind the horrible little cages these animals were forced to live in for years on end.  It was muddy, smelly, simply disgusting.  I call these tigers the forgotten ones.  Forgotten because, once IFAW and the camera crews left the property, no one bother to build another large enclosure for the remaining NJ tigers. For about six years, several NJ tigers (and later on a cougar) lived in deplorable conditions.

Oh sure, the quarantine temporary quarters looked good in 2004, but what I saw last January, was simply appalling. What makes me so mad is that  when IFAW's representatives visited the WAO in 2006, they apparently never said word one to Carol Asvestas about the horrible tigers' living quarters.The main goal now is to get these cats out of these horrible tiny enclosures and into much large enclosures so they can finally run, play, and jump into pools!  They've waited long enough for their promised "spacious" enclosures, don't you think?

November 2003

January 2010
(See how small the cages are and notice no enrichment toys)

January 2010
This is how the tigers lived--prisoners of their own existence at the WAO)

God Bless Teaspoon

I have been very neglectful when it comes to writing in my blog. Case in point – last week, one of the Barbary macaques, Teaspoon passed away last week.

Mom, dad, and baby (Cinnamon, Teaspoon, and Jethro) were temporarily housed in quarantine cages until their home was repaired. One of the new policies is to run tests on tranquilized animals (such in this case moving them from their home to quarantine cages), so as to get baseline medical information on the animals. When the vet examined the primates, it was discovered that Jethro and Teaspoon were intact males. Amazingly, Jethro’s parents did not produce any offspring since their time with the sanctuary. In any case, both surgeries to “fix” the males went well until the sedation reversal medication was administered. Teaspoon, sadly, stopped breathing and the vet was unable to resuscitate him. A necropsy was completed and it was determined Teaspoon aspirated during his revival. Apparently, someone fed the primates before their surgeries and small bits of food entered Teaspoon's lungs, causing him to stop breathing.  I cannot understand why the workers fed him knowing that he was going to be sedated.  This is absolutely horrible news.

On Saturday, it was really strange not seeing Teaspoon sitting on his perch, looking for marshmallow handouts (a favorite treat for Jethro). Both Cinnamon and Jethro seemed subdued in their enclosure—no doubt wondering what happened to the "daddy".

During the grieving process, the work continued. I've been working hard to update the sanctuary’s website. My goal is to see 500 people visiting the site per day. Right now we are about half way there with more than 300 clicks around the site each day. The website really needed an overall update, with new information added, and the old stuff taken out (like stories of animals no longer alive at the sanctuary). It’s been taking some time, but the work is getting done. So far, I've added a directions page, a volunteer page (with down loadable volunteer application), I've modified the tour information to include tour costs, and I've been keeping the home page fresh with new material.

The third newsletter installment went out earlier this month, and we got a good response from it. I just wish more donations were sent to the sanctuary from the newsletter. I received the bad news today that the sanctuary was unable to make payroll last week due to lack of funds—no one got paid, including the new director. Good news is the facility is expecting a large check from IFAW which should help tremendously. The new director was not concerned as the sanctuary, under former management, missed payroll on more than one occasion. The employees expressed their support of the sanctuary and agreed to receive their paycheck (this and last weeks) this upcoming Friday. Still, I wish the sanctuary was financially stable so payroll can be paid on time.

The juvenile work crews performed admirably once again. I cannot get over how much better the sanctuary looks today! The weeds and dead brush have been removed and the place looks less gloomy and dead. Less than 14 days away until the big open house and there is still so much work that needs to be done! But, we are getting there—baby steps.

Last week I spoke with the magazine writer and he wants to do a follow-up story on the animals. I provided him with a list of positive changes and I sent him additional information, which no doubt he will see as part of his OAG open records request. I want him to learn that despite all the interference from the former directors, the sanctuary is making progress.

So, as I end this posting, I'd like to ask God to Bless Teaspoon in Heaven. He will be missed as he was a loved animal. God Bless you, Teaspoon...

Is this a News Story or a Sick Bulletin Board

On 3/1/2010 10:49:10 PM, [name of on-line newspaper editor] said:
Nice try, [female former director ] and Company.
We stand by our commentaries.
A commentary, by its very nature, often takes sides, especially against
corrupt organizations. Look it up. Look up ethical, while your at it.
Say "hi" to you pals Jim Beam and Johnnie Walker.
[name], Editor/Publisher http://[website].Com
(Below is the story [female director] is yakking about.)
Suicide Attempt?
'Lyin Queen' Overdoses On Pills, Booze…

On 3/2/2010 6:15:40 AM, Anonymous said:
More to follow
- Developing - more bullshit.

On 3/2/2010 10:50:15 AM, Anonymous said:
I recommend that anyone who feels that the lightning posts false stories should pull up the police reports that were filed with the "toxic ingestion" of a certain someone. Those do not lie. Look for the police reports.

On 3/2/2010 6:53:00 PM, Anonymous said:
It's commonnly known that the new [sanctuary] has been giving money to the [name of website]. Some might call his favoritism nothing more than paid commercials/advertisements.

On 3/2/2010 8:32:05 PM, Anonymous said:
Police are not cops silly. Why would I check a police report when she went to the hospital. I would check the hospital records. Oh, but patient doctor confidentiality doesn't allow that. So... Wow, you must have a very high IQ. NOT!!! Police reports to check on a persons health. You just made my day. LOL

On 3/2/2010 8:34:07 PM, Anonymous said:
Police are only health experts silly. Sorry about the typo. I just could not stop laughing. That is why I made the mistake. Don't make me laugh so much next time. ROTFLOL

On 3/2/2010 8:36:54 PM, Anonymous said:
Again I was laughing hard. "POLICE ARE NOT HEALTH EXPERTS" I think I finally got it. I think your stupidity is starting to be contagious. LOL

On 3/2/2010 8:38:37 PM, Anonymous said:
If I call the police, could they check on my health too?

On 3/2/2010 8:40:47 PM, Anonymous said:
I had a "toxic ingestion" reading the San Antonio Lightning! Should I file a police report?

On 3/3/2010 12:41:09 PM, Anonymous said:
You are the stupid one. Cops are involved at every "attempted suicide" call. And in this "toxic ingestion" call they were as well. oh i know that medical reports are private or the world would have known that only a few years ago, a certain someone (president) was attacked by a lion. oh, another lie that was never discovered huh? And she is stable enough to do anything. I think not. This is just to funny, this conversation, and the works. One question? Why were the cops involved and why did he leave?


You know, after reading this latest diatribe from the former directors and company, one has to wonder how this group of individuals could have EVER run a non-profit company.

On to more important news. I just finished the March 2010 newsletter edition. January – February 2010 newsletters were pretty good – yet I believe the March newsletter is awesome! The new director and one of the sanctuary’s board members are impressed with it too.  http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=c95107a9f0dc5a47c9dca4cc7&id=1c6afe50c3

Meanwhile, I don’t know if I previously reported the troubles ailing the current board of directors. A board meeting was called and two of the current members refused to attend as it was a call to request the resignation of the current Vice President. Right now, there are only four board members. Besides the VP not showing for the vote, it turns out the board member trying to take over the sanctuary was also a no-show. It is my understanding this board member and the new VP are working behind the scenes, trying to figure out how they can take over the organization and turn it into a “theme park.”

Sad to report, another Vervet (monkey) died yesterday. The new director suspects tetanus as the cause of death. The vet is supposed to run tests on the primate to confirm the monkey’s cause of death. If this is another case of tetanus, then there may be a serious outbreak at the touring facility. So far, one Long-tailed macaque died from tetanus and if the Vervet did die from this disease, then the rest of the monkeys may have been compromised. This breaks my heart because I believe the disease stems from the Long-tailed Macaques which the former director placed on the touring trail prior to her departure. The macaques close proximity to the other primates placed a tremendous risk to all the primates living on the property. Since I seriously doubt previous management ran tests to confirm the health and welfare of the macaques when they first arrived at the sanctuary, odds are there is a decent chance the primates arrived at the facility with tetanus.

As if things couldn’t get worse with the primates, the three Barbary Macaques tried to break out of their enclosure, again. The facility was written up the USDA either in 2008 or 2009 for a similar incident. Back then, a welder was brought in to fix the enclosure.

I am not sure what happened yesterday, but apparently extensive repairs of the enclosure was required and the monkeys needed to be sedated. When I called the facility towards the end of the day, I learned there were some problems with sedating the monkeys. Not sure how the whole thing turned out, but I pray the monkeys are okay and the enclosure is fixed.

Web traffic to the website has gone up and more folks are interested in the new web pages. I just hope the changes I made (added a directions page, donate by check page, and updated the home page to include the sanctuary’s first-ever commercial) makes a difference in the lives of the animals.

I’ll be very busy this weekend for on Saturday we mulch more tiger cages and Sunday I’m to give a special tour to a local high school group interested in fund raising for the animals.

So much to do! So little time!!

Later:

I learned earlier today another Vervet is sick. Still waiting for final necropsy report on the first Vervet that died on March 2, 2010...

Also learned the former directors and staff (friends of the directors) called the AG to report that they have not received their W-2s. Gee, if they refuse to accept certified mail from the sanctuary, then how are they supposed to get their W-2? More drama...

Later: Learned the sick vervet has a bacterial infection. The vervet is recovering nicely. I cannot get over how often the vet comes out to check on the WAO animals. Thank goodness for the new vet -- she really seems to care about the well-being of the animals!