Living Day-to-Day

Day to day – that is how the sanctuary is surviving – day to day. The money situation is dire. According to the workers, 60% of calls coming in are from creditors, and so needless to say, there is some hesitancy in answering the phones.

I’ve started a fundraiser to collect funds to pay for the vitamin and mineral powder the animals need as they are now primarily on a diet of chicken. Other types of meat, from the Wal-mart Meat Program, and fish from a local grocer helped provide some variety in the animals’ diet. The question is, how long can the sanctuary survive?

Towards the end of the month, the sanctuary is having a Fiesta Enrichment Party and I’ll provide the bulk of the Fiesta treats. Thankfully, a local restaurant provided the peanuts and I’ll be providing the dried fruit, rice cakes, and bran cereal for the treat tubs and piñata balls. Just to make sure the public remembers the animals, I’m paying for 3 radio commercials and the director is paying for one of the radio commercials to be aired starting two days prior to the Fiesta event.

The web site numbers are way up and tour attendance is up significantly. Sadly, because newsletters cannot go out, the number of mail-in-donations is way down.

One of the diva animal caretakers is leaving next week—the one who updated information to the sanctuary’s website without permission.

Last Saturday, the worker’s had an impromptu meeting with me. I was asked “whatever I was planning in two weeks, to do it now.” Since I had no idea what the workers were talking about, I engaged into a conversation with the workers.

Understandably, they are worried about the survivability of the sanctuary. I emphasized they need to focus on their job and do the best they could to help present a clean environment for the animals and guests. I was appalled by the condition of the grounds that day – dead raccoon in the street near the entrance of the sanctuary; two dead mice near the entrance of the equipment and feed warehouse; trash throughout the tour trail, etc.

I’ve been told the property looks like a mess during the week until I and the volunteers show up to clean the property on Saturdays. This is unacceptable because if the workers do not show pride in the property, then why would anyone want to help the animals?

I emphasized to the workers that if they do not keep the property clean, no one would want to visit the animals, let alone make donations! I emphasized they need to focus on their jobs and stop worrying about what “other” people are doing. The sanctuary needs less drama and more hard work.

I don’t know if my words fell on deaf ears as one of the workers (the diva that is leaving) was rolling her eyes while I was speaking with the workers. Thankfully, her negative attitude is leaving the sanctuary soon!

After spending the entire day cleaning up the property, I asked the workers if they could keep the property clean throughout the week. I was told “no promises.” Nice, real nice.

Meanwhile, I learned from one of the workers that the bears at the second site are living in their own filth because the animal caretakers are not cleaning out their enclosures on a daily basis. I saw recent photos depicting animal waste piling up in the tiny enclosure. Since there were various piles at different stages of drying I can only conclude this has been going on for at least two days.

Appalling.

The new director is aware of this problem and I pray she is able to do something about this latest problem. I plan to visit the property, with the director’s permission, unannounced, so I can see first hand what is happening to the bears. Apparently, the new director was told if she fires the two senior animal caretakers, then the board would fire her.

Fresh food tossed on top of bear waste.

Breaks my heart that the bears ate food covered in bear waste.

On a happier note, a local diamond store is donating a $2500 necklace so it can be raffled off by the sanctuary. I’ll be putting together something for the web site and the e-event email to the sanctuary’s e-newsletter supporters. So far, the e-newsletter is a success and I pray the e-event letter works as well.

So far, the animals are doing well. I noticed a small wound on one of the tiger’s leg, no doubt from playing too rough, but I pray it will heal quickly. I am pleased the animals are doing much better. One would never know how severe the financial situation is at the sanctuary by looking at the animals. I just pray that “big money” will come to fruition so the animals will have a financially secured place to live!

Meanwhile, the latest on the lawsuit filed by the new director against the former directors (think motorcycle) appears to be headed to court. Why the former directors want this case to see the light of day is beyond me. Today, I learned from the new director the ANIMALS made the former male director's motorcycle payments! The new director went through the files and discovered payments, that should have been made by the male director, were instead made by the animals. Apparently the old director was supposed to deducted the "loan" amount from his paycheck, but there was no sign of any deductions made, nor was there any record of the "loan" paid back by the former male director. This lawsuit, along with the other two (against the sanctuary and against the local on-line newspaper editor), is a smoke screen, in my opinion, to delay justice. Eventually, this will all come out in the wash -- it's just a matter of time.