Cryers are 'Liars'

Animal People May 2010 Newsletter Article


Money crunch brings another leadership change at Wild Animal Orphanage


SAN ANTONIO––Under new management for the
second time since September 2009, Wild Animal Orphanage
remains mired in litigation pertaining to the leadership transitions,
and in a cash flow crisis coinciding with the national
recession of the past two years. But ANIMAL PEOPLE was
told by sources with conflicting views about a variety of other
matters that many of the most alarming rumors about the sanctuary
circulating in early May 2010 appeared to be exaggerated.
“Our office has taken no legal action against this San
Antonio facility nor do we anticipate any, at this point,” Texas
Office of Attorney General spokesperson Tom Kelley told
ANIMAL PEOPLE. “We are monitoring their efforts daily,
nothing more.”

“We have made the proper arrangements, are currently
in good standing, and are in no way getting foreclosed,”
acting Wild Animal Orphanage director Jamie Cryer told ANIMAL
PEOPLE.

“The Wild Animal Orphanage properties are not in
foreclosure,” confirmed Elise Matthes, director of Sarasota In
Defense of Animals, who served temporarily on the WAO
board with her husband Sumner during the most recent leadership
change. The original property, purchased in 1990, was
fully paid off in 2008, Elise Matthes said. Larger properties
acquired in 1999 and 2001 are 62% and 84% paid off, respectively,
with about $93,000 remaining to pay, according to figures
Elise Matthes provided.

Wild Animal Orphanage founder Carol Asvestas,
who lives next door to the original property, told ANIMAL
PEOPLE that she had not heard the foreclosure rumor, and
knew of no reason to believe it.

Asvestas directed Wild Animal Orphanage from 1993
through September 2009, assisted by her husband Ron, but
after years of controversies inflamed by the San Antonio
Lightning news web site, Asvestas was ousted on October 4,
2009 by a coup d’etat led by her daughter Nicole Garcia.
Telling ANIMAL PEOPLE that much of the L i g h t n i n g
reportage was accurate, Garcia dropped a libel suit against the
Lightning filed by her mother on behalf of the sanctuary.
ANIMAL PEOPLE learned on April 26, 2010 that
Wild Animal Orphanage board members had begun seeking a
replacement for Garcia. “On April 30, 2010 Garcia was terminated,”
13-year Wild Animal Orphanage board member
Sumner Matthes said. “We learned that the board was not
truthfully informed about numerous important issues,” Matthes
explained, alleging that Garcia had “opened a secret bank
account,” and had “not advised the board that Wild Animal
Orphanage was broke.” ANIMAL PEOPLE did not succeed
in reaching Garcia to get her response.

The situation went public on May 1, 2010, when
KENS 5 News in San Antonio reported that “Volunteers at the
Wild Animal Orphanage showed up to feed the animals but
found the locks had been changed. Police were called and
eventually opened the doors so that the animals could be fed.”
Garcia said “the animals are not in danger and will not be euthanized,”
added Christopher Heath of KENS 5 News.
Appealing to animal advocates and other animal charities
for emergency help, Sumner Matthes on May 5, 2010
announced that Jamie Cryer, husband of Wild Animal
Orphanage board member Michelle Cryer, would succeed
Garcia on an interim basis.

Said Matthes, Jamie Cryer “willingly agreed to work
without compensation to assure the feeding and care of the 400
resident animals,” including 57 tigers, 24 other big cats, 219
monkeys, 22 bears, and 16 chimpanzees.
“Compassionate caregivers are still reporting to work
to feed, clean, and care for the animals,” Sumner Matthes
said. “However, six caregivers are temporarily
working without compensation.”
Jamie Cryer, 41, has started and
sold three businesses, Sumner Matthes told
ANIMAL PEOPLE, and “says he does
not have to work for compensation.”
“I have worked for Wild Animal
Orphanage since Hurricane Katrina,”
Jamie Cryer told ANIMAL PEOPLE,
“during which time I spent months in and
around Louisiana rescuing all kinds of animals
and transporting them to the Best
Friends temporary shelter in Mississippi. I
still transport dogs and cats from
Mississippi to no kill shelters in New York,
New Jersey, Florida, Arizona and
California. I have also done rescues with
the International Fund for Animal Welfare
and Big Cat Rescue,” a sanctuary in southern
Florida.

The Wild Animal Orphanage
facilities are near the Friends of Animals
subsidiary Primarily Primates, Wildlife
Rescue & Rehabilitation, and the Born
Free Primate Sanctuary. Sumner Matthes
confirmed that “We have been in contact
with several organizations to seek options,”
but this initiative ran into conflict with the
Texas Office of Attorney General, Elise
Matthes told ANIMAL PEOPLE.
Elise Matthes questioned “continuing
to run up huge debts with attorneys” in
response to wrongful dismissal litigation
brought by Carol and Ron Asvestas, with
litigation also expected from Nicole Garcia. Elise Matthes said
more than $100,000 had already been spent, with $19,000
owing in cases involving Wild Animal Orphanage. “To spend
these astronomical monies on legal fees with donations made
by generous contributors to feed and care for the animals is
unconscionable,” Elise Matthes said, but did not say what
options Wild Animal Orphanage might have to avoid legal fees
after being sued.

Sumner and Elise Matthes resigned from the Wild
Animal Orphanage board on May 12, 2010, requesting repayment
of a personal loan to the sanctuary of $2,000, made on
May 4. “Two weeks ago there was $400 in the bank,” Elise
Matthes said, “but thanks to that plea we sent out, $13,000
came in. So, there is a little money to pay animal caregivers
and purchase animal food. I haven’t a clue what the future will
bring.” ––Merritt Clifton

Later:

Well, I emailed Merritt Clifton and thus far, after four days, I have heard not word one from him. If I recall, Merritt Clifton was sympathetic towards the Asvestas. This assertion seemed to be supported by the comment made in this article "Asvestas directed Wild Animal Orphanage from 1993 through September 2009, assisted by her husband Ron, but after years of controversies inflamed by the San Antonio Lightning news web site, Asvestas was ousted on October 4, 2009 by a coup d’etat led by her daughter Nicole Garcia." Where in the world did this person get the idea that Nicole led a coup d'etat? Only one source--Carol Asvestas and/or crew. No mention of the USDA write-ups or the hundreds of pages submitted to the Texas OAG against the Asvestas regarding their business management. No mention that, according to the last board Ron and Carol attended transcript, Carol repeatedly told the board she "quit" to the board of directors after several attempts to confront Carol with disturbing issues presented to the board. No mention that the Asvestas left the WAO in serious debt of over $100k. So much for accurate and unbiased reporting!

Below is the resignation letter from the Matthes':

Elise Matthes resignes - 051210

Looks like Nicole Garcia was right when she stated that the OAG did not want Elise on the WAO's board.  What a shock.

Here's another article from the San Antonio Current:

June 2, 2010 - News - The QueQue

RIP Bubba

Wild Animal Orphanage endured yet another tough month, capped off by the euthanization of Bubba, the beloved white tiger. The start of May brought new management, with husband-and-wife team Jamie and Michelle Cryer assuming the director and chairman-of-the-board slots, respectively, after the board members fired Nicole Garcia as CEO in a messy parting of ways that involved changed locks and accusations of secret meetings. The Cryers also let several office personnel go in an effort to control costs and redirect funds to animal care and feed.  The new management released a desperate press release May 2, asking for contributions to help maintain animal care.

Unfortunately, the saddest, and most recent, story concerning WAO is the death of Bubba. We visited the exotic animal back in early May, and to our untrained eyes, the poor thing looked desperately thin and seemingly in pain with every step. Jamie Cryer told us Bubba arrived at WAO in compromised health, possibly due to poor diet and care under previous owners. After two veterinarians independently recommended euthanizing Bubba, he was put down last Friday. Though the final culprit was suspected to be lymphoma, the Wild Animal Orphanage had a necropsy performed and the results are pending.

This comes on the heels of more personnel shake-ups within the organization. In mid-May longtime board member Sumner Matthes and wife Elise (who joined the board to fill Garcia’s slot) left their positions. Three new members, including Suzanne Straw, a member of SeaWorld’s zoological team, joined, and the website lists one position still open. Samuel Sherwood, a “management specialist,” as community-relations director Robert Mitchell calls him, came in several weeks ago and left last week. Mitchell, who was recruited by Sherwood, explained the management master’s quick visit thusly: “`Sherwood’s` focus was to get things back in order and set up a management system to get everything under control. We’re still doing that, just without him.” Mitchell, a part-time employee with military public-relations training (30 years ago) said he would stay because “I don’t want to leave these people in a lurch.” Currently, there is no full-time veterinarian on staff. Animal medical care beyond what can be provided by the five animal-care technicians is provided by two volunteer vets, according to Mitchell.

We asked Mitchell if WAO had plans to replace Director Jamie Cryer, one of the more controversial staff members at WAO, though he is working without a salary. In early May, when we asked Cryer himself how long he planned to stay, he indicated his position is temporary, yet Mitchell said on May 30 there were no plans to recruit a permanent director. Garcia and former board member Kristina Brunner frequently point out Jamie Cryer’s past criminal record (several nonviolent misdemeanors from 1991-92, when Cryer was between 21 and 22 years old), and a more recent $3,500 fine levied by the Department of Transportation last fall, when Cryer worked as an animal transporter for WAO, which the Orphanage must pay off in full by July 3.

Despite all the hustle and bustle in the people department, things in the financial department still appear stagnant. Mitchell told us that donations were at the same level they were just after Cryer stepped in as director and that the Orphanage is “still in the hole,” though he did not have exact data. Tours, a primary source of income, have been reduced by two hours per day, and we’re told the Orphanage was not open for at least Sunday and Monday of Memorial Day weekend. To help prop up the organization during what Mitchell calls “a little bit of turbulence,” Mitchell is helping to plan a benefit concert for July 11 at Floore’s Country Store in Helotes. In the meantime, we’ll be very interested to see the results of the next USDA inspection, expected to be performed this week or early next, to get a better sense of how the Orphanage is being run on the level where it really matters: four paws.