There are Still Animals Living at Leslie Road!

Last year, the Cryers announced they were moving animals from Leslie Road to Talley Road, so all the animals could be together.

I learned this week that there are still animals living at Leslie Road amongst all the rubble and debris.  Apparently there are seven tigers and 14 non-human primates living at Leslie Road.  Overall, there are still 25 tigers, 4 wolf dogs, 6 chimps, and well over 100+ macaques still residing at the WAO.

I heard Lance (former tiger pair Lance and Leyla) now lives at Talley Road.  Bless his heart, I was told he was doing okay, but looking a little sad.  No doubt he misses Leyla terribly.  I still cannot believe Wild Cat Sanctuary would only take Leyla and not Lance as they lived together for so many years.  Now Lance lives alone, miserable.

I believe it is terrible news that there are still animals living at Leslie Road because it means the cats and the monks are left alone for long periods of time, as the bulk of the animal caretaker's time is spent at Talley Road. 

I pray there is a way to get the seven big cats out of Leslie Road and on their way to new homes very soon.  I cannot imagine how much they must be suffering -- no medical care and for the most part, no one around to  notice if they are doing okay.  This entire case has turned into one gigantic nightmare. I'm told the cages and water bowls are only cleaned once per week at both properties.  Since the water bowl lines often became congested with algae and food debris, it stands to reason the animals are NOT receiving clean portable water each day.  It also means that mosquitoes are breeding in the warm soupy water and possibly attacking the cats again this year.  And then there's the animal waste that the animals have to walk on each day just to get food, water and whatever shade is available now that the WAO trees are dying.

Why, oh, why did the WAO Board of Directors, USDA and OAG blow me off when I showed them the evidence they needed back in 2006 to stop the WAO from is slow decline into abyss?  If they had only taken the case seriously back then, perhaps this terrible tragedy could have been avoided. 

I have only one regret -- trusting the government to actually do their job of protecting the WAO animals plus the sanctuary's assets and thinking that board directors and animal care staff actually take their responsibilities seriously.