It was a secret, even from me. As I went through so old records recently, I discovered that not only were Jinx and Sabu allowed to breed again at the WAO, producing at least one offspring, I also discovered more lions cubs were born at the WAO. But first, here's the email proof that Jinx and Jambo were allowed to breed:
From: Michelle Reininger [mailto:waomichelle@...]
Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2010 8:49 PM
To: kristina brunner
Subject: RE: lion photos 1
Shaboo is the brother of Amy, of "Growing Up Lion" fame. We had Jambo neutered, but not before Jinx became pregnant, again, and Shaboo was born in December of 2002. Mary and I raised him, out at Talley, until he was 5 months old. He's now in a group of 5 lions, including his brother, Amy. Also in the group--Mighty Mo, Hermione, and Mica. They are in the large area beside Atti and Sabu.
When I reviewed the WAO Inventory Listing for August 23,2010, I didn't find the name "Shaboo." I am thinking that "Shaboo" may be a nickname for SchieBe, who is listed on the animal inventory listing.
Michelle referenced Mighty Mo, Hermione, and Mica in the above email. What Michelle, or Mary for that matter, did not tell me was that four lion cubs were born at the WAO--and the cubs parents were Kovo and Nala!
Nala died several years ago (she used to be Sabu's cage mate for a short time) and Kovo currently lives at Safe Haven Rescue Zoo in Nevada.
There was a fourth cub born to Nala and Kovu and that was Reese. Reese must be dead as there is no record of him after August 25, 2005.
Today, Amy (born to Jinx and Jambo), Mighty Mo, Hermione, and Mica live together at Tiger Haven in Tennessee.
I have no doubt that Jinx and Jambo had more than one baby born to them--so that means more cubs died at the WAO.
For years, the Asvestas claimed Jinx arrived pregnant, yet we all saw them mating long before the cubs were born. The story went that Jinx was "suppose" to have received an implant for birth control, and that she gave birth to two cubs shortly after her arrival at the WAO. Yeah, right.
And then to learn in 2010 that they had more cubs! To top off that news, I learned just last week that Nala and Kovo had cubs too!!! Outrageous!
The cover story for Nala and Kovu's cubs were that the cubs were born in April of 2003 and that the Nala was pregnant before the WAO "rescued" the two lions. Funny thing though--according to the WAO Animal Inventory August 23, 2010 listing, Kovu arrived (presumably with Nala) at the WAO on December 4, 2001!
So many lies. So much deception. I, like many others, were lied to for so many years. What I don't understand is how the USDA/APHIS missed the WAO animals breeding for years. For you see, the cubs were living, right under our noses at the Leslie Road property for years!
I was told the cubs were from Cancun, when in reality, they were all from the WAO. What did Carol Asvestas tell Dr. Pannel? Did Dr. Pannel even look into why the WAO suddenly had so many lions cubs -- like asking for their papers of origin?
That's the flaw with the USDA--there are no photographs taken of each animal, no identifying tattoos or markings made, and so there is no way to verify the true number of animals brought into a sanctuary, those that are born at the sanctuary, and the numeber of animals that die at the sanctuary. It is my opinion that the animals should be closely tracked, not because I believe big brother should keep watch over who has what, but for the protection of the animals, to prevent illegal breeding and sale of animals, and to ensure an accurate listing of what animals are on the property in case of a disaster.
Years ago, Carol Asvestas fought hard against tattooing the WAO animals, stating that it would be too expensive. Now I know the truth. And it only reaffirms my belief that unscrupulous people do not want animals tracked simply because it interferes with their ability to exploit them for cash.
The more I look into this case, the more disgusted I get. Just how many animals were born and died at the WAO anyway? Does anyone besides me even care?
