I found some cute photos of Okemo on In-Sync Exotics' Facebook page today! Bless his heart, he looks so thin in the first picture. What in the world did the WAO staff do to this poor cat? I pray In-Sync will be able to help Okemo, just like they helped Sabu and Jinxie! He needs a lot of love and attention!
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| So thin...so much skin hang down his body...oh geez... September 26, 2011 |
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| Okemo looking not to sure about the camera! He takes great pictures! September 26, 2011 |
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| Busted! Got caught playing with water! September 26, 2011 |
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| Looks like Okemo is trying to figure out how to get into the tub! September 26, 2011 |
So far, Okemo has been at In-Sync Exotics for a little over one month and apparently he is talking up a storm to visitors and staff! I can't wait to see how he looks in another month or so. I pray he puts on some healthy pounds before the weather turns cold!
Later: When responding to an interested party wanting to know more about Okemo and Atti (they came from the same private owners), I discovered this information that totally surprised me!
To read the entire story on-line, click HERE.
Rescuers say they never saw tiger bite girl
The 14-year-old Harwich girl, who has not been identified, told police she was bitten in the calf by Okemo, a 5-year-old, 425- to 500-pound Bengal tiger raised from a cub by farm owner Gail Smithson.
In their first interview since the incident, the workers, Laurie Petrino, 27, of South Yarmouth and Kenneth Taylor, 29, of Harwich, said they never saw the tiger bite the girl.
They both said her injuries may have been caused by the sharp ends of a chain-link fence she scrambled over to get away from the tiger.
The two also said the young girl was not trained to handle big cats, and should not have been there.
"She was told she wasn't supposed to be in there," confirmed Gail Smithson, who has owned and operated the farm for the past 21 years.
Smithson said the girl was eager and "bubbly," and said both the tiger, which she has raised from a cub, and the girl were frightened during the incident.
"It was an unfortunate situation. He was not aggressive. She was not aggressive. It was an unfortunate situation," Smithson said.
"Believe me, he was 100 percent more scared than she was, I'll tell you that," Petrino said yesterday.
During a visit to the tiger pen yesterday, the large animal uttered a soft guttural purring sound and came close to the fence to be scratched by his keepers.
The farm was to open tomorrow for the season, but Smithson said the opening would be delayed until next week.
The girl, who is now recovering, was examined by a vascular surgeon in Hyannis the day after the incident.
Police Chief James Ehrhart would not release the doctor's name or a copy of the physician's report, but he did confirm that the doctor concluded the 14-year-old sustained four puncture wounds.
And the doctor specifically stated in his report that the punctures came from a "tiger bite," Ehrhart said.
The incident remains under investigation by state and federal officials. The state Department of Public Health has recommended the girl undergo rabies vaccinations as a precaution because of the bite.
What remains unclear is what exactly happened between the time the young girl unlocked the tiger's small feeding cage, shortly before 1:30 p.m. Sunday, and when workers first heard her screams.
It would have to have been during that interval, between the time the girl first entered the tiger's cage, and before rescuers arrived, that a bite would have occurred.
Neither worker saw the youngster enter the cage. Both were at the donkey pen when they heard the first screams, their view blocked by the donkey's shelter house. .
Both workers said from the time they arrived at the tiger cage, seconds after they heard the screams, they never saw the tiger put its mouth on the youngster.
Ehrhart said the girl told police she unlocked the door and went inside the smaller cage, where the tiger is normally fed.
Then she saw the tiger enter from the large holding cage.
She told police that the tiger made some playful swipes at her with his paw. The tiger was declawed when it was a cub.
Ehrhart said the girl said she screamed, and that's when the tiger bit her once in the calf, shook her, and released her.
Smithson declined to say whether the girl was an employee, saying that state officials were still investigating labor-law issues involving the 14-year-old and the farm.
Workers trained to handle Okemo and other large cats said the first safety rule they are always taught is to make sure a heavy, steel sliding door separating the two cages is down and securely locked with a long steel bolt, to make certain the tiger cannot move from one cage to another.
Petrino, who works as the farm manager during the summer, and Taylor, a friend of the Smithsons who volunteers at the farm, say one of the first things they noticed was that the steel door was in the open position, allowing the tiger access to both cages.
Though the youngster was not trained to work with the tiger or other big cats, she did have a key that opens all locks on the animal farm, where she had done some work.
Universal keys, Smithson said, were used to make sure someone could get in or out of a locked cage without fumbling around for the right key.
But since Sunday's incident, Smithson said she has abandoned the universal key system, and replaced it with a color-coded ke lock system, so workers instantly know which key fits which lock.
When Petrino arrived at the cage, she said, the girl was in the far corner of the smaller cage, and the tiger was lying on its back, next to the cage door. She said the girl was holding the tiger's food dish in front of her.
Petrino said she called to the youngster to stop screaming, telling her the noise was scaring the tiger. And Taylor said he told the girl to stop staring at the animal.
He said later that for predators and some other animals, a direct stare can be interpreted as a challenge.
As Petrino approached the cage, the girl and tiger shifted positions, and the 14-year-old moved next to the cage door.
Petrino said the youngster darted out of the cage, and the tiger followed. They were both in a narrow alley between the main cage and an 8-foot tall perimeter fence.
The girl scrambled up the tall security fence, and Petrino said the tiger took a couple of swipes at her legs.
Taylor ran around to the outside of the fence, and yanked the girl over the sharp ends of the chain-link fence to safety. He said that was the first time the girl complained about her leg hurting.
"She was manhandled when she came over the fence. There was no, 'Am I going to hurt her?' I just pulled her over the fence," Taylor said.
Both said the sharp edges at the top of the fence scraped the girl, and could have caused puncture wounds as she was pulled over.
Petrino said that after the girl was over the outside fence, the tiger ran down to the perimeter gate and flopped down.
"There was no blood on him, nothing. That's why I really thought she did it going over the fence," Petrino said.
The federal Animal, Plant, Health Inspection Service, part of the federal Department of Agriculture, is conducting an investigation into the incident.
The federal Occupational Safet Health Administration, part of the US Department of Labor, concluded Wednesday that it had no jurisdiction in the matter.
However, the Attorney General's Office of Fair Labor and Business Practices is continuing its probe into whether the proper work papers for the 14-year-old were in place.
"Our investigation is ongoing. We expect it to be wrapped up by early next week," said Joan Parker, director of safety with the office.
Parker did say, however, that a check of her records indicated the farm has no prior record involving complaints or violations of labor regulations.
To read the second story online, click HERE.
Bassett's cats sent to Texas sanctuary
Once owned by the Bassett Wild Animal Farm, Okemo bit a 14-year-old volunteer worker in the leg when she went inside the tiger's cage last spring.
The animal farm did not open for the summer season and is now closed.
The girl has fully recovered from her injury.
Bassett spokesmen said the girl was not authorized to enter the tiger cage, and did not ensure a steel gate closing off the feeding area from the main cage was closed before she entered.
The state's attorney general's office, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which licenses such facilities, launched probes into the biting incident. Both investigations remain open, officials said yesterday, and no further information is available.
Along with the tiger, two other big cats from the Brewster facility, an African lioness and a cougar, were also transported at the end of October to the Wild Animal Orphanage outside San Antonio, Texas.
The trip, by a specially equipped trailer truck, took about 39 hours. The Yarmouthport-based International Fund for Animal Welfare paid all transportation and vet bills, as well as the cost of two more enclosures for the animals in the sanctuary. That total bill came to more $30,000, IFAW officials said.
But it was worth it, IFAW officials said.
"IFAW is pleased that we could become involved with the re-homing of these great cats," said Shirley Minshew, IFAW's emergency relief director for North America.
"But these are the lucky ones. Dozens of big cats now sit on waiting lists desperate for homes, some in deplorable conditions," she said.
Not Okemo and friends.
"They are doing great," said Carol Asvestas, director of the Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio.
With the exception of the cougar, which mingled very well with four other cougars in a large enclosure, the other two feline Cape refugees are being kept in their own enclosures, but within sight, sound and smell of other big cats.
To reduce stress levels, wild animals accustomed to a lot of human contact need some adjustment time before being introduced to the company of other wild animals, Asvestas said.
She said all three large cats were in very good shape when they arrived, indicating a high level of treatment at the Brewster wild animal farm.
She said Okemo was "a beautiful animal, very well cared for, even though I do not approve of people keeping them."
Once Okemo became aware of his surroundings in his new home, Asvestas said it didn't take the big cat long to notice, through the trees, some other large critters, including a large male African lion.
"The tiger was hilarious. He'd never seen a male lion before," she said, describing the tiger's "hissing and fussing."
"He can see the lion through the trees. It was quite comical," she said.
In a few weeks, Okemo, who is neutered and de-clawed in his front paws, may be introduced to a female tiger, also de-clawed and neutered.
Over time, the lioness also may be introduced to other lion orphans in the sanctuary, and live in a large enclosure, about 180-by-80 feet, with the others.
"I think they are loving the space," Asvestas said. She said the need for large areas, as well as the safety factors, are prime reasons "people shouldn't acquire them."
z
Later: When responding to an interested party wanting to know more about Okemo and Atti (they came from the same private owners), I discovered this information that totally surprised me!
To read the entire story on-line, click HERE.
Rescuers say they never saw tiger bite girl
BREWSTER — Two Bassett Wild Animal Farm workers who responded to a girl's screams when she confronted a tiger in its cage Sunday said yesterday they never saw the big cat bite the girl or act aggressively toward her.
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| Five year old Okemo |
In their first interview since the incident, the workers, Laurie Petrino, 27, of South Yarmouth and Kenneth Taylor, 29, of Harwich, said they never saw the tiger bite the girl.
They both said her injuries may have been caused by the sharp ends of a chain-link fence she scrambled over to get away from the tiger.
The two also said the young girl was not trained to handle big cats, and should not have been there.
"She was told she wasn't supposed to be in there," confirmed Gail Smithson, who has owned and operated the farm for the past 21 years.
Smithson said the girl was eager and "bubbly," and said both the tiger, which she has raised from a cub, and the girl were frightened during the incident.
"It was an unfortunate situation. He was not aggressive. She was not aggressive. It was an unfortunate situation," Smithson said.
"Believe me, he was 100 percent more scared than she was, I'll tell you that," Petrino said yesterday.
During a visit to the tiger pen yesterday, the large animal uttered a soft guttural purring sound and came close to the fence to be scratched by his keepers.
The farm was to open tomorrow for the season, but Smithson said the opening would be delayed until next week.
The girl, who is now recovering, was examined by a vascular surgeon in Hyannis the day after the incident.
Police Chief James Ehrhart would not release the doctor's name or a copy of the physician's report, but he did confirm that the doctor concluded the 14-year-old sustained four puncture wounds.
And the doctor specifically stated in his report that the punctures came from a "tiger bite," Ehrhart said.
The incident remains under investigation by state and federal officials. The state Department of Public Health has recommended the girl undergo rabies vaccinations as a precaution because of the bite.
What remains unclear is what exactly happened between the time the young girl unlocked the tiger's small feeding cage, shortly before 1:30 p.m. Sunday, and when workers first heard her screams.
It would have to have been during that interval, between the time the girl first entered the tiger's cage, and before rescuers arrived, that a bite would have occurred.
Neither worker saw the youngster enter the cage. Both were at the donkey pen when they heard the first screams, their view blocked by the donkey's shelter house. .
Both workers said from the time they arrived at the tiger cage, seconds after they heard the screams, they never saw the tiger put its mouth on the youngster.
Ehrhart said the girl told police she unlocked the door and went inside the smaller cage, where the tiger is normally fed.
Then she saw the tiger enter from the large holding cage.
She told police that the tiger made some playful swipes at her with his paw. The tiger was declawed when it was a cub.
Ehrhart said the girl said she screamed, and that's when the tiger bit her once in the calf, shook her, and released her.
Smithson declined to say whether the girl was an employee, saying that state officials were still investigating labor-law issues involving the 14-year-old and the farm.
Workers trained to handle Okemo and other large cats said the first safety rule they are always taught is to make sure a heavy, steel sliding door separating the two cages is down and securely locked with a long steel bolt, to make certain the tiger cannot move from one cage to another.
Petrino, who works as the farm manager during the summer, and Taylor, a friend of the Smithsons who volunteers at the farm, say one of the first things they noticed was that the steel door was in the open position, allowing the tiger access to both cages.
Though the youngster was not trained to work with the tiger or other big cats, she did have a key that opens all locks on the animal farm, where she had done some work.
Universal keys, Smithson said, were used to make sure someone could get in or out of a locked cage without fumbling around for the right key.
But since Sunday's incident, Smithson said she has abandoned the universal key system, and replaced it with a color-coded ke lock system, so workers instantly know which key fits which lock.
When Petrino arrived at the cage, she said, the girl was in the far corner of the smaller cage, and the tiger was lying on its back, next to the cage door. She said the girl was holding the tiger's food dish in front of her.
Petrino said she called to the youngster to stop screaming, telling her the noise was scaring the tiger. And Taylor said he told the girl to stop staring at the animal.
He said later that for predators and some other animals, a direct stare can be interpreted as a challenge.
As Petrino approached the cage, the girl and tiger shifted positions, and the 14-year-old moved next to the cage door.
Petrino said the youngster darted out of the cage, and the tiger followed. They were both in a narrow alley between the main cage and an 8-foot tall perimeter fence.
The girl scrambled up the tall security fence, and Petrino said the tiger took a couple of swipes at her legs.
Taylor ran around to the outside of the fence, and yanked the girl over the sharp ends of the chain-link fence to safety. He said that was the first time the girl complained about her leg hurting.
"She was manhandled when she came over the fence. There was no, 'Am I going to hurt her?' I just pulled her over the fence," Taylor said.
Both said the sharp edges at the top of the fence scraped the girl, and could have caused puncture wounds as she was pulled over.
Petrino said that after the girl was over the outside fence, the tiger ran down to the perimeter gate and flopped down.
"There was no blood on him, nothing. That's why I really thought she did it going over the fence," Petrino said.
The federal Animal, Plant, Health Inspection Service, part of the federal Department of Agriculture, is conducting an investigation into the incident.
The federal Occupational Safet Health Administration, part of the US Department of Labor, concluded Wednesday that it had no jurisdiction in the matter.
However, the Attorney General's Office of Fair Labor and Business Practices is continuing its probe into whether the proper work papers for the 14-year-old were in place.
"Our investigation is ongoing. We expect it to be wrapped up by early next week," said Joan Parker, director of safety with the office.
Parker did say, however, that a check of her records indicated the farm has no prior record involving complaints or violations of labor regulations.
To read the second story online, click HERE.
Bassett's cats sent to Texas sanctuary
Animal farm's tiger, which bit a girl last year, is among those moved to an orphanage.
BREWSTER - Okemo the tiger is now enjoying warmer climes and larger quarters in a Texas wild animal sanctuary.
BREWSTER - Okemo the tiger is now enjoying warmer climes and larger quarters in a Texas wild animal sanctuary.
Once owned by the Bassett Wild Animal Farm, Okemo bit a 14-year-old volunteer worker in the leg when she went inside the tiger's cage last spring.
The animal farm did not open for the summer season and is now closed.
The girl has fully recovered from her injury.
Bassett spokesmen said the girl was not authorized to enter the tiger cage, and did not ensure a steel gate closing off the feeding area from the main cage was closed before she entered.
The state's attorney general's office, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which licenses such facilities, launched probes into the biting incident. Both investigations remain open, officials said yesterday, and no further information is available.
Along with the tiger, two other big cats from the Brewster facility, an African lioness and a cougar, were also transported at the end of October to the Wild Animal Orphanage outside San Antonio, Texas.
The trip, by a specially equipped trailer truck, took about 39 hours. The Yarmouthport-based International Fund for Animal Welfare paid all transportation and vet bills, as well as the cost of two more enclosures for the animals in the sanctuary. That total bill came to more $30,000, IFAW officials said.
But it was worth it, IFAW officials said.
"IFAW is pleased that we could become involved with the re-homing of these great cats," said Shirley Minshew, IFAW's emergency relief director for North America.
"But these are the lucky ones. Dozens of big cats now sit on waiting lists desperate for homes, some in deplorable conditions," she said.
Not Okemo and friends.
"They are doing great," said Carol Asvestas, director of the Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio.
With the exception of the cougar, which mingled very well with four other cougars in a large enclosure, the other two feline Cape refugees are being kept in their own enclosures, but within sight, sound and smell of other big cats.
To reduce stress levels, wild animals accustomed to a lot of human contact need some adjustment time before being introduced to the company of other wild animals, Asvestas said.
She said all three large cats were in very good shape when they arrived, indicating a high level of treatment at the Brewster wild animal farm.
She said Okemo was "a beautiful animal, very well cared for, even though I do not approve of people keeping them."
Once Okemo became aware of his surroundings in his new home, Asvestas said it didn't take the big cat long to notice, through the trees, some other large critters, including a large male African lion.
"The tiger was hilarious. He'd never seen a male lion before," she said, describing the tiger's "hissing and fussing."
"He can see the lion through the trees. It was quite comical," she said.
In a few weeks, Okemo, who is neutered and de-clawed in his front paws, may be introduced to a female tiger, also de-clawed and neutered.
Over time, the lioness also may be introduced to other lion orphans in the sanctuary, and live in a large enclosure, about 180-by-80 feet, with the others.
"I think they are loving the space," Asvestas said. She said the need for large areas, as well as the safety factors, are prime reasons "people shouldn't acquire them."
z
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