Weld County, Colo., Exotic Animal Sanctuary Faces Financial Troubles
Posted on: Monday, 19 December 2005, 15:00 CST
By Dan England, Greeley Tribune, Colo.
Dec. 18--The animals look cute, furry, fuzzy, even.
And they are, all those bears and tigers and lions, from a distance, behind a fence at the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Conservation Center, which knows how to keep them.
Unfortunately, too many others think they can keep them in garages, or in their backyards, and those, many times, are simply the ignorant ones. Others exploit the animals for profit, breeding them and selling their cubs or using them for photo shoots with tourists.
That's why the center in Keenesburg exists. There aren't too many like it in the U.S. Fewer than 20 are accredited by the two organizations that watch over the keep of exotic animals. The accreditation means the centers have promised not to breed them or use them for financial gain.
The animals, once they arrive in rural Keenesburg, behind its fences and with love from Pat Craig, the owner and founder of the center, are safe, free to leave behind their abusive pasts and live out the reminder of their lives.
Now it's the center that is in trouble.
Bills are mounting and, in many cases, remain unpaid because donations are down. People chose to donate to help victims of Hurricane Katrina or other natural disasters that have struck in the past year, leaving sanctuaries such as Craig's place scrambling for survival.
There is no place for the 150 animals to go if Craig's place closes.
Craig doesn't want to think about what could happen if it does.
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Copyright (c) 2005, Greeley Tribune, Colo.
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Source: Greeley Tribune, Colorado
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