Two men, David Kitchen and Ted Greenwood established the sanctuary back in 1998. David owned a fish farm and they had heard about someone who was no longer able to care for a lion and a tiger. They looked at each other and said “why not?” It seemed like the right thing to do and David had the space. He already owned two bears, so what started as an act of kindness towards two soon to be homeless “cats”, became a lifestyle for these two wonderful guys. Together they formed a mission statement for their sanctuary: Elmira’s Wildlife Sanctuary exists “To provide continuing care, life management and enrichment to exotic and wild animals in need of a home (and) to provide educational opportunities and programs to increase community awareness of the needs of these animals.”

Both are sadly gone now, but their legacy lives on in Wimauma, FL. Ted’s wife, Robin, took over and she, along with a core of volunteers, has brought the sanctuary to what it is today.

Their mission in still very much in place as you will see.

Moving up to the year 2007 – just in time for a not very merry Christmas – the surviving owner of the land the sanctuary was built on informed the organization they would have to relocate. As she explained it, she did not want to have to deal with liability issues nor any other issues that could arise. Everyone worked together to formulate a relocation plan, expecting to have almost a year to complete the move. An even bigger shock came on February 25th, when the landlord set a move-out deadline of March 15th!

Talk about having an overloaded list of Things to Do:
1. Find new land to house lions, tigers, wolves, servals, caracal, lynx, leopards, and more. And of course Elmira, the bear.
2. In two weeks find enough people to help take down the numerous cages and housing the animals were accustomed to.
3. Pack up and move box upon box of records and office supplies – not to mention, the office itself.
4. In less than two weeks find enough people to load and move the building materials that were once home to the animals.

And then what? How do you pack up wildlife and shuffle them off to temporary shelters, not really even knowing for how long? Where will they go? Who will take them in?

Everyone joined together and kicked things into high gear. Within weeks a new piece of property was found. All the members worked tirelessly to pull off the move in a VERY brief period of time. The new tract had none of the comforts available at the current location – no lakes for the big cats to roam about and romp in, no infrastructure (water and electricity to every enclosure, solid buildings – any buildings, period), no perimeter fencing.

Then, just to add a little more tension to the story, they found out another animal sanctuary was forced to close by the state of Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Commission because the owner continued to pile violation after violation: allowing animals to mate, allowing incompatible animals to share living space, and in general a poor example of someone who was supposed to protect these animals’ lives. He was given a reasonable time to close operations and he tried to place some animals but when he could not do so he started killing them. He euthanized several tigers before they could be placed.

In spite of all the hard work they were doing already, the wonderful people of Elmira’s called an emergency meeting and agreed to do whatever it took to bring these animals into their fold. They could not stand by and let him continue killing what he could not place! They found enough funding amongst themselves to fund the construction of a double enclosure to house 4 tigers, and enough extra materials to bring in the rest of the animals.

The hard work and endless dedication to the animals continues on a daily basis. And how do the animals feel about this?

Take a look at me now!

Find out more about Elmira’s Wildlife Sanctuary.

My journey into a world of dogs comes naturally through my art. I become more familiar with them with each portrait I paint. A connection forms and love just happens. Without that, I doubt seriously I could do a painting that was anywhere near presentable.

Along the way, I learned a lot about non-profit, no-kill animal rescue groups all over the country. I have met the most amazing people who give their lives to save and nurture critters. My admiration for their work is endless, and now I am learning even more. My calm, quiet Saturday visit to FaceBook gave me a huge jolt:

Beagles need your help, can anyone take a beagle for 10 days? Please read!

Here is the situation in a nutshell : Pam went to pull some dogs from Polk and noted there were 3 more beagles there that we didn’t know about. She was told that if we didn’t take them by 4pm they would be euthanized. Polk is holding 261 dogs from a hoarding case and they are MAXED out so dogs are being held only 5 days and owner surrenders are being put down pretty much immediately. It is a horrible situation going on there right now. After many phone calls and negotiations we were able to get until MONDAY ONLY to get them out. To make matters worse they added 2 female beagles to the list! We were able to get out one of the males Friday. There was even a lady at the shelter who wanted to adopt one of the other 2 males still there – and THE SHELTER WOULDN’T LET HER!

Bottom line is we have until Monday 4pm to get 2 male and 2 female beagles out of the shelter or they will be killed. No reprieves. They are all friendly and seemingly healthy. The kennel is not prepared to take in this # of shelter dogs for 10 more days. I am looking for 3 people to take one dog for 10 days – that’s it, just 10 days!! Our usual fosters are maxed out and most are already holding an extra dog.

Oh no! I have to do something. Killing of innocent dogs is now right there – in my face – no longer just the stories I read on the internet through my tears. Time to step up to the plate. I asked Geoff if we could take in a beagle for 10 days. Without hesitation, he agreed. McCoy is one lucky dog. Contact made.

Sunday, August 8th
We were scheduled to get a beagle on Monday afternoon. Tanya, photographer and dedicated foster mom in St. Petersburg, would drive out to Polk County Animal Services before the 4 PM death sentence and bring the dogs back to safety. My emotions ran from apprehension to excitement, between sadness and joy. I began to make plans:

1. Learn about beagles – rave reviews! They are gentle, loving, and “should not bother the cats!”
2. Do we need to buy a crate, will the dog have a collar and leash, what will he want to eat, etc, etc, etc. Wait. Calm down.
3. Make out schedule so someone will be home at least most of the time – who knows what the little guy has already been through? Done.
4. Fill out the forms for Volunteers at Tampa Bay Beagle Rescue. Done.

Monday, August 9th
Waiting for word on the rescue effort. What if Tanya’s car breaks down on the way and she doesn’t get there before 4 PM? What if Polk didn’t honor the negotiations? Stop it! Think only positive thoughts. The next word came – she would pick up the dogs around 1ish. Yippee! How bad could imagined car trouble be? Positive thinking is working.

Waiting.

Tanya called. We can pick up the dog at 6 PM. She wants to give him a bath. The word stinky was mentioned several times, but who cares? He is alive. We met McCoy. He is a loving, gentle, major tail wagger…now in his crate and sleeping like a cat. Slept the whole night through. A new day, a new life and a new home, albeit temporary, and McCoy is doing just fine.

I never thought of being a “temporary volunteer” but I think there is a need for that, too. If you cannot commit to total, round the clock, day after day fostering, there is a way to help. Check with your local agencies. And check back tomorrow for McCoy updates.