Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 31, 1994 TAG: 9403310278
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: EDWARD E. CLARK JR.
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Now, The Wildlife Center of Virginia can set the record straight about a cougar kitten from the Natural Bridge Zoo, which was seized by game wardens and placed in our custody.
Following coverage of the cat's plight, several letters to the editor portrayed the center as the villain for our reluctance to return the cat to its original home. One writer attacked us for demanding that Karl Mogensen, owner of the Natural Bridge Zoo, reimburse the center for the cost of the cougar's care before the animal was returned to him. We were accused of caring more about money than about the animal's welfare. Nothing could have been further from the truth.
The Wildlife Center of Virginia is the nation's leading wildlife hospital, providing veterinary care to more than 2,000 wild animals each year. As a nonprofit organization, it operates entirely on private contributions. We don't routinely charge for any of our veterinary services since native wildlife is public property. However, the cougar, owned by the Natural Bridge Zoo, was considered private property.
When the cougar arrived at the center, it was very weak and infested with parasites. The needs of the young animal were, and continue to be, our primary concern. Treatment and care of the cougar over six months was very expensive.
If a dog goes to the veterinarian for care and boarding, it is the owner's responsibility to pay the bill. If a car is towed because it's illegally parked, the owner has to pay towing and storage fees before getting it back. Why should Mogensen be less responsible for his cougar, especially since it was seized as a result of illegal activity?
There's a fundamental difference between The Wildlife Center of Virginia and places like the Natural Bridge Zoo. The center exists to serve the animals for which we care. At Natural Bridge Zoo, the animals are there to generate a profit for the proprietor. The graphic description of the deplorable conditions existing at Mogensen's facility illustrates the very reason we were reluctant to send the cougar back to the zoo. We knew what kind of future the cat could expect in that facility. All animals deserve more than substandard housing and inadequate care as described in McCue's news article.
Our staff made scores of phone calls across the country in search of a good home for the cougar. It's been placed in a wildlife park in Rapid City, S.D. Before sending the cougar to its new home, we thoroughly investigated the facility with state authorities and the veterinarian who provides regular care of the park's animals. The cougar will have a 2-acre compound in which to happily live out his days. He'll have the company of three other cougars of about the same age.
To date, The Wildlife Center hasn't received a single dime, either from Mogensen or many others who wrote and telephoned our office to express opinions on what we should do with the cougar. The center spent nearly $2,500 caring for the young mountain lion. This reduces by an equal amount our capacity to care for injured and orphaned animals of Virginia.
Now that McCue has exposed the truth about the Natural Bridge Zoo, it should be much easier for your readers to understand the full story. Her coverage of this story was exemplary.
Edward E. Clark Jr. is president of The Wildlife Center of Virginia at Weyers Cave.
by CNB