Nevada: After Abby Hedengran had dozens of illegal lions and tigers taken from him in California, he moved to Nevada with Jacki Freeman and started hoarding them again

NEVADA -- A collection of miserable and abused exotic animals, including five big cats, were found in a Pahrump home - some even locked in bedrooms - Wednesday after a police raid.

Nye County Sheriff's Office (NCSO) deputies converged on the Black Rock Avenue house after receiving reports of animals being kept in dreadful conditions.

They found 15 animals on the property and in the home. Some smaller cats had been locked in bedrooms, the walls of which were smeared with feces and urine, Fox 5 Vegas reported.

Eight Canadian Siberian lynx hybrid cats were found locked in rooms with 'horrific' air quality, NCSO said in a Facebook post. Also in the rooms were a cervel caracal hybrid cat and a Fennec fox.

In cages outside were two African lionesses and an African lion, a Bengal tiger, and a black panther.

Incredibly, almost all of the animals there were being held legally, as the home had a special conditions animal permit - the sole exception being the fox, which is illegal to own.

But the 'deplorable' conditions of the cats meant that officers were authorized to remove all of the animals from the home pending an investigation into their permit.

Jacki Freeman, 57, and Abby Hedengran, 67, both of Pahrump, shared joint custody of the animals, police said - and as Freeman was the one with custody of the animals at that point, she was issued a Misdemeanor citation for animal cruelty.

WHO IS JACKI FREEMAN??
Abby Hedengran (aka Gert Hedengran, Gert Einar Hedengran, Abby Hedengran, Gert Abby Hedengran). His wife is Emma Hedengran (aka Roena Hedengran, Roena Emma Hedengran).

From March 1998, through March 2005 the Hedengrans operated a non-profit animal sanctuary and exhibition featuring exotic felines, including lions and tigers. 

The NCSO said its deputies and animal control officers are continuing their investigation and working on placing the animals at a USDA approved sanctuary.

They are also investigating the illegal possession of the fox.

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE NYE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE:


SUSPECT(S):
Jacki Freeman, 57, Pahrump
Abby Hedengran, Pahrump

CHARGE(S):
Animal Cruelty

DETAILS:
On 11/17/2016 the Nye County Sheriff's Office received several reports of exotic animals that were not being properly cared for on Black Rock Street in Pahrump.
The residence in question has a special conditions animal permit, which provides them a license to possess special conditions animals per Nye County Code.

Freeman and Hedengran both have had responsibility for the care and custody of these animals. Freeman and Hedengran are currently involved in litigation with each other. Nye County Sheriff's Office Animal Control Officers, Deputies, and Nevada Division of Wildlife Officers responded. Upon arriving NCSO Deputies made entry into the residence with the consent of the owner via telephone.

Inside they discovered several cats that were in unacceptable living conditions. The animals were locked in bedrooms and had been urinating and defecating on the walls and carpet. The air quality inside of the bedrooms was horrific. 

The home owner is reporting that the cats are Candadian Siberian Lynx Hybrid which is not a species requiring permitting in Nye County. Investigation into their specific species is being conducted by the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

Deputies and Officers also discovered inside of the home a Fennec Fox.
Possession of a Fennec Fox is a violation of Nevada Administrative Code. Nevada Department of Wildlife Officers are handling the appropriate investigation relating to the Fennec Fox and will facilitate the appropriate placement for the animal.

Due to the possession of the illegal fox and the deplorable living conditions of the cats inside the house, all of the special conditions animal permited animals on the property were seized while the special conditions animal permit is reviewed.

Animals seized from the property include 2 African Lionesses, 1 African Lion, 1 Bengal Tiger, 8 Candadian Siberian Lynx Hybrid Cats, 1 Black Panther, 1 Fennec Fox and 1 Cervel Caracal Hybrid Cat.

NCSO Deputies and Animal Control Officers are continuing their investigation and working on placement at a USDA approved sanctuary.

Jacki Freeman was issued a citation for animal cruelty as she was the current individual having custody of the animals.

Nye County Sheriff's Office is continuing the investigation and will present the findings to the Nye County Board of County Commissioners relating to the special conditions animal permit.

REPEAT OFFENDER:

In 2005, a tiger escaped from its pen in California and authorities shot and killed it. The article "Tiger Killed Near Reagan Library" says:

"Two weeks ago, authorities removed nearly two dozen large cats, including lions and tigers, from property rented by Abby Hedengran and Emma Hedengran not far from the library, Bernard said. All the animals that inspectors found on the property were accounted for, she said."

 

 

 

(Daily Mail - Nov 17, 2016)

Earlier:

• California: Hedengrans Arrested in Tiger's Escape. The Moorpark animal sanctuary owners denied the cat belonged to them while it roamed suburban areas. Trackers killed it Feb. 23.
• California: Gert "Abby" Hedengran and his wife, Roena "Emma" Hedengran take plea bargain in case involving loose tiger that was shot and killed
• Nevada: Gert "Abby" Hedengran and his wife fled California with their exotic animals, moving their problems to Nevada
• California: Abby Hedengran who caused his tiger to be shot and killed and then lied about it avoids jail, receives home detention
• California's tough laws help protect exotic animals

Florida: Horrifying new PETA sting video shows abuses of animals, including baby tigers, at Dade City's Wild Things

FLORIDA -- Not that any of us needed another reason to be outraged and/or depressed these days, but a new undercover video taken at a local "zoo" is utterly disheartening.

In 2015 and 2016, someone affiliated with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) volunteered and worked at Dade City's Wild Things, a somewhat popular — if not exactly accredited or respected by other animal-centered attractions in the area — roadside zoo that features a diverse array of animals, including the famous Mystery Monkey that eluded authorities for years in the Tampa Bay area.

A key attention getter at the 22-acre Pasco County attraction?

Pay a little extra, and they'll let you swim with a baby tiger.

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture filed multiple warnings and ultimately a complaint against the "zoo" because of the distress that causes tiger cubs as well as unacceptable living conditions for other fauna on the property.

From the complaint:

"Despite having received multiple inspection reports identifying noncompliance with the Regulations and failures to comply with the Standards, and the receipt of an Official Warning, respondent [Dade City Wild Things] has continued to mishandle animals, particularly infant and juvenile tigers, exposing these animals and the public to injury, disease, and harm. Respondent held or participated in events that included allowing members of the public to handle young and juvenile tigers, to paint the fur of young and juvenile tigers, and to force young and juvenile tigers to 'swim' and to 'play' with members of the public."

The violations include handlers forcing a little tiger to swim in the pool "despite the tiger's obvious discomfort," exposing them to "rough or excessive handling," exhibiting monkeys and tigers at unsafe distances from the public and failing to keep enclosures in decent repair (including excess water in cages and loose electrical wires).

The PETA video backs up those claims and then some.

And it's very hard to watch.

Included are clips of staff manhandling newborn tiger cubs, separating them from their mothers by trying to pull them out through their cages. The body of tiger cub who didn't make it is callously left on the ground. A tiger cub being trained to swim with guests can barely keep its head above water. Another is dragged through the mulch in an attempt to force it into interacting with guests.

Near the pool during a training session, the video shows an employee slapping a tiger cub, then shoving it into the water.

When they're too old to perform, tigers are confined to small cages with little to no stimulation.

When they're no longer able to be used in "tiger encounters", they may be sold off to "canned hunt" facilities in which they're somewhat tame, but kept inside caged/fenced areas for rich people to come by in a Jeep and then shoot and kill them for sport. There is no way for the animal to escape and the paid client is guaranteed a "kill".

Deer are kept in close confines during mating season until a fight breaks out, after which an employee fires a gun into the air in an effort to scare them into stopping the ruckus.

A monkey suffers from self-inflicted wounds, likely due to mental distress, but gets no care. A parrot lies sick in a container for weeks, later dying when management refuses to give it medical care.

Too big to be handled and used for encounter and
photo ops, tigers live in cages until sold off to
be used in canned hunts or bred for more baby tigers

And so on.

MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON AT PLACES LIKE THESE

PETA hopes the video will compel potential visitors to stay away from the property.

"Dade City's Wild Things is churning out tiger cub after tiger cub to be manhandled and exploited as props in photo ops and then left to suffer in barren cages," PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet said in a media release. "PETA is calling on the public to refuse to support this cruel tourist trap's abuse and exploitation of endangered animals."

The nonprofit notes the cruel irony of how tigers bred in captivity at such attractions can never be released back into the wild when they become too big to "perform" yet wild populations in areas of the world where they're indigenous face extinction.

All right, humans, we had a shot. And we blew it. Royally. Time to let the octopi take it all over.

Staff/management at Dade City's Wild Things did not return a call asking for comment as of Thursday night.

VIDEO:

Note: If you can't view the embedded video, you can click HERE to go directly to YouTube's page with the video.

(Creative Loafing Tampa - Oct 20, 2016)

Amazing pictures of 600-pound white Bengal tiger diving to devour chunks of raw meat

CALIFORNIA -- These spectacular pictures show a 600-pound white Bengal tiger diving into a water tank to devour chunks of raw meat.

They were taken in the Six Flags animal park in northern California by photographer Kristi Harper.

The rare tiger, called Kashmir, was quick to leap into the water after keepers threw meat into the tank.

The pictures show her jaws wide open and razor-sharp teeth gleaming before she reaches her catch.
 

 

Bengal tigers are an endangered species and are one of the few cat species that are able to swim.

(Mirror UK - Dec 12, 2013)