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

Mexico: Stripped of her teeth and claws, and covered in wounds: Heartbreaking images of lioness who died after being kept in appalling conditions by her cruel owner

MEXICO -- A lioness that had been found living in a mechanic's workshop in Mexico suffered such appalling treatment by her owner that she died from her injuries.

Eitan Hernandez, 44, had pulled out the lioness' teeth and claws in order to keep her as a pet in his workshop in Tlaquepaque, in the central-western Mexican state of Jalisco.

The lioness, christened Madonna by her cruel owner, weighed just 88lbs, less than a third of a normal adult lioness, and had open wounds on her back and legs.

  

 

A lion has an average lifespan of 29 in the wild, and around 13 in captivity. According to papers found in Mr Hernandez's home, Madonna was 19 when she was rescued

Madonna was rescued along with a lynx by officials from local animal rights group, Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa).

Profepa had managed to find a new home for Madonna in the United States, but the lioness was unable to recover from her injuries and died.

'The animal was in an appalling condition and being kept in an entirely inappropriate location,' Profepa spokesman Eugen Lozada Zamudio said.

'It was not only suffering from malnutrition and severely underweight, but it also had open wounds on its back and on its legs. In many places it had lost large patches of hair, and worst of all we found that at some stage its claws and its incisors had been pulled out presumably to make it less likely to harm its owners.'

Mr Zamudio added: 'She had difficulty walking because she had been in a cramped space for so long. The lynx which we recovered was also having difficulty moving because in contrast to the lion it seemed to have eaten too much and was severely overweight.'

Both animals had been transferred to the Biopark Rescue Unit Coexistence Pachuca where vets tried to bring them back to health. The lynx is reportedly doing better.

The African lion is classified as an endangered species in Mexico for which paperwork is needed, and Eitan Hernandez may face a fine over his treatment of Madonna the lion and the lynx.

It is not the first time Mexican authorities have recovered an animal without claws and teeth.

Earlier in the year a bear named Invictus died after he was recovered from a circus cage and found to have lost his jaw through an infection caused by the fact his teeth had been pulled out.

(Daily Mail - Jan 25, 2015)

Woman describes screams of friend attacked by lynx in Buckhead

GEORGIA -- The caretakers of the Siberian Lynx on Wednesday downplayed the attack in the Buckhead kennel, but the 911 call showed a terrorized woman who was the target of it while feeding the cat.

A friend of the victim, Rachel Hightower, called Atlanta 911 shortly after the attack at noon Tuesday.

The friend, who had come along for the feeding at the state-licensed kennel, said she didn’t see the attack, which reportedly resulted in minor injuries, but she was there for the aftermath.

 

“The next thing I know she is down on the ground and she is screaming,” the friend told the 911 operator. “It was a Siberian Lynx and it was attacking her and it cut her head open and she’s bleeding a lot.”

The friend, identified only as McKenzie, spent time comforting the 21-year-old Hightower as they waited on paramedics to arrive at the Paces Valley Road home.

The lynx was one of several African Asian and American wildcats at a private kennel. Caretaker Dave Laws, who said he normally feeds the animals, blamed the frightening experience on human error. Hightower should have not entered the cage when feeding the critters, he said.

“It was just just minor scratches – no stitches,” Laws, who was in Nashville Tuesday, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wednesday. “It was a very brief incident. The cat never left his enclosed area….The neighborhood was not threatened.”

Laws assurances to the neighborhood are understandable. Neighbors have voiced concerns about the caracals, servals and lynxes — both Eurasian and American — that are bred at the private kennel, said Lt. Wayne Hubbard who handles licenses for such facilities for the state Department of Natural Resources.

“If it was out in the middle of Wilkes County, nobody would care but being where it is can cause a little problem,” he said. “If the municipality allows it and the facility is suitable, then we’ll license it.”

State laws don’t require animal handlers to be certified as long as the owner is licensed, Hubbard said. The licensed owner, Fred Boyajian, owns nine exotic cats — four Siberian lynx, one Canadian lynx, two African servals and two caracals also known as the desert lynx and native to Africa and Asia, according to DNR records.

Laws didn’t understand why Hightower had entered the cage because he said she had been there before during feedings.

 

  

 

Attempts to reach Hightower for comment Wednesday were unsuccessful. But on the tape, the shaken woman can be heard taking responsibility for the accident; she told police the adult lynx attacked after she entered the cage.

Atlanta Officer J. Latosky wrote in his report that when he arrived “Ms. Hightower was sitting on a brick wall and had blood all over her head, arms and t-shirt” being treated by paramedics.

The wildcats were a source of drama after a series of escapes a decade ago. Boyajian has been licensed by DNR to raise exotic cats for more than three decades.

In December 2007, the City of Atlanta cited his exotic cat breeding operation for code violations because he did not have a business license and a municipal judge fined Boyajian $1,000 and ordered the removal of the cats, prompting DNR to withdraw his “Wild Animal” license, according to court papers.

In 2009, Boyajian sued in Superior Court, stating the city ordinance was unconstitutionally vague, he wasn’t in a money-making enterprise and the city had never required a business license since he started breeding in 1977. The city zoning department also had approved the kennel design when he moved to the residence in 1994, the lawsuit said.

In 2009, Boyajian was the sole licensed breeder of wild cats in Atlanta except for the Atlanta Zoo, the lawsuit noted.

On his web site, Boyajian explains he sells cats to other breeders and exhibitors and his cats are generational — none are removed from the wild. Laws said breeding helps sustain the species in case it becomes threatened.

“They are not house pets,” Boyajian said on the website. “Although they can be very loving, they can also inadvertently be destructive and dangerous. We will not sell them to inexperienced owners, without permits, or for use as house pets.”

(Atlanta Journal Constitution - Dec 3, 2014)

Exotic animal seized in Kansas

KANSAS -- Nearly one dozen exotic animals were removed from a property Sunday after authorities discovered that the animals had been abandoned without access to food or clean water.

Baker, 54, the caregiver of the animals was cited with 10 animal cruelty charges and permit violations. Baker was also taken into custody for disorderly conduct and drug related charges. The Atchison County Sheriff’s Office deputies started investigating Baker back in March of this year.

Authorities seized one tiger, two mountain lions, three bobcats, two lynx, one serval and two skunks from Baker’s property.

 

Although the animals weren’t malnourished, Sheriff Jack Laurie stated, they were filthy, covered in mud, muck and everything else.” “The feces hadn’t been cleaned out in a long time.”

“The land also was covered with deer, cow carcasses, and trash,” Laurie continued.

 

According to a release some of the 10 citations given to Baker included, failure to comply with United State Department of Agriculture and city ordinances relating to enclosures and exotic animal licensure and failure to possess wildlife, fur harvester and game breeder permits.

Baker is cooperating with authorities and has released all the animals from the site to rescue organizations.

 

The sheriff’s office with the help of the Humane Society of the United States has located the animals to sanctuaries outside the area. The Kansas City Zoo and Big Cat Rescue have also assisted in the seizure.

“The case highlights the need for Kansas to develop stronger laws to ensure dangerous wild animals are kept at accredited zoos and sanctuaries,” stated Midge Grinstead, the Kansas state director for the
Humane Society.

(Examiner - May 8, 2013)

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 -- The owners of a Moorpark animal sanctuary were arrested Wednesday for allegedly allowing a 352-pound Siberian tiger to escape and prowl suburban neighborhoods for four weeks while denying the cat was theirs.

Gert "Abby" Hedengran, 56, and his wife, Roena "Emma" Hedengran, 52, were taken from their rented ranch in Moorpark about 10 a.m. Wednesday and transported in a government van to U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

THEY LIED ABOUT OWNING THE TIGER, PUTTING EVERYONE IN DANGER

Abby Hedengran was charged with making false statements to federal officials, submitting false records, destroying evidence in a federal investigation, obstructing justice, witness tampering, and violating the federal Animal Welfare Act. Emma Hedengran was charged with obstructing justice and witness tampering.

The couple were expected to be released on $25,000 bail each, but Assistant U.S. Atty. Joseph Johns said he planned to ask for a psychiatric evaluation of Emma Hedengran because she is suspected of attempting to shoot her husband Feb. 17 during an argument at their home.

The Hedengrans, who were rousted from bed early Wednesday by agents serving a search warrant, had not yet hired an attorney and were not available for comment.

Authorities also were looking into the possibility the tiger had spooked two horses the morning of Feb. 12 in the Santa Rosa Valley.

According to police records, the horses broke through the rail of their corral and ran onto Santa Rosa Road, where a passing car hit one of the horses.

The male driver bled to death before he could be extricated.

Meanwhile, another car hit the wreckage, causing her vehicle to roll over.

The female driver of that car was hospitalized.

Officials from the state Department of Fish and Game said detectives are investigating whether the tiger played a role in the accidents, but said they have not made a direct link yet.

The Hedengrans' arrests brought an end to a month-long investigation as state and federal authorities tried to determine who owned the tiger and how it escaped.

The tiger was fatally shot Feb. 23 when it was found roaming near a school in Moorpark.

During the probe, the Hedengrans repeatedly denied owning the escaped tiger, saying their 5-year-old male, named Tuffy, had died.

"Abby said that the male tiger had died 1-1/2 to two years before because someone from [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals] had poisoned it," U.S. Department of Agriculture Special Agent Manny Flores wrote in the affidavit.

The Hedengrans, however, could not produce records or police reports related to the tiger's death, and former neighbors told authorities they had seen Tuffy as recently as January, according to the criminal complaint filed against Abby Hedengran.

The Hedengrans originally held a permit to keep their animals in Temecula but failed to notify federal and state authorities when they moved to Moorpark in January, said Mike Wintemute, a spokesman for Fish and Game.

Authorities did not learn of the couple's move until Jan. 31 when an escaped lynx was found 1/8 of a mile away from the couple's property on a neighbor's front porch. Fish and Game wardens tranquilized the lynx and took it to a state-run animal-holding center.

Authorities believe Tuffy had escaped at the same time the lynx did because tiger tracks were photographed Jan. 31 near California 23 near Simi Valley by researchers on a mountain lion tracking project.

About three days after the lynx was trapped, Abby Hedengran showed up to claim the 90-pound cat, which triggered an inspection of the property he and his wife rented in Moorpark, Wintemute said.

Authorities found three lions, two tigers, a snow leopard and 16 smaller cats, including bobcats and lynx, in a barn or running free inside the Hedengrans' mobile home. The animals were not in permanent cages, as required by law, nor was the ramshackle barn structure up to code, Wintemute said.

Authorities gave the couple 72 hours to find homes for the cats, which were transferred to various sites in California and Nevada.

Most of the larger animals were sent to a sanctuary in Las Vegas.

On Feb. 15, a caretaker at Day Creek Ranch in Moorpark reported seeing a "large cat" darting into the brush and called local animal control, which alerted state officials.

The next day, Fish and Game investigators found tiger tracks just east of California 23 near the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library near Simi Valley. Tracks also were found west of the highway and at a nursery in the neighboring Santa Rosa Valley.

 

Finally, on Feb. 23, the tiger was spotted by Moorpark residents who woke up to find the tiger pacing in their backyard.

Trackers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shot the tiger dead in a steep ravine near a housing development and a city park, causing an uproar among animal rights activists.

Investigators said they linked the Hedengrans to the tiger by comparing pictures and videos seized from the couple with the dead cat.

(LA Times - March 17, 2005)