FLORIDA -- A Hollywood police officer suspended amid allegations she neglected and abused her dog was ordered Tuesday to turn in her take-home patrol car.
However, Officer Ashley Reed, 27, a three-year veteran of the force, will be allowed to continue living rent-free as part of the department's Officer Next Door Program until the outcome of her case is determined. That process could take several weeks.
Reed was charged with misdemeanor animal neglect Monday after staff at the Hollywood Animal Clinic reported to police that her 16-month old male pit bull, Hurricane, was suffering from severe malnutrition and had injuries on his face, stomach and feet.
Reed dropped the dog off at the clinic late Sunday, Hollywood Police Capt. Tony Rode said.
Monday's suspension is Reed's second for 2003. She was suspended in January for reporting extra duty hours when ordered not to work them, records show. Last month, she was reassigned from patrol to administrative duty.
A review of her personnel file revealed Reed was the subject of at least three internal affairs investigations in the past three years.
She was given several unsatisfactory performance evaluations in 2002 and 2003 for mishandling property, disregarding the safety of a citizen who called for help, failing to comply with the department's arrest policy and failing to submit written reports.
She submitted her resignation April 24, 2001 and then rescinded it the same day, records show.
Until the city decides her fate, however, it will continue paying her monthly rent of $925.
Reed is one of about a dozen officers living rent-free in what the department calls "high service demand neighborhoods." In return, they sign a contract promising to stay in the residences, mostly single-family homes, for three years. Reed moved into the small Hollywood home in May 2002, police department attorney Joel Cantor said.
"That privilege can be yanked away at any time," Cantor said. "It depends on how the chief dictates the future of this officer. If the officer continues as a uniformed police officer, then she may very well continue in the program.''
The Officer Next Door program, which began five years ago, costs about $100,000 a year and is funded by drug forfeiture money.
(Sun Sentinel - December 24, 2003)
Earlier:
Wednesday, December 24, 2003
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
Florida: Hollywood Police Officer Ashley Reed, 27, a three-year veteran, was charged by her own department with misdemeanor animal neglect
FLORIDA -- A Hollywood police officer was suspended Monday amid allegations she abused and neglected her dog.
Officer Ashley Reed, 27, a three-year veteran, was charged by her own department with misdemeanor animal neglect and was issued a notice to appear in court, Hollywood police Capt. Tony Rode said.
The dog, a male pit bull named Hurricane, "appeared to be suffering from severe malnutrition coupled with signs of neglect and/or abuse to the face, the stomach and the feet," Rode said.
Detectives from the department's animal abuse unit opened an investigation Monday morning after being contacted by the Hollywood Animal Hospital.
Staff at the animal clinic declined to comment and referred all questions to police. Officers would not say how the hospital came to examine the animal.
"She will not get the dog back," Rode said. "Hollywood police have put a hold on the animal so that it not be returned, pending a court order."
In addition, he said, Reed "was issued a notice to appear in lieu of a physical arrest and [was] immediately suspended by authority of the chief of police."
Reed already was the focus of an unrelated investigation by the internal affairs unit for ongoing performance-related issues. Last month, she was reassigned from patrol duty to administrative duty, Rode said.
(Sun Sentinel - December 23, 2003)
Officer Ashley Reed, 27, a three-year veteran, was charged by her own department with misdemeanor animal neglect and was issued a notice to appear in court, Hollywood police Capt. Tony Rode said.
The dog, a male pit bull named Hurricane, "appeared to be suffering from severe malnutrition coupled with signs of neglect and/or abuse to the face, the stomach and the feet," Rode said.
Detectives from the department's animal abuse unit opened an investigation Monday morning after being contacted by the Hollywood Animal Hospital.
Staff at the animal clinic declined to comment and referred all questions to police. Officers would not say how the hospital came to examine the animal.
"She will not get the dog back," Rode said. "Hollywood police have put a hold on the animal so that it not be returned, pending a court order."
In addition, he said, Reed "was issued a notice to appear in lieu of a physical arrest and [was] immediately suspended by authority of the chief of police."
Reed already was the focus of an unrelated investigation by the internal affairs unit for ongoing performance-related issues. Last month, she was reassigned from patrol duty to administrative duty, Rode said.
(Sun Sentinel - December 23, 2003)
Tuesday, December 2, 2003
Florida: Wanda Beltran Arrested After Family Pit Bull Attacks Children
FLORIDA -- A Lake Worth woman has been arrested on child-neglect charges for leaving her 3-year-old and teenage daughters home alone with a pit bull that attacked them, police said Monday.
The attacks at the home of Wanda Beltran, 35, occurred Oct. 9, but police said they had to wait for a judge to issue a warrant before they could arrest her Sunday morning.
In the attacks, Beltran's 3-year-old required stitches for multiple cuts to her face and forehead. According to the police report, half of her right eyelid was torn. The skin from her older sister's right elbow was gone, and there were two 2-inch purple-and-blue cuts on it, the report said. Both her children were treated at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach.
Beltran told officers the dog was outside when she left for work and one of the girls must have let the animal in the house. According to the police report, Beltran said her ex-boyfriend had trained the 2-year-old dog to fight, but had hoped to rehabilitate the dog.
The oldest girl, who police only described as 12 to 15 years old, was in the bedroom watching television when she heard her 3-year-old sister scream. When she went to investigate, the younger girl was on one side of the room bleeding and the dog was on the other side ready to attack again, the report said. The older girl grabbed her sister and started to run outside, but before she made it, the dog bit and held on to her elbow. Despite the pain, the report said, she continued running, dragging the dog outside.
A neighbor who saw the commotion and tried to help was bitten in the stomach by the dog.
Beltran, coming home from work, arrived as her pit bull was mauling the neighbor's dog. She grabbed her animal, holding it in the middle of the 400 block of North H Street until police arrived and made her put the dog in her car.
Beltran was charged with felony child neglect causing great bodily harm.
Her bail was set at $5,000.
(Sun Sentinel - December 2, 2003)
The attacks at the home of Wanda Beltran, 35, occurred Oct. 9, but police said they had to wait for a judge to issue a warrant before they could arrest her Sunday morning.
In the attacks, Beltran's 3-year-old required stitches for multiple cuts to her face and forehead. According to the police report, half of her right eyelid was torn. The skin from her older sister's right elbow was gone, and there were two 2-inch purple-and-blue cuts on it, the report said. Both her children were treated at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach.
Beltran told officers the dog was outside when she left for work and one of the girls must have let the animal in the house. According to the police report, Beltran said her ex-boyfriend had trained the 2-year-old dog to fight, but had hoped to rehabilitate the dog.
The oldest girl, who police only described as 12 to 15 years old, was in the bedroom watching television when she heard her 3-year-old sister scream. When she went to investigate, the younger girl was on one side of the room bleeding and the dog was on the other side ready to attack again, the report said. The older girl grabbed her sister and started to run outside, but before she made it, the dog bit and held on to her elbow. Despite the pain, the report said, she continued running, dragging the dog outside.
A neighbor who saw the commotion and tried to help was bitten in the stomach by the dog.
Beltran, coming home from work, arrived as her pit bull was mauling the neighbor's dog. She grabbed her animal, holding it in the middle of the 400 block of North H Street until police arrived and made her put the dog in her car.
Beltran was charged with felony child neglect causing great bodily harm.
Her bail was set at $5,000.
(Sun Sentinel - December 2, 2003)
Sunday, November 16, 2003
Pennsylvania: Hatfield woman Janet Jones, 53, convicted in animal cruelty, hoarding case involving more than 100 animals
PENNSYLVANIA -- Janet Jones of the 2100 block of Overbrook Road was ordered by Montgomery County Senior Judge Albert R. Subers to pay $45,600 in restitution to the Montgomery County SPCA to cover the cost of room and board and veterinary care for the 96 cats and nine dogs that were seized by the SPCA from Jones' home on Sept. 13, 2002.
"There is no doubt in my mind the defendant is guilty as charged," Judge Subers said at the conclusion of a trial that was mandated when Jones appealed her Dec. 17 conviction of summary animal-cruelty charges by District Justice Harry Nesbitt III.
Subers said the animals will not be returned to Jones, who has 30 days to file an appeal of the verdict.
Jones, 53, and her lawyer, Kevin Sommar, refused to comment on the ruling as they left the courtroom.
"Owning an animal in society is a privilege. Janet Jones abused that privilege," said Assistant District Attorney Samantha Cauffman, who argued the cruelty occurred when Jones denied the animals access to sanitary shelter.
Officers of the SPCA testified they encountered an overwhelming odor of urine inside the home and said walls were stained with urine. Feces coated other surfaces of the house, prosecutors alleged. Some of the animals were emaciated and had respiratory infections, according to testimony.
Dead animals were discovered stored in plastic bags in Jones' freezer and refrigerator.
"The bodies in the freezer, right above where she has food, that does go to sanitariness," said Cauffman, who pleaded with the judge not to return the animals to Jones. "They deserve a better existence than what she gave them."
The carcass of another animal was discovered under an entertainment center, testimony revealed.
Cauffman argued Jones' residence is an example of why state legislators drafted animal-cruelty laws.
"If there was ever a case that the Legislature had in mind when creating the unsanitary-shelter portion of the statute, this is the case. Janet Jones' residence is what they were talking about," Cauffman said.
Sommar argued the animals were well cared for by Jones. He claimed investigators never tested substances allegedly found in the home to verify their conclusion that it was urine and feces.
"Merely because the odor may be overpowering to humans does not make the conditions unsanitary," Sommar argued to the judge. "They leaped to conclusions that any dirt they saw was feces and urine."
When Jones testified, she claimed "not a drop" of urine and feces was found on the floor of her home when the SPCA showed up on Sept. 13, 2002.
Jones testified she acquired the animals in many ways, sometimes inheriting them from friends who died. People also abandoned cats suffering from feline leukemia, leaving them on her property and she took them in, Jones said.
"I provided shelter and housing because there is no alternative for animals like that," said Jones. "Every story how I got them is different. Each one has its own little story."
Sommar asked Jones how she could tell the animals apart.
"I don't have roll call every day," Jones said. "You know who's who. They all had names and nicknames. You just get to know, they're like members of your family."
Jones testified she took very good care of her animals, giving them fresh water daily, fresh bedding, fresh food and veterinary care and had them spayed or neutered. There were heat lamps, heated water dishes and umbrellas in the "cat yard" to protect the animals from bad weather.
Jones told the judge she had special areas set aside for cats suffering from feline leukemia and a cabinet full of intravenous fluids and medicines.
"I had a stash of every kind of antibiotic there is. I was ready and prepared for whatever," Jones told the judge.
As for the dead animals in her freezer, Jones testified she kept them there until she could take them to a veterinarian to have them cremated.
"If you let them sit around they don't smell very well," said Jones, explaining why she put the carcasses in the freezer.
David B. Beeghley, the lawyer for the SPCA, said that, under the judge's order, the SPCA must continue to care for the animals until the appeal process is completed. Officials said the 105 animals have received $6,000 in veterinary care since being seized last year.
About 15 of the animals, some of which had feline leukemia and feline AIDS when they were seized, have since died, officials said.
"The concern from the very beginning was the animals and only the animals. I'm never pleased to see a situation where a person allows this kind of situation to come up," Beeghley said.
(The Reporter Online - November 15, 2003)
"There is no doubt in my mind the defendant is guilty as charged," Judge Subers said at the conclusion of a trial that was mandated when Jones appealed her Dec. 17 conviction of summary animal-cruelty charges by District Justice Harry Nesbitt III.
Subers said the animals will not be returned to Jones, who has 30 days to file an appeal of the verdict.
Jones, 53, and her lawyer, Kevin Sommar, refused to comment on the ruling as they left the courtroom.
"Owning an animal in society is a privilege. Janet Jones abused that privilege," said Assistant District Attorney Samantha Cauffman, who argued the cruelty occurred when Jones denied the animals access to sanitary shelter.
Officers of the SPCA testified they encountered an overwhelming odor of urine inside the home and said walls were stained with urine. Feces coated other surfaces of the house, prosecutors alleged. Some of the animals were emaciated and had respiratory infections, according to testimony.
Dead animals were discovered stored in plastic bags in Jones' freezer and refrigerator.
"The bodies in the freezer, right above where she has food, that does go to sanitariness," said Cauffman, who pleaded with the judge not to return the animals to Jones. "They deserve a better existence than what she gave them."
The carcass of another animal was discovered under an entertainment center, testimony revealed.
Cauffman argued Jones' residence is an example of why state legislators drafted animal-cruelty laws.
"If there was ever a case that the Legislature had in mind when creating the unsanitary-shelter portion of the statute, this is the case. Janet Jones' residence is what they were talking about," Cauffman said.
Sommar argued the animals were well cared for by Jones. He claimed investigators never tested substances allegedly found in the home to verify their conclusion that it was urine and feces.
"Merely because the odor may be overpowering to humans does not make the conditions unsanitary," Sommar argued to the judge. "They leaped to conclusions that any dirt they saw was feces and urine."
When Jones testified, she claimed "not a drop" of urine and feces was found on the floor of her home when the SPCA showed up on Sept. 13, 2002.
Jones testified she acquired the animals in many ways, sometimes inheriting them from friends who died. People also abandoned cats suffering from feline leukemia, leaving them on her property and she took them in, Jones said.
"I provided shelter and housing because there is no alternative for animals like that," said Jones. "Every story how I got them is different. Each one has its own little story."
Sommar asked Jones how she could tell the animals apart.
"I don't have roll call every day," Jones said. "You know who's who. They all had names and nicknames. You just get to know, they're like members of your family."
Jones testified she took very good care of her animals, giving them fresh water daily, fresh bedding, fresh food and veterinary care and had them spayed or neutered. There were heat lamps, heated water dishes and umbrellas in the "cat yard" to protect the animals from bad weather.
Jones told the judge she had special areas set aside for cats suffering from feline leukemia and a cabinet full of intravenous fluids and medicines.
"I had a stash of every kind of antibiotic there is. I was ready and prepared for whatever," Jones told the judge.
As for the dead animals in her freezer, Jones testified she kept them there until she could take them to a veterinarian to have them cremated.
"If you let them sit around they don't smell very well," said Jones, explaining why she put the carcasses in the freezer.
David B. Beeghley, the lawyer for the SPCA, said that, under the judge's order, the SPCA must continue to care for the animals until the appeal process is completed. Officials said the 105 animals have received $6,000 in veterinary care since being seized last year.
About 15 of the animals, some of which had feline leukemia and feline AIDS when they were seized, have since died, officials said.
"The concern from the very beginning was the animals and only the animals. I'm never pleased to see a situation where a person allows this kind of situation to come up," Beeghley said.
(The Reporter Online - November 15, 2003)
Thursday, November 13, 2003
New Jersey: The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Removes 24 Tigers Illegally Kept as Pets by Joan Byron Marasek
NEW JERSEY -- (Press release) The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) with assistance from the Wild Animal Orphanage (WAO) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) today began moving 24 neglected and unpermitted tigers from a private facility in Jackson Township to a non-profit animal sanctuary in Texas.
"We are moving these tigers today to end a saga of lawbreaking cruelty to these animals," DEP Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell said. "Joan Byron-Marasek and her husband, Jan Marasek, not only kept these 24 tigers as pets, but they kept them in squalor."
During an inspection just last week, the DEP's Division of Fish and Wildlife found the cats forced to choose between pacing knee-deep through a mixture of mud and feces, or taking shelter in their filthy trailers.
Some tigers lived in such cramped spaces, they barely had enough room to turn around or stand. The ground on which these majestic creatures were forced to recline was perpetually wet during the winter months.
The Maraseks continually failed to refrigerate the tigers' food, and routinely fed them rotting deer carcasses, black with flies, and other spoiled meat.
The Maraseks ignored the pleas of animal-welfare groups and a state Superior Court order to keep the tigers segregated by gender so they wouldn't breed and bring even more tigers into these abysmal conditions. In March 2001, the DEP documented a male and female tiger purposely caged together and mating.
The deplorable, cramped conditions here resulted in multiple court rulings that culminate today with the tigers' removal to the WAO. The tigers will live at the group's new facility located on a 102-acre tract outside San Antonio, Texas. The WAO is a 20-year-old non-profit institution that is licensed by the USDA and regularly inspected.
The DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife, in cooperation with the WAO, the Jackson Township Police Department and the International Fund for Animal Welfare, are taking every precaution to ensure this move goes smoothly and safely for the tigers and the public.
Each tiger is being loaded into an individual traveling cage that will be rolled into a large truck container and carried by one of four tractor-trailers to San Antonio.
A rotating team of drivers accompanied by two veterinarians will drive the tigers nonstop through the night. The trip to San Antonio will take fewer than 30 hours.
"Today, as when the prior administration first began this investigation nearly five years ago, our goal remains the same: to provide for the safety of the Jackson community and to provide the tigers with clean, humane living conditions befitting these majestic animals," Campbell said.
The DEP began investigating the Maraseks' Tigers Only Preservation Society on Monmouth Road in January 1999, after law enforcement officials shot and killed a 431-pound Bengal tiger found loose and roaming about Freehold Township.
A DNA analysis of a tiger hair found on a briar inside the Maraseks' perimeter fence but outside the tiger compound matched the DNA of the roaming tiger.
Superior Court Judge Eugene D. Serpentelli established on May 7, 2003, that the DEP and the WAO can take ownership of the tigers and move them Texas. The Maraseks forfeited their ownership by failing to either obtain the proper exotic animal permits or to voluntarily move the tigers out of New Jersey.
The DEP thanks the WAO and the IFAW for their substantial time and financial support with today's move. The DEP also thanks the Humane Society of the United States and Princeton University, home of the Princeton Tigers, for their generous support.
(NJ.gov - November 12, 2003)
Earlier:
"We are moving these tigers today to end a saga of lawbreaking cruelty to these animals," DEP Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell said. "Joan Byron-Marasek and her husband, Jan Marasek, not only kept these 24 tigers as pets, but they kept them in squalor."
During an inspection just last week, the DEP's Division of Fish and Wildlife found the cats forced to choose between pacing knee-deep through a mixture of mud and feces, or taking shelter in their filthy trailers.
Some tigers lived in such cramped spaces, they barely had enough room to turn around or stand. The ground on which these majestic creatures were forced to recline was perpetually wet during the winter months.
The Maraseks continually failed to refrigerate the tigers' food, and routinely fed them rotting deer carcasses, black with flies, and other spoiled meat.
The Maraseks ignored the pleas of animal-welfare groups and a state Superior Court order to keep the tigers segregated by gender so they wouldn't breed and bring even more tigers into these abysmal conditions. In March 2001, the DEP documented a male and female tiger purposely caged together and mating.
The deplorable, cramped conditions here resulted in multiple court rulings that culminate today with the tigers' removal to the WAO. The tigers will live at the group's new facility located on a 102-acre tract outside San Antonio, Texas. The WAO is a 20-year-old non-profit institution that is licensed by the USDA and regularly inspected.
The DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife, in cooperation with the WAO, the Jackson Township Police Department and the International Fund for Animal Welfare, are taking every precaution to ensure this move goes smoothly and safely for the tigers and the public.
Each tiger is being loaded into an individual traveling cage that will be rolled into a large truck container and carried by one of four tractor-trailers to San Antonio.
A rotating team of drivers accompanied by two veterinarians will drive the tigers nonstop through the night. The trip to San Antonio will take fewer than 30 hours.
"Today, as when the prior administration first began this investigation nearly five years ago, our goal remains the same: to provide for the safety of the Jackson community and to provide the tigers with clean, humane living conditions befitting these majestic animals," Campbell said.
A DNA analysis of a tiger hair found on a briar inside the Maraseks' perimeter fence but outside the tiger compound matched the DNA of the roaming tiger.
Superior Court Judge Eugene D. Serpentelli established on May 7, 2003, that the DEP and the WAO can take ownership of the tigers and move them Texas. The Maraseks forfeited their ownership by failing to either obtain the proper exotic animal permits or to voluntarily move the tigers out of New Jersey.
The DEP thanks the WAO and the IFAW for their substantial time and financial support with today's move. The DEP also thanks the Humane Society of the United States and Princeton University, home of the Princeton Tigers, for their generous support.
(NJ.gov - November 12, 2003)
Earlier:
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
New Jersey: Moving day for Joan Byron Marasek captive tigers
NEW JERSEY -- Nearly five years after a loose tiger wandering this Ocean County community triggered a crackdown on a privately run sanctuary for big cats, animal welfare workers began removing the 24 Bengal tigers Tuesday, preparing them for shipment to a Texas animal sanctuary.
By 3 p.m., 18 tigers had been loaded onto trucks, including some that had to be sedated with tranquilizer darts. A convoy of four trucks was expected to leave the Tigers Only Preservation Society on Tuesday night, bound for the Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio , which authorities said is better equipped to care for them.
The move ends a protracted struggle between the cats’ owner, Joan Byron-Marasek, who has become known as the “Tiger Lady,” and state wildlife officials, who say the animals were being kept in deplorable conditions and needed to be taken away.
“I’m so glad to see this is finally coming to a resolution,” said Marty McHugh, director of the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife. “These animals have been living in such terrible conditions. This is the right thing to do. Getting them out to Texas is the best thing that could happen to them, and to this community.”
The strange saga began in January 1999, when a loose tiger wandering near Byron-Marasek’s property was shot and killed by authorities. State officials never proved the tiger belonged to Byron-Marasek, but criticized conditions at her facility and denied the renewal of her permit to keep the tigers.
Her appeals to overturn that decision were exhausted in November 2001, and a state Superior Court judge authorized a plan to move the animals.
Byron-Marasek was at the compound when the workers arrived, but she left in a taxi around 7 a.m. , crouching down so photographers could not taker her picture. She was not immediately available for comment.
McHugh said Byron-Marasek had obtained a hearing in U.S. District Court in Camden that was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon to try to seek some sort of post-event relief. Her most recent attorney, Darren Gelber, did not return a phone call seeking comment Tuesday.
The tiger compound divided neighbors in this rapidly growing community of single-home subdivisions nestled among the scrub pines about halfway between New York and Philadelphia . Supporters said Byron-Marasek was being targeted by overzealous bureaucrats, while opponents dreamed of the day when there were no longer any tigers in the area.
“I just don’t feel they should be penned up. That’s what Great Adventure is for,” said neighbor Marge Richmond, referring to the nearby theme park that includes a drive-through safari with wild animals. “You want a pet? Get a dog.”
John Poulos carried a hand-made sign outside the compound that read “Let The Tigers Stay.” He blamed recent arrivals for Byron-Marasek’s troubles.
“She’s been here for 20 years,” Poulos said. “These people move from New York and North Jersey and never checked where it was they were moving to.”
Getting the big cats out of their cages proved tricky. In some instances, workers lured them into rolling portable cages with meat. Others had to be gently prodded. Still others refused to go, roaring and lashing out at workers.
“They’re being extremely aggressive,” said Carol Asvestas, director of the Wild Animal Orphanage. “They’re just not very happy right now.”
Five tigers had to be sedated with darts containing a mixture of Valium and ketamine, an animal tranquilizer.
Asvestas said she was appalled at the physical condition of the tigers, who she said were soaked in urine and caked with mud and feces. One tiger had neurological problems that would not allow it to hold its head straight.
Another was severely dehydrated and has sores on its feet.
“I think it’s criminal for the government to give permits to facilities like these,” she said.
Asvestas said her 102-acre facility is already home to 600 wild animals, including 42 other tigers, as well as monkeys, bears and other animals rescued from private ownership. It is registered with and routinely inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture.
The convoy heading to San Antonio will be staffed by several relief drivers, two veterinarians and 10 animal caretakers. If all goes well, the tigers should be at their new home by Wednesday night, officials said.
The move will cost nearly $300,000. New Jersey will provide $120,000, and the International Animal Welfare Fund, a group lobbying for an end to private ownership of big cats, is contributing another $120,000.
It was not immediately clear who would pay the remaining $60,000. McHugh said the state plans to move in court to recoup its costs from the case from Byron-Marasek.
(AP - Nov 11, 2003)
Earlier:
By 3 p.m., 18 tigers had been loaded onto trucks, including some that had to be sedated with tranquilizer darts. A convoy of four trucks was expected to leave the Tigers Only Preservation Society on Tuesday night, bound for the Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio , which authorities said is better equipped to care for them.
The move ends a protracted struggle between the cats’ owner, Joan Byron-Marasek, who has become known as the “Tiger Lady,” and state wildlife officials, who say the animals were being kept in deplorable conditions and needed to be taken away.
“I’m so glad to see this is finally coming to a resolution,” said Marty McHugh, director of the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife. “These animals have been living in such terrible conditions. This is the right thing to do. Getting them out to Texas is the best thing that could happen to them, and to this community.”
The strange saga began in January 1999, when a loose tiger wandering near Byron-Marasek’s property was shot and killed by authorities. State officials never proved the tiger belonged to Byron-Marasek, but criticized conditions at her facility and denied the renewal of her permit to keep the tigers.
Her appeals to overturn that decision were exhausted in November 2001, and a state Superior Court judge authorized a plan to move the animals.
Byron-Marasek was at the compound when the workers arrived, but she left in a taxi around 7 a.m. , crouching down so photographers could not taker her picture. She was not immediately available for comment.
McHugh said Byron-Marasek had obtained a hearing in U.S. District Court in Camden that was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon to try to seek some sort of post-event relief. Her most recent attorney, Darren Gelber, did not return a phone call seeking comment Tuesday.
The tiger compound divided neighbors in this rapidly growing community of single-home subdivisions nestled among the scrub pines about halfway between New York and Philadelphia . Supporters said Byron-Marasek was being targeted by overzealous bureaucrats, while opponents dreamed of the day when there were no longer any tigers in the area.
“I just don’t feel they should be penned up. That’s what Great Adventure is for,” said neighbor Marge Richmond, referring to the nearby theme park that includes a drive-through safari with wild animals. “You want a pet? Get a dog.”
John Poulos carried a hand-made sign outside the compound that read “Let The Tigers Stay.” He blamed recent arrivals for Byron-Marasek’s troubles.
“She’s been here for 20 years,” Poulos said. “These people move from New York and North Jersey and never checked where it was they were moving to.”
Getting the big cats out of their cages proved tricky. In some instances, workers lured them into rolling portable cages with meat. Others had to be gently prodded. Still others refused to go, roaring and lashing out at workers.
“They’re being extremely aggressive,” said Carol Asvestas, director of the Wild Animal Orphanage. “They’re just not very happy right now.”
Five tigers had to be sedated with darts containing a mixture of Valium and ketamine, an animal tranquilizer.
Asvestas said she was appalled at the physical condition of the tigers, who she said were soaked in urine and caked with mud and feces. One tiger had neurological problems that would not allow it to hold its head straight.
Another was severely dehydrated and has sores on its feet.
“I think it’s criminal for the government to give permits to facilities like these,” she said.
Asvestas said her 102-acre facility is already home to 600 wild animals, including 42 other tigers, as well as monkeys, bears and other animals rescued from private ownership. It is registered with and routinely inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture.
The move will cost nearly $300,000. New Jersey will provide $120,000, and the International Animal Welfare Fund, a group lobbying for an end to private ownership of big cats, is contributing another $120,000.
It was not immediately clear who would pay the remaining $60,000. McHugh said the state plans to move in court to recoup its costs from the case from Byron-Marasek.
(AP - Nov 11, 2003)
Earlier:
Tuesday, November 11, 2003
South Africa: Breeder who had his leg ripped off by his four Pit Bulls has died of his injuries
SOUTH AFRICA -- Pit bull breeder Charles Murray, 48, who was mauled by four of his dogs last week, died in the intensive care unit of the Prince Mshiyeni Hospital in Umlazi at 3am on Saturday.
Murray was mauled at his Margate home after a car on which he was working fell on top of him. When he began screaming for help, the dogs attacked him.
Doctors and nurses were shocked when Murray was brought into the hospital. They had to amputate his left leg.
Murray sustained injuries to his neck, stomach, arms, legs, a number of his ribs were broken and he suffered fractures to a number of other bones.
SURPRISED OWNER
According to Murray's son, Frank, the dogs had been relentless in their attack on his father. Murray jnr said his father had "pampered" his dogs and "taken special care of them".
A neighbor, Rod Myburgh (who was also bitten), fought off the dogs with a pole and even when he managed to beat one hard, it continued with its attack.
Murray's wife, Marie, shot one dog, hitting it in the shoulder. It stopped for a second and then continued to attack the helpless man.
SAPS Dog Unit members arrived and shot two of the dogs and took the others to the SPCA, where they were put down.
(IOL ZA - November 10, 2003)
Earlier:
Murray was mauled at his Margate home after a car on which he was working fell on top of him. When he began screaming for help, the dogs attacked him.
Doctors and nurses were shocked when Murray was brought into the hospital. They had to amputate his left leg.
Murray sustained injuries to his neck, stomach, arms, legs, a number of his ribs were broken and he suffered fractures to a number of other bones.
SURPRISED OWNER
According to Murray's son, Frank, the dogs had been relentless in their attack on his father. Murray jnr said his father had "pampered" his dogs and "taken special care of them".
A neighbor, Rod Myburgh (who was also bitten), fought off the dogs with a pole and even when he managed to beat one hard, it continued with its attack.
Murray's wife, Marie, shot one dog, hitting it in the shoulder. It stopped for a second and then continued to attack the helpless man.
SAPS Dog Unit members arrived and shot two of the dogs and took the others to the SPCA, where they were put down.
(IOL ZA - November 10, 2003)
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