Genesis Wildlife Center: Safety & Finances (new info) (Scranton: insurance, camper)

[mbs7]

Again, the underlying problem is that the USDA regulations are not strict enough. All animal facilities should have to be accredited, and should be held to much higher standards than the USDA standards. That is not just my opinion, but also the opinion of many, many animal experts.

[mbs7]

Originally Posted by D Dozen

You don't want to see these animals killed... well that's what will happen to most of them. They came from zoos that didn't want them any more or places that exploited them for there own purposes. You don't realize what this woman was promised by the city 6 yrs ago. The Mayor told her to go ahead and get these tigers after Reba died. They received so many cards and letters from schools that love coming to the center a few times during there school year. If the schools didn't think it was safe they wouldn't come.
They don't breed there animals at GWC a lot of them are fixed or are to old. You can keep different species in the same cages, and as far as over crowed ones where, which ones? The game commission regulates how many can be placed with GWC. For the shape that building is in I think they do a great job. The city dosen't give everthing what about food, vet bills, cleaning supplies,workmens comp does any of this matter. There has to be some people at the center everyday 7 days a week even holidays. The animals are taken care of every day.
They have had people go off and become veterinarians after Margie's teaching them. This center has a lot to offer students, interns and just the public itself.
When they are open to the public the doors are locked to the public. The monkey doors and the cat doors yes I said doors are closed and locked.
People go out and buy these expensive birds and then the birds become to loud and what do they do, cover them the majority of the time and the bird becomes physilogically scared and starts plucking it's feathers out. What do they do next get rid of the bird, why not its just expendable.
It seems so easy to sit back and complain about this place like there is nothing else to do. Your worried about the public safety and the people who work there. Precautions are taken weather you want to see it or not you have to figure that some people just take chances even out of stupidity and those are not ones that stay at GWC. There are things that happen at other places that are so well defined in there building and have everything just so but if you have a stupid person there that doesn't follow protocol whose fault is it really.
As far as that Beatrice not feeling safe well I don't know what her problem is but I know for a fact that she was not in the cage with those tigers and there was a locked gate between her and them. Margie talked with her for over an hour taking her through the center. With her being some lawyer you would think that she would want to help not tear the place apart....

Note the above: "Precautions are taken weather you want to see it or not you have to figure that some people just take chances even out of stupidity and those are not ones that stay at GWC."

A good animal facility is set up so that it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE for people to take chances with the animals. Period. And a good animal facility does not post a picture on its website of a human being hugging a tiger. That is not reasonable or responsible behavior and it sends an absolutely unacceptable and dangerous message to the public in general and especially to children.

(See About Genesis Wildlife Sanctuary)

[D Dozen]

mbs7 I don't agree with you, there are many accidents at good animal facilities I've seen them first hand. As far as hugging your tiger on the website it shows how they feel for there animals especially what these animals have been through before coming to Ms. Miller. If you have ever worked with these kind of animals you might understand. Taking an animal that has been starved, never cleaned or has been electrocuted and doesn't trust anyone takes a lot of patience, understanding and feelings.
Ms. Miller is a special kind of person to want to help these animals that are in dire need of help. They have come from many different places.

[D Dozen]

Even accredited place are not so perfect..

[mbs7]

Originally Posted by D Dozen

Even accredited place are not so perfect..

I absolutely agree that accredited animal facilities are not perfect, and accidents can and do happen anywhere. But the fact remains that the standards at accredited facilities are much higher than those at the Genesis Wildlife Center. The conditions at the GWC are, frankly, shocking. And it is never safe for anyone to hug a tiger under any circumstances. That sort of behavior is extremely irresponsible, greatly increases the chances that someone is going to get hurt, and serves as a very poor example for the public. Also, I do not think it shows respect for the animal. Tigers are not domesticated animals, like dogs. They are wild animals and should be treated as such.

As some of us have said here before, there is a severe lack of professionalism at the GWC.

[D Dozen]

Well I guess that all the other websites with people hugging there exotic animals is bad to you also. Then these animals don't need love and affection when they are hand raised by humans and not there own kind. It serves as a great example to people, this is how a lot of vets become or wildlife experts. I told you before that Margie is very experienced with these animals. As far as professionalism at GWC I think it is very good. Not ever business has 100% professionalism there are always a few that differ. I'm sure that you have watched animal programs well where do they get there responsibility and believe me the animals respect them as much as they respect the animals. You should really get out and see how animal lovers really are. IF YOU HAVE A PET AT HOME THINK ABOUT WHY HE OR SHE BECAME ONE!!!!

[weluvpa]

D Dozen you are by no means helping your cause with the attitude that you bring to this forum. Instead of trying to educate us about us about the GWC, you come here like some playground bully.....Good luck with that approach.

[mbs7]

Originally Posted by D Dozen

Well I guess that all the other websites with people hugging there exotic animals is bad to you also. Then these animals don't need love and affection when they are hand raised by humans and not there own kind. It serves as a great example to people, this is how a lot of vets become or wildlife experts. I told you before that Margie is very experienced with these animals. As far as professionalism at GWC I think it is very good. Not ever business has 100% professionalism there are always a few that differ. I'm sure that you have watched animal programs well where do they get there responsibility and believe me the animals respect them as much as they respect the animals. You should really get out and see how animal lovers really are. IF YOU HAVE A PET AT HOME THINK ABOUT WHY HE OR SHE BECAME ONE!!!!

D Dozen, some animals, like dogs and cats, have been bred for centuries to live with humans. These domesticated animals can also be dangerous, of course, but they are just not the same as wild animals, like tigers. Tigers and other exotic animals have not been bred to be companions to humans.

Moreover, no animal that weighs hundreds of pounds and is equipped with sharp teeth and claws is a good candidate for a pet--or for hugs!!! Even if such an animal were to be domesticated, it would still be very dangerous. A cat that weighs hundreds of pounds can kill you very quickly and very easily. There are many examples of people who spent most of their lives around dangerous animals and knew all about those animals, and who still ended up being killed or injured by those animals. Even with special training, and very good precautions, there are gigantic risks. Contact with these animals should be extremely limited--not just for the sake of the humans involved, but also for the animals.

So, in fact, I do NOT think that anyone, anywhere, should be hugging any potentially dangerous, exotic pets, or even keeping any exotic animals as pets--particularly those animals that present a danger to humans. Only very highly trained, very responsible professionals should be handling these animals, and even then, the animals should be handled as little as possible, not just to protect the humans, but so the animals will not be confused by human behavior. If these animals are to be kept in captivity at all, they should be as free as possible to behave as they would if they were living in the wild. That means they should be housed in proper habitats resembling those they would have in the wild, and proper safety precautions must be put in place to protect both humans and the animals themselves. None of these conditions are available at the old zoo building, and as far as I am concerned, it would be irresponsible to house any exotic animals at all in that building. Ms. Miller has not only transferred the animals she originally owned to the center--she has continued to add more and more animals, despite the poor conditions at the center. I am sorry, but that is not professional behavior and it is not responsible behavior, and it presents a very bad example to the general public.

Ms. Miller should have foreseen that the young tiger cubs would require a great deal of food and space, and that it was going to be expensive to take care of them, and that the center did not have the resources to allow her to care for them properly. One should never, ever acquire any animal without first being certain that one has the resources to properly care for that animal. This is true not just for exotic animals, but for cats and dogs as well. Perhaps Ms. Miller meant well, and it now seems that she recognizes, in retrospect, that she should not have acquired the tigers. I am very glad that she is now "truly sorry" that she brought the cubs to Genesis, but that does not change the fact that she has behaved unprofessionally in the past.

[D Dozen]

Well if your fine city of Scranton didn't promise her that a new building would be built for her animals she never would have come here so all you have to blame is your wonderful Mayor. As I told you before Ms. Miller is very well trained to do these animals. Especially the monkeys that have come from a place that has starved, electrocuted them and neglected them so naturally she had to interact with them. Shes been doing this for over 30 years. And know one is trying to domesticate them. Where do you think they got these momnkeys from... People who got caught with them in there homes.. and who suffers then the animal does. Again your wonderful Mayor told her go ahead and get the tigers you'll have a new building.

[D Dozen]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

D Dozen you are by no means helping your cause with the attitude that you bring to this forum. Instead of trying to educate us about us about the GWC, you come here like some playground bully.....Good luck with that approach.

I'm far from being a bully but you don't understand what these ANIMALS HAVE GONE THRU , a playground I don't know where your coming from but you people on this forum do nothing but chat back and forth about things you don't know about!!
Are you going to step up and fight for this..