October 13, 2003
NY Post Is Mean To Animals, Sez Daily News
In a great story that wraps up cute baby animals and stupid media tricks, the Daily News uncovers that in an attempt to develop a follow-up story to Ming the Harlem Tiger, the New York Post's Al Guart ordered a lion cub online only to dump it at the same animal reserve Ming now resides in, after the cub fell. Originally planned as an expose on animal trafficking, lion cub "Boomerang" was probably taken from its mother too soon, and when the cub started to wheeze and refused to eat from the bottle, Guart dropped him off at Noah's Lost Ark in Cleveland. The animal handler who transported Ming to Noah's Lost Ark tells the Daily News, "Any moron can go and buy whatever he wants. I want to know whether the New York Post is going to feed and pay for its care for the next 20 years." The Daily News called Guart, and his only comment was "Don't call this number again!"
AdAge goes inside the NYC Tabloid Wars: "The New York tabloid wars are heating up, with the Daily News plotting an ambitious drive to boost reader and advertiser buzz in the face of sustained circulation gains by archrival New York Post"
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RE: "I want to know whether the New York Post is going to feed and pay for its care for the next 20 years"
If the NY Daily News bothered to read the Post article, it says "Actress Tippi Hedren, an animal rights activist, is interested in taking on financial responsibility for the cub and raising him at her Shambala preserve in California." [NY Post story not online, as far as i can tell. In print it's on page 9]
The larger issue -- which the NY Daily News, in its desire to trash the Post, completely ignores-- is the practice of keeping wild animals as pets for humans. It's illegal in NYC, but it's not illegal in NYS and it's not illegal in Ohio. Per the Post story, "a bill banning the practice of keeping exotic animals as pets is languishing in the New York state legislature." It would be great if Gothamist helped get the word out and asked its readers to contact the NYS legislature to tell them that gothamist and its readers support the ban.
Also, although the NY Daily News describes Noah's Ark's Ellen Whitehouse as "so furious that she called the sheriff's office." I wonder if in fact Whitehouse was "furious" at the exotic animal seller who sold the cub, and not at the NY Post (the way it's written it suggests they are mad at the Post). In contrast "I admire what you guys [The Post] are doing" is what the Post says Doug Whitehouse [Ellen's husband] said to them.
In any case, the breeder who sold the cub to the NY Post had the mother and its two child cubs in a 6 x9 foot cage. The shameful fact that keeping majestic animals like lions in 6 x 9 cages is legal in this world is the true "jungle bungle" of the story, and the NY Daily News, in its effort to score points on the Post, completely ignores it.
Lastly, Gothamist's summary of the NY Daily News article got it a bit wrong in describing Larry Wallach as the one who transported Ming to Ohio. In fact, the one who transported Ming [not mentioned in the story] is Sam Mazzola. Who is Sam Mazzola? an animal loving kind of guy? Well kind of. One of the things he is known for is a bear wrestling operation where people pay money to wrestle a bear. Yeah, a real model of someone looking out for the humane treatment of animals. Not!
About the tiger cub, and Sam Mazzola... Sam Mazzola, besides being known for a bear- wrestling operation, is also known for having been convicted of trafficking in cocaine ($3 million in Cleveland). He operates World Animal Studios, and keeps exotic and endangered animals at Columbia Station, in Ohio, which he claims is a "sanctuary" for the animals. In the meantime, I have heard him, first hand, refer to the tigers to whom he owes his living, as being "really stupid," as the "stupidest animals," and being "really dumb." He displays his animals in small cages at shopping malls, exploits people's good will and humanity and asks for "donations," and pretends to "rescue" animals... Visits to the so-called Columbia Station "sanctuary," which is actually only 23 acres, are not permitted... Sam Mazzola has also on many occasions failed to have a representative available to meet with inspectors from the USDA.
The people who hide behind there writings of lies are just animal activist who pretent to help animals. I Sam Mazzola challenge anyone to rescue as many animals as I do. I would like to know why PETA has never come to help me rescue a single animal or put a single penny into a rescued animals life. The woman who wrote the Jan 2, 2004 artical never has been to my house. She is a hipocrate that has never saved an animals life. She prays on other peoples ignorance for herself.
Lady if you read this you need to get a life. If you have ever trained a tiger or even handled one you would see whats makes them so dangerous is that they are stupid. They lack the ability to learn from thier trials of life and solely relie on instinct to survive.
International Society for the Protection of Exotic Animal Kind and Livestock, Inc.
The NY State Senate and House today passed bill 7616 banning private ownership of
exotic animals that can be dangerous. This includes primates. Current owners are
required to register with the NY State Dept. of Conservation, and will not be able to
get any new animals in the future. The only exception are USDA exhibitors. The
USDA has stated they will review any NY State permit applications very carefully.
Several years ago I-SPEAK investigated complaints about baby monkeys kept in
small bird cages and sold by the pet Store PETS. in Bethpage, NY, a sickly Spider
Monkey was discovered. I-SPEAK notified the Local SPCA who said they would
become involved if cruelty could be established.
I-SPEAK Director Dr. Tatty Hodge, a primate expert, and former supervisor from
NY State Department of Agriculture, Executive Director Marc Jurnove, and I-SPEAK
President Stephanie Frucht, found it shivering, dehydrated, with not refrigerated
formula being kept under the counter for it. (Which USDA cited the
store for)
A sales person notified the store owner when Dr. Hodge check with a stereoscope
and stated this monkey needed immediate help. The monkey then feebly grabbed
a hold of I-SPEAK president Stephanie Smith and the sales person and owner
could not get the monkey to let go of her sweater, holding on with all four legs with
its remaining strength, and starting to nurse on the fabric.
The town of Oysterbay code enforcement inspector did issue a summons for keeping primates in violation of town law. Unfortunately the Spider monkey was sold the
next day for $ 4,000. and died two days later.
Dr. Hodge also checked a Macaque being kept at BTJ Jungle in Islip, NY and found
the monkey in a small display case she reported suffering from infected teeth, no
proper enhancement, filthy cage, and the only food was moldy pizza.
The store did take the monkey to a veterinarian who removed some teeth. USDA
cited the pet store and shortly after, ALF broke into the store and removed her to
a place unknown.
Stacy Wolf, Esq., director of Legislative Services for the ASPCA was notified and
was asked to write up a bill to stop the sale of primates under a certain age, and
to improve their conditions. Instead, Ms. Wolf decided to write a bill up to ban
private ownership of numerous exotic animal species in NY.
I-SPEAK would request that people contact the Governor and ask that he sign
the bill when it comes before him.
To Write To The Governor:
Governor George E. Pataki
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
518-474-8390 To Email - http://www.state.ny.us/governor/
Please contact the ASPCA
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=contact, and let them know
of the fine, and time consuming work that Ms. Wolf, and the legislation
department did.
Please contact NY Senator Marcellino's office for sponsoring, supporting and
pursing this important bill.
Albany Office
Room 812, Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12247
(518) 455-2390
E-mail - http://www.senate.state.ny.us/Docs/members/Marcellimail.html
NOTE - MONKEY PICTURES ON REQUEST
From what I read, the NY times is just taking animals for the sake of props if you will and then dumping them wherever like a wet napkin when it isn't a story. I don't know who wants to disagree with that logic being bad, but I'll say that it's just deplorable. Especially with an exotic animal like that who for the most part still has many wild instincts bred into it, but would be horrendously confused from the taking of its mother/abandonment.
I suppose some people just don't 'get it' that animals are living things too, despite how badly people want them to be a fashion contest. Maybe before going off and saying how animal groups are so bad and how daily news is just a bunch of animal activists (as if it's a bad thing), I suggest you go and learn to care about something other than yourself or someone else capable of giving you something you may want.
It may even teach you to, you know, enjoy life a bit more. Otherwise...I doubt there's any real way to reason with people who are only capable of seeing life as a statistical advantage to themselves. Ironic though -- that's the mentality this article is against, and those contesting the article seem to follow suit.
Sam...get over yourself. Helping animals isn't a fashion contest. I've rescued plenty of animals in my life and I'm not about to go parade about it like it's something that makes me so great...it just means I'm capable of caring. 'They're just stupid'. No, stupidity is a lack of intelligence. They're dumb perhaps (lack of knowledge, not inability to have it), maybe they don't know how to talk on the internet or play video games or overlook people and animals in needs like a human being, but if you gave a damn you'd see they're intelligent and not 'stupid'. Only a stupid person sees an animal that way...I suggest you open up your mind a little and care about what you 'rescue'.
Sam. you are a criminal (drug dealer while being an assistant hockey coach for teenage boys). Your pet store at Midway Mall in Elyria, OH always has dirty cages for the puppies. The "glass room" with the puppies always has piles of feces lying on the floor. You can't even pay your employees without the checks bouncing. Could that be why there is never the same employees at the store each time I pass by? You show your ignorance in the post from 2004 where you use the wrong words and spell others incorrectly.