Animal Warrior

Animal Warrior - this label was placed on me by another "animal warrior" who works tirelessly as an animal rescuer. Often my fellow animal warrior's words gave me strength and encouragement to persevere. I was very naive when I first started my personal investigation into the animal sanctuary, but thanks to many animal warriors I met along the way, I learned more about the plight of animals living in so called "sanctuaries" in one year than I did in the last ten years.

In light of the allegations I made at the the last board meeting I attended, I expected the sanctuary to make up terrible stories about why I left the board. I just wasn't prepared for the amount of hatred and anger that spewed in my direction by the sanctuary's founders/directors. The directors made numerous libel and slanderous comments about me -- mainly to scare the workers and discredit me when concerned citizens, city, state, and federal investigators contacted the organization regarding alleged violations of the animal welfare act and misappropriation of charity funds. Several individuals were told I had a temporary restraining order against me because I was stalking the directors and their adult "children" and/or because I posed a threat to the sanctuary. Employees were forced to sign confidentiality and non-disclosure statements or face termination. Sadly, the workers were not permitted to speak to anyone concerning the animals without the sanctuary's director or attorney present for fear of violating the signed non-disclosure agreements. The workers were also forced to sign false statements pertaining to the allegations I brought forth to the emergency board meeting -- allegations, which by the way, were brought forth to me by the workers!

And the false allegations and comments did not stop with the WAO and its staff--even the WAO's attorney made some interesting comments about me like:

“No doubt, Ms XXXX and other mean-spirited fanatics have caused the regulatory and press attention to the WAO", “As we have responded to various allegations, we have begun to gather the evidence necessary to hold Ms. XXXX, and others, accountable for any damage they have caused,” and “Many of Ms. XXXX’s allegations are without merit and likely intended to cause ASUS trouble.  However, some of her allegations have proved to be accurate, at least in part.”

Yikes!  It sounds like the WAO and its attorney are ready to get mean and dirty when it comes to this case.

When I learned about the false information pertaining to me, I notified the appropriate parties to clear the record by presenting the facts. Sadly, this type of "intimidating" behavior was not uncommon by this sanctuary and its attorney. In the course of my personal investigation, I discovered several correspondences threatening individuals for speaking out against the sanctuary with court action and/or temporary restraining orders.

I cannot stress enough to anyone wishing to expose illegal and immoral activities at a sanctuary to have a plan of action. Interviewing the workers, board members, and veterinarians may be very important to your investigation--be sure to get the interview on tape (obtain permission to tape the interview or comply with your state's audio/video taping laws). If you decide not to tape, don't be surprised when the workers, board members, and vets suddenly "forget" or "deny" what was said to you in private. You may wish to have a witness in the room willing to testify, if need be, to the content of the interview(s). Oh, and don't over look volunteers - they can be a tremendous resource of information.

Collect as much hard evidence as you can (i.e. animal deaths logs (the official and unofficial logs), medication logs, animal care logs, etc). Obtain as much financial documentation as you can. If the sanctuary is a non-profit, then review the tax returns (don't be surprised if there are more than one version of a particular year's 990 floating around!). Sanctuaries are required by law to present to anyone asking for the 990 a copy of the tax return in a timely manner or you can obtain the 990 from Guidestar.com. Does the sanctuary own a lot of expensive vehicles? Does the sanctuary have questionable line entries on the 990's?" Does the sanctuary give "loans" or vehicles to family members (without collateral, interest, etc). How much money actually goes towards the animals' feed and vet care?

Now check out the sanctuary and the directors with your local government. Does the directors have IRS/State liens against their property? How many times has the directors been bankrupt? Does the directors have a criminal record? Does the directors hire convicted criminals to work at the sanctuary? Has the sanctuary been sued before?

Now it's time to request open records with the State (TCEQ, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and Health Department) and request FOIA with Federal agencies (USDA/APHIS, Texas OAG, and IRS) for information. What you learn from these agencies may surprise you...

Be prepared to write a lot of letters and talk to a lot of people. Be persistent and understand it takes time for government agencies to respond to your requests. You may have to go to the media for public support, so be prepared to talk to media producers and journalists. Be honest and report only the facts. Government agencies are not interested in your personal opinions.

Contact other sanctuaries, animal rescues and animal rights groups right away. Chances are they already know what is happening at the animal sanctuary in question and can provide you some guidance. The main thing to remember is - you are not alone! There are a lot of good people out there willing to help you help the animals.

Some people will support you in your pursuit to save the animals - and others will not. Be prepared to answer a lot of questions, like why are you doing this and what you hope to achieve. You may also be asked why no one else has come forward to report these problems. Are you the only person reporting the problem, or were there others before you? Chances are you were not the first person to report problems to the authorities...

Those Who Came Before Me...

Yes, there were others that came before me, but unfortunately no one took their stories seriously. Mainly because the directors were quick to have an explanation as to why the “disgruntled” employees/volunteers filed complaints against them. The first lady to file a complaint had strong evidence, but not enough to open up a formal investigation with the OAG. That’s where I come in…

For you see, I used to be a volunteer animal caretaker/board member at this place. I "worked" one day a week, normally on Sundays for about 4-6 hours at a time helping the only animal caretaker/tour guide on duty. I became suspicious of the care provided to the animals located on the main property. I was not allowed to visit the second property unless I had permission from the directors. I always thought it was strange, that as a board member, I was not allowed to go to the second site any time I wanted to check on the animals. It was not until I started my personal investigation I found out why I could not go to the second site unannounced. What I witnessed and what the other animal caretakers told me was shocking. I finally reached a point where I realized the animals were in danger and it appeared money was being misappropriated – I had to act quickly. I interviewed the workers and the attending veterinarians. Then I looked into the local government records. Immediately after I research the county’s records and discovered some very upsetting information, I decided to call an emergency board meeting in order to discuss the sanctuary’s problems. What I did not know at the time was the director decided I needed to “go,” and planned to get rid of me at the emergency board meeting. Needless to say, the meeting did not go well—the board members were not in the least interested in what I had to say. They were very confrontational and clearly on the side of the director. Since one board member lived in Florida and the other two board members rarely visited the site, they had no idea what was happening to the animals or the funds. The director told them what they wanted to hear and apparently that was good enough for them. I made the decision to quit the board because I could not be a party to what I discovered. However, this did not end my fiduciary responsibilities to the animals and the general public, so I collected my evidence, and notified the appropriate authorities. Sadly, the workers turned their backs on the animals and refused to defend them. I guess it was easier for them to believe the directors' stories that I was now a "bad" person, rather than to face up to the truth. When I asked one of the workers why she decided to support the directors rather than the animals, she told me "I can control her[director]...I will make sure she doesn't put them down..[two tigers and a lion]. I won't be able to protect them if I leave." Someone needs to tell her that control is just an illusion.

So I submitted the appropriate paperwork to the authorities and now I am waiting for the final results. Recently, I learned the Texas OAG, TCEQ, and the USDA/APHIS took my allegations seriously. Unfortunately, it will be a while longer before I receive the final reports. In the meantime, I can't help by wonder what will happen to the animals?