Great Cats World Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Great Cats World Park | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Type | Private |
| Founded | May 2005 |
| Founder | Craig Wagner |
| Headquarters | Cave Junction, Oregon USA |
| Website | www.greatcatsworldpark.com |
Great Cats World Park is a big cat zoo. It is located a few miles south of Cave Junction, Oregon. It is run by Craig Wagner, who involves himself personally in the raising of the cats: feeding them, training them and sometimes sleeping with them as babies. He has also been attacked by his charges, with one incident requiring 1,500 stitches.[1]
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[edit] History
Craig Wagner first began raising big cats at the age of 23 in Minnesota after he accidentally met a cougar[2], and is federally licensed to own and show big cats.[1] In 1998, he brought his cats to Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon, where he periodically returns to put on cat shows.[2] After several years in Winston, Wagner moved to Cave Junction and set up Great Cats World Park.[3]
[edit] Cats
As of 2007, Great Cats World Park has 32 cats, of 17 different species, including cougars, leopards, jaguars, lions, Siberian tiger cubs, a fishing cat, and an ocelot.[4][5]
[edit] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service probation
In September 2007,Great Cats World Park was sentenced by a Federal Court to one month probation for violation of the Endangered Species Act and fined $10,000. Owner Craig Wagner pleaded guilty in June 2007 to purchasing the park's ocelot for $3,000. There is a near-total ban on ocelot sales in order to discourage the commercialization of the rare animals.[6] The ocelot was purchased from the Isis Society for Inspirational Studies, who were given two years probation and fined $60,000. The ocelot will continue to live at Great Parks World Park. According to Phil Land, the resident U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent in charge, "Sometimes it's actually better to leave them with the people that care for them. Then we don't have to try to find a place for them."[7]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Strong, Amy Moss (July 27, 2007). ‘Cativated'. The World. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
- ^ a b John, Givot (August 23, 2007). Big cats go wild at the Great Cats show at Wildlife Safari this weekend. The News-Review. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
- ^ greatcatsworldpark.com home page. Retrieved on 2007-09-27.
- ^ Some folks are cat people. Illinois Valley News. Retrieved on 2007-09-27.
- ^ Great Cats World Park. Grantspassoregon.gov. Retrieved on 2007-09-27.
- ^ Grube, Nicholas (September 19, 2007). Officials pounce on Ore. attraction. The Daily Triplicate. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
- ^ Grube, Nicholas (September 21, 2007). Cat park remains open despite illegal activity. The Daily Triplicate. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
