Day Trips
The fine folks at the Wild Animal Orphanage offer love and care to abused and neglected wild animals
By Gerald E. McLeod, Fri., Feb. 6, 2004
At the Wild Animal Orphanage on the outskirts of San Antonio, all of the residents have a story to tell. Unfortunately, most of the big cats, monkeys, and birds come with tales that will break your heart. Starvation, abuse, and neglect are the common themes through most of the animals' lives.
"An animal doesn't have to be beaten to be abused," says Carol Asvestas, director of the animal sanctuary. "I enjoy my job, but I live for the day we don't have to do it anymore."
Since 1983, the nonprofit organization has rescued hundreds of wild and exotic animals that were kept as pets, used as photo props, or put on display in cramped cages. Living in a cage that the animal barely has room to turn around in is abuse enough, Asvestas says.
The sanctuary cares for more than 100 big cats, 16 bears, 400 primates, 21 wolves, and an assortment of other animals. It takes $55,000 a month to care for the 604 animals in two facilities. Without Wild Animal Orphanage, most of the creatures would have been euthanized.
On the 45-minute tour of the WAO facility, the big cats lounged in the sun or paced along the fence, hardly acknowledging the presence of the curious gawkers. The monkeys that were once part of scientific research seemed to be more entertained by humans walking past their cages. Our safari guides, Debra Worley and Cindy Biela, walked the group through the lives of many of the animals.
The tigers in the first enclosure were rescued from a freezing warehouse in South Dakota where they were without food or fresh water. The owner had abandoned the young cats after they had become too big to travel to shopping malls where he would take pictures of people in the cage for a fee. "It is absolutely beyond belief that people would take their children in a cage with these animals," Asvestas says. "These animals are predators. Period. It's not a matter of if a tragedy will happen. It's only a matter of when." When an animal reacts to its natural instincts, it is usually the children and the animal that suffer, she says.
One of the most tragic, but also indicative, stories involves Tarzan, an 18-month-old lion. Rescued from a cage in Mexico scarcely big enough for him to turn around in, Tarzan rises to his feet like a much older cat. Despite the extraordinary lengths exerted by the staff to bring him to his new environment, you can still see the blank look in his eyes left by loneliness and boredom.
Asvestas hardly realized more than two decades ago that an injured sparrow would lead her on her life's work. A nurse in England, she came to Texas to further her studies when she met Ron Asvestas. When she was pregnant with their first child, Ron brought home the sparrow. Carol was nursing the bird back to health but needed to find help when she went into the hospital.
"I found there was no one offering care to injured wild animals," she says. One thing led to another and over the years the operation has continuously grown. They have been involved in several animal rescues that have garnered international recognition. National Geographic featured WAO prominently in a documentary on the exotic animal trade in America.
Without WAO, these animals would have few options and fewer whereby they are treated with dignity and respect. Using the slogan "Wild animals don't make good pets," WAO wants to educate humans about the ills of the exotic pet trade as well as save as many of the animals as possible. Besides the 10-acre facility in northern San Antonio, the organization has 102-acres of wooded land in northeast Bexar County. "We could have thousands of acres, but that's not the solution," Asvestas says.
The Wild Animal Orphanage opens to the public Wednesdays through Sundays from 11am to 5pm. The sanctuary is a block north of the intersection of Loop 1604 and Braun Lane. Admission is $7. For more information, call the friendly staff at 210/688-9038 or visit their Web site at www.wildanimalorphanage.org.
660th in a series. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of Day Trips 101-200, is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.
