Chimp Change
Tujunga's Wildlife WayStation wins essential battle to continue caring for more than 600 rescued big
By Annette Stark
"People have suggested I'm making money at this," says Martine Colette, owner of the Wildlife WayStation, an animal-rescue center in Tujunga. "How would I do that? Check my salary, I'm one of the three lowest-paid animal caretakers in the country." Last week, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials reinstated Colette's federal exhibition license, which had been suspended for 13 months.
Conservationists in L.A. were relieved by the news. With the explosion of exotic pets in the U.S., including the big cats popularized by Vegas act Siegfried & Roy, few places will take these animals once their novelty wears off. The 160-acre facility Colette founded in 1976 is one of the nation's largest privately owned sanctuaries and, since it's inception, has rescued more than 76,000 abandoned or sick animals. So, to Colette's many supporters, license reinstatement means she can once again allow visitors at the WayStation and collect donations. But to Colette, who founded the WayStation after taking pity on a lion she found caged at a Hollywood circus, the most important thing is that she can now rescue more pets.
The struggle to keep the WayStation afloat began more than two years ago, when Colette got hit with a series of citations. "Over time, regulations change, and you have to comply," Colette says. For example, it was once acceptable to reuse "gray water" to hydrate plants, but now it's illegal. (Gray water is water that animals swim in.) "For the Fish and Game Department, the issue was chimp cages. Now, if you only rescued 10 chimps, it's easy to build new cages. We have 300. But we built new enclosures, and then L.A. County laws changed about moving the chimps."
Eventually, she had about 400 violations. Colette was cited so frequently, it was looking like a vendetta, at least according to WayStation chairman Bob Lorsch. "It almost became harassment of Martine. She'd even get cited for having a vehicle parked on the facility that had a flat tire."
Legitimate sanctuaries have few ways to raise money. Owners like Colette do not breed for profit, or sell to private owners. Without fundraising, which is largely dependent on allowing visitors to experience the sanctuary firsthand, the WayStation fell further in the hole.
The expense is enormous. It costs $100,000 per year to feed and care for just one big cat, and Colette currently houses more than 150. She has 600 animals in total, including bobcats, wolves, and snakes, and regularly haunts markets to find cheap meat.
But Lorsch's efforts finally paid off. For the past year, he and the WayStation's board worked tirelessly with government officials. In October, he held a fundraiser at the Playboy mansion. But his most inspired idea was to enlist the pro bono services of Marilyn Barrett from the law firm Alschuler, Grossman, Stein & Kahan to sue L.A. County on behalf of the chimps.
Though Colette had begun construction of new chimp cages in '96, a property-line dispute and an order from the county to halt construction kept the cages from being finished. But this May, the chimps won their lawsuit; a Superior Court judge ordered the WayStation to finish the cages and move the chimps. The enclosures were finished on July 2. Lorsch declared it "Chimp Independence Day."
"These animals continue to eat and need care," Lorsch says, explaining that his goal is to raise $25 million. "When she opened, no one could see that the world would change and put this kind of pressure on her."
She sees it now, especially with upcoming federal legislation. Last month, the Senate passed the Captive Wildlife Safety Act, which is expected to pass in the House, as well. The law will enable the USDA to confiscate more privately owned exotic pets, making facilities like the WayStation more important than ever. Without them, most rescued animals will have to be euthanized. But Colette is focused on the future. "I am trying to make this the best, most financially secure facility I can. I have at least 30 chimps that will live another 40 years. I won't live that long. The commitment I made to these animals must be honored. And when I achieve that, can you imagine what people will be saying then?"
Published: 12/11/2003
Tujunga's Wildlife WayStation wins essential battle to continue caring for more than 600 rescued big
By Annette Stark
"People have suggested I'm making money at this," says Martine Colette, owner of the Wildlife WayStation, an animal-rescue center in Tujunga. "How would I do that? Check my salary, I'm one of the three lowest-paid animal caretakers in the country." Last week, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials reinstated Colette's federal exhibition license, which had been suspended for 13 months.
Conservationists in L.A. were relieved by the news. With the explosion of exotic pets in the U.S., including the big cats popularized by Vegas act Siegfried & Roy, few places will take these animals once their novelty wears off. The 160-acre facility Colette founded in 1976 is one of the nation's largest privately owned sanctuaries and, since it's inception, has rescued more than 76,000 abandoned or sick animals. So, to Colette's many supporters, license reinstatement means she can once again allow visitors at the WayStation and collect donations. But to Colette, who founded the WayStation after taking pity on a lion she found caged at a Hollywood circus, the most important thing is that she can now rescue more pets.
The struggle to keep the WayStation afloat began more than two years ago, when Colette got hit with a series of citations. "Over time, regulations change, and you have to comply," Colette says. For example, it was once acceptable to reuse "gray water" to hydrate plants, but now it's illegal. (Gray water is water that animals swim in.) "For the Fish and Game Department, the issue was chimp cages. Now, if you only rescued 10 chimps, it's easy to build new cages. We have 300. But we built new enclosures, and then L.A. County laws changed about moving the chimps."
Eventually, she had about 400 violations. Colette was cited so frequently, it was looking like a vendetta, at least according to WayStation chairman Bob Lorsch. "It almost became harassment of Martine. She'd even get cited for having a vehicle parked on the facility that had a flat tire."
Legitimate sanctuaries have few ways to raise money. Owners like Colette do not breed for profit, or sell to private owners. Without fundraising, which is largely dependent on allowing visitors to experience the sanctuary firsthand, the WayStation fell further in the hole.
The expense is enormous. It costs $100,000 per year to feed and care for just one big cat, and Colette currently houses more than 150. She has 600 animals in total, including bobcats, wolves, and snakes, and regularly haunts markets to find cheap meat.
But Lorsch's efforts finally paid off. For the past year, he and the WayStation's board worked tirelessly with government officials. In October, he held a fundraiser at the Playboy mansion. But his most inspired idea was to enlist the pro bono services of Marilyn Barrett from the law firm Alschuler, Grossman, Stein & Kahan to sue L.A. County on behalf of the chimps.
Though Colette had begun construction of new chimp cages in '96, a property-line dispute and an order from the county to halt construction kept the cages from being finished. But this May, the chimps won their lawsuit; a Superior Court judge ordered the WayStation to finish the cages and move the chimps. The enclosures were finished on July 2. Lorsch declared it "Chimp Independence Day."
"These animals continue to eat and need care," Lorsch says, explaining that his goal is to raise $25 million. "When she opened, no one could see that the world would change and put this kind of pressure on her."
She sees it now, especially with upcoming federal legislation. Last month, the Senate passed the Captive Wildlife Safety Act, which is expected to pass in the House, as well. The law will enable the USDA to confiscate more privately owned exotic pets, making facilities like the WayStation more important than ever. Without them, most rescued animals will have to be euthanized. But Colette is focused on the future. "I am trying to make this the best, most financially secure facility I can. I have at least 30 chimps that will live another 40 years. I won't live that long. The commitment I made to these animals must be honored. And when I achieve that, can you imagine what people will be saying then?"
Published: 12/11/2003
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