-
I
have had many people write and ask, "Where is Tiger Island?" There
is a Tiger Island in Australia at a theme park called Dreamworld
in Coomera, Gold Coast, Queensland. Phone: (07) 5588 1111, but
we have no association with that project. Also I was told there
is a Tiger Island at Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo, California,
but I know nothing more about it. Our Park does
not yet exist. This facility is in the planning stage.
Neither have we selected a location. We are making the necessary
contacts that will enable this preserve to succeed. We will not
attempt to develop this facility until funds are in place. Since
this facility is designed to be self sustaining, we feel that funding
goals should be met first. So, please do not ask me for a job.
There are none available at this time.
-
Why
should I really care if the tiger survives? We lose species
everyday.
This
paragraph is from the Rainforest Information Centre - "Tropical
forests cover only 12 per cent of the land area of the Earth,
yet they are home to between 50 and 90 per cent of the world's
species. They contain 90% of non-human primates, 40% of all birds
of prey and 80% of the world's insects and over 60% of all known
plants. …Because of tropical deforestation, it has been estimated
that at least 40 species are perishing every day." In addition,
much of the world’s oxygen is produced by these forests. The
tiger has been called the barometer of the rainforest. They are
at the top of the food chain. The loss of these great predators
leads to over populations of non-carnivorous animals which then
leads to food shortages, starvation, and an increase in rodent
populations. The forest is out of balance and on the decline.
If
we as humans are willing to let one of the most magnificent creatures
on earth be lost due to poor planning and lack of concern that
speaks volumes about our highly evolved culture.
-
I
don’t know you. There are new and different scams on the Internet
everyday. How do I know this is not another one?
It’s
true, you probably don’t know me. You can learn something about
me and my back ground from reading my CV.
I was asked by one of the world’s most renowned tiger experts,
Dr. Michael Bleyman, to help him save the tiger. Unfortunately
he passed away from cancer at the age of 58 in 1996. I am attempting
to make his vision a reality. He trusted my dedication and abilities.
My foundation has been operational since 1987. I placed my site
on the Internet just as it started to emerge as a popular contact
medium. I have posted references for you to contact. My e-mail
address is real. Other than that I don’t know what else I can
do. If you choose to believe I’m trying to misrepresent my work
or that I’m not capable or qualified then so be it. That’s your
choice.
-
There
are plenty of scientists out there working to save the tiger.
Exxon donates a million dollars a year for this effort. There’s
the World Wildlife Fund, etc., etc. How are you going to make
a difference?
It's
true. There are plenty of scientists in the field. Have they stopped
the poaching or the loss of habitat? No! Do they have a
contingency plan if the tiger is lost in the wild? No! Are
they interested in making you believe their work is making a difference?
Of course. Their jobs are at stake.
My
job is not at stake so I have no reason to mislead you. I have
skills in many diverse areas that enable me to make money. I have
used these skills to supply the funds for product development,
this Website, and rescue efforts.
Everything
we need to know about the tiger is known. We don’t need scientists
studying them any longer. The tiger needs protection in what few
habitats remain. I will say that Exxon is one of the few companies
doing anything in this area. But what are they actually doing?
They are turning their contributions over to the National Fish
and Wildlife Foundation and they in turn are distributing it to
these very same scientists who are still studying tigers. Just
where is that going to lead? No where!
I
contacted Exxon about a contingency plan that would guarantee the
tiger’s survival before extinction. You can read about it in my
position paper. In essence it involves managed captive breeding
on a vast preserve. They were not interested. They only
want to help save the tiger in the wild. The bad news - it’s not
going to happen. The continued loss of habitat, poaching, government
indifference or lack of ability in the countries where the tiger
remains will assure its extinction. Be sure and read Michael
Day’s article on the WWF.
I
can make a difference for two reasons. One, I am not beholding
to the politics of the scientific community. Let them do what they
want. Second, I do have the skills and background to develop a
secure, genetically managed tiger preserve designed to save this
species. I want to ad that I have spoken with some scientists who
I consider are on the right track on these issues. More power to
them.
-
Just
how are you going to develop this project? It would seem that
a great deal of money will be needed.
You
would be correct. A facility of this nature will be expensive.
But we have to start somewhere. We have several plans of action.
One is to raise funds through sales of several new products I’ve
developed. The Millennium Cipher, a new graphic art puzzle, is
designed to be used as a global competitive event. I have been
given the OK by the Guinness Book of World Record’s group to stage
a world record attempt. This event will be used to focus attention
on the tiger’s plight and the methodology to save it. In addition
we are now working on a global fund raiser that will be tied in
with the Guinness event. This is a new concept that will attract
a great deal of attention, and hopefully, participation by individuals
like yourself.
-
So,
if I decide to send in a donation or purchase a print or other
product when available how do I know my hard earned money will
be used to help save the tiger?
At
that point you will have to trust my judgment. If you make a donation
there are check boxes on the Donation Form where you can indicate
how you would like your donation to be used.
If,
for some reason, the tiger facility fails to draw sufficient support
and my products don’t do well enough to fund the preserve I will
then in turn donate those funds to other non-profit facilities
that I know are doing a good job with these animals. I keep track
of them. Believe me, many misuse the donations they get. Some use
these animals as a way to keep up their personal life style.
So,
your donation will end up helping tigers in one way or the other.
Since I have knowledge in this area I believe I'm qualified to
make decisions about the best use of funds.
Money
that is spent on my originals and prints or other future products
handled by TigersTime Studios™ will be used to further this effort
in whatever manner I deem appropriate and prudent. Those purchases
are not donations.
-
It
seems to me that you would have contacted corporations about
this idea. If it’s that feasible it stands to reason they would
be willing to help.
I
have done just that. As I said I contacted Exxon. I contacted another
major corporation who uses the tiger’s logo - Kellogg. I thought
surely they would be interested in at least helping to sponsor
the Guinness event. The fact is that after submitting a 52 page
full color presentation to a Senior VP I heard nothing for six
months. I would never have heard a thing, but I wrote to their
President and CEO requesting a response. Three weeks later I got
a short note from the Senior VP saying they were not interested.
In other words, they could care less about saving the tiger.
People
in these corporations can’t go to the bathroom without a committee
meeting. They have populated their marketing rooms with young know
it all’s who don’t understand biodiversity, rainforests, or the
tiger.
The
WWF and other giant animal or ecology centered organizations, now
no more than overgrown fund raising corporations, are burdened
by tremendous overhead and a propensity to support existing programs.
Politics is the problem. None of them will leave the mainstream.
Don’t upset the apple cart. Tell people what they want to hear
so their donations will keep coming in. Read my Controversy paper
about sub-species. Scientific dogma is leading to the extinction
of the tiger. Some of the highly publicized organizations are actually
part of the problem. Dr. Bleyman loathed some of these groups because
of their hard line stands on issues that made no sense in the real
world when it came to saving great or lesser felids. It’s all politics,
and it’s disgusting.
I
personally believe that individual help will be the salvation for
the tiger. I have done over ten years of research on how people
feel about the dollars they spend being used to develop a preserve
to save the species. 95.7% of all respondents indicated
they would buy a product if the funds were being used to help the
tiger. That is the route I have decided to pursue. Naturally I
would not turn away corporate support, but I have wasted too much
valuable time trying to make inroads in that arena. Let them come
to us.
-
So,
if this plan is going to work I know you can’t do it all yourself.
What qualified people are you going to use to develop this facility
and insure genetic diversity among a captive population?
I've
contacted International
Theme Park Services, Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are experts
in this area. They did a wonderful job with the Cincinnati Zoo
and are fully capable of constructing this facility. I have spoken
with Dr. Steven O’Brien of the National Cancer Institute’s Laboratory
on Genomic Diversity concerning genetic management. He is the world’s
leading expert on tiger DNA. He knew Dr. Bleyman and indicated
his support in maintaining proper genetic diversity. In addition
I have all the contacts I made while working with Dr. Bleyman and
his staff. Expertise here includes felid care, genetic management,
facility maintenance, volunteer coordination, and more. I have
the personnel needed to make this project work.
-
It
sounds like a zoo to me. Is there any difference? Zoos are saving
these animals too, right?
First
of all zoos are not saving these animals. Zoos are in the business
of displaying animals and making money. Did you ever see really
old tigers, lions, bears, or other animals in zoos? Where do these
animals go? You don’t want to know.
Many
zoos proudly display a plaque on some cages saying the animal is
part of the American Zoo and Aquarium Species Survival Plan. I
saw a beautiful snow leopard in a 10’ x 20’ steel barred, concrete
floored cage at a prominent state zoo I visited. That cage displayed
such a plaque. That’s no life for this animal, but does the AZA
care about the quality of that leopard’s life? It’s hard to see.
No, zoos for the most part are not in the business of saving species
- especially large ones like tigers.
The
tiger preserve as I envision it is nothing like a zoo. It might
be better envisioned as a Noah's Arc - a last refuge to
save a species. Individual habitats would be quite spacious, occupying
a minimum of 25,000 sq. ft. Larger tiger areas will cover 4 acres.
There will be a visitor center, accommodations for guests, a dining
center, and other amenities. The preserve will be self sustaining
and offer state of the art security, an exquisite neo-natal center,
and the best veterinary care. Total land area for this facility
will approach 1,200 acres. It will be the largest and best facility
of its type in the world.
-
I
don’t have any money to give, but I would like to help. How can
I do that?
One way each of you can help is to
use our Tell A Friend button
to inform a friend or colleague about our work. If everyone
would do that we could reach millions of people.
I
receive this request many times each month. I appreciate the desire
of people wanting to help, but the fact is that after I take time
to send individual letters I rarely receive responses. For the
most part I’m sure this is due to the fact that most people really
don’t have any expertise to offer a project of this nature and
scope. If you desire to help here is what I need. I need people
with expertise in marketing (traditional media or the Internet),
Public Relations (traditional or Internet), sponsorship development,
event management, or architectural rendering expertise. You must
also have the time available to aid in this project. I will need
to review a CV so I can somewhat better understand your background.
In addition I would like to have a few paragraphs on why you want
to become involved.
If
there are any other ways in which you feel you can be of assistance
please do not hesitate to write and make a suggestion.
After
the preserve is operational our volunteer and staff opportunities
will greatly expand. This is the funding stage and requires more
than a passing interest.
-
What
happens to this project if you should suddenly pass away?
I
learned about that unfortunate circumstance first hand when Dr.
Bleyman passed away. Sometimes it’s not a pretty sight. His board
was composed of friends who knew nothing about what he was really
trying to accomplish. When it fell into their hands to take over
his work they failed. They placed inept people in positions of
authority. The volunteer base, dedicated staff, and several board
members who were knowledgeable quit. His legacy is in great jeopardy.
I am taking steps necessary to insure the continuation of this
project.
The
Zoe Foundation, Inc. is registered as a nonprofit corporation in
the State of North Carolina. As of November 29, 2000 the Zoe Foundation
has been granted tax exempt status (501 c3) as a public charity
by the Internal Revenue Service under section 4940 of the Internal
Revenue Code. We have just been notified that the US Patent and
Trademark office has granted us the ® registration for our
'Zoe' logo. The by-laws mandate on site work by each director when
the preserve is operational. This is to ensure in depth understanding
about the project by management. I am now in the process of screening
applicants for board positions. Board members will be selected
based on their knowledge of the tiger’s plight, an agreement with
our plan to save the species, their organizational skills, work
ethic, and abilities. There are three board positions open. If
you would like to apply for consideration please review our Search letter
and Bylaws.
The
best insurance for continuation of this project is the careful
selection of board members. This is always a top priority.
-
I
would love to work with tigers. Can you tell me where I can find
a job in this field?
I
get this question all the time. The fact is there are very few
jobs in this field. Taking some exotic animal care course may get
you a job cleaning cages in a zoo or private preserve at low pay.
Why pay for a course when you can volunteer at a facility and learn
the same things for free? A lady wrote to me from the UK who was
an experienced research scientist. She tried for years to get a
field position. Some said, "Sure, if you can pay your way." Others
said no funds were available for assistants. She did not find work
in this area.
I
would recommend volunteering at a local facility if you can. That
might be as close as you will come to actually working with these
animals. If you want to continue on to a higher education level
and enter the field of genetics or veterinary medicine you stand
a better chance of finding a position. You may also consider a
business background with an emphasis on fund raising. Most organizations
could use help in that area.
Whatever
you do don’t go out and purchase a tiger, stick it in your back
yard and pretend you’re a conservationist. A little boy’s arm was
ripped off the other day (03-15-00) in Texas. A man had a tiger
in his back yard as a ‘pet’, and the child reached in through an
opening in the fence. I mean, some folks don’t have the sense God
gave a clam. Why does this fellow have a tiger in the first place?
A better question is, "Why does Texas have such lax laws regarding
ownership of exotic animals?" Unfortunately, most states are the
same.
