PAW PRINTS
- April 2004
The Voice
of Fellow Earthlings' Wildlife Center, Inc.
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Most of our visitors are well-traveled. However, in February,
we hosted a visitor who has enjoyed many amazing adventures
while traveling the world. He has visited numerous states
in America. Additionally, he has traveled extensively in
France, England, and Amsterdam. Perhaps his most memorable
adventure occurred in the Bahamas when he fell off a lighthouse
and survived! Some say he was pushed. Our visitor graciously
declined to lay blame.
Mr. B. Whitney now resides in Jericho, Vermont, with his
family. We received this letter from Mr. Whitney after his
visit with the meerkats:
"I have met many delightful characters in my travels,
but none more enjoyable than the meerkats (even if they
did chew on my ears a little.) I look forward to visiting
again soon. In the meantime, I thought you might like to
have this photo of me with Rafiki and Kendi."
With fond regards,
B. (Bongo) Whitney
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Getting the Word Out
Public Relations
- The Center was featured on the cover of the Morongo Basin
Directory of Community Service and Non-Profit Agencies. We were
also flattered to be the subject of a two page article in the
directory.
- The nursing staff at Lewistown Hospital in Pennsylvania purchased
our meerkat tee shirts as part of their uniform.
- Discovery Channel aired an excellent documentary called Meerkats
with Nigel Marven. The film was of particular interest to our
director because many of the meerkats and people she worked
with at Cambridge University's KALAHARI MEERKAT PROJECT were
featured.
Fur, Feathers, Paws and Claws
Center News
- · Although the Center was not directly affected by
the recent devastating fires in southern California, we have
been indirectly affected. Unfortunately, even though we have
never filed a claim, our insurance now costs four times more.
Ouch!
- Two Angels in Lafayette, California, very generously, donated
4 Flexogen hoses, 2 Dramm nozzles, and shade cloth for the greenhouse.
WOW! Life outdoors just got easier. We are so grateful!
- In our January Newsletter we told you we were looking for
a BAND OF 20 ANGELS to donate $300.00 each to build the new
meerkat enclosures. We are pleased to report that 14 Angels
have donated for the project. Thanks to them, we were able to
order the double galvanized welded mesh rolls for the project.
These rolls are manufactured in Sheffield, England, and we're
convinced they must be made of platinum because of the steep
price. We could have ordered a cheap welded mesh, but the meerkats
deserve homes that are durable and safe. The rolls will be delivered
April 14th.
- We are still looking for 6 more ANGELS to donate $300.00 each
to purchase the other materials for the enclosures -- cement,
rocks, rebar, wood, roofing, electrical and plumbing supplies,
etc. All the work will be done "in house" so we won't
have any labor costs. If you want to be part of our BAND OF
ANGELS you may make your donation on our website
or you may send a check to our mailing address. Please note
on the donation that your gift is to be applied to the Meerkat
Enclosure Building Fund. Of course, gifts of smaller amounts
are equally appreciated.
- Our animal transport van is 15 years old and recently the
transmission "retired" for the second time. When we
got an estimate for a new transmission we were stunned and muttered,
"HOLY MEERKATS!" Luckily, Tom Dziak and Kara Akers
told us about Courtesy Transmission in Cathedral City, California.
Barry Cohen, the owner, is an animal lover and his company did
the job for half of the first estimate. We are so grateful for
his kindness and exceptional work.
- We, once again, passed our California Fish and Game inspection
with flying colors. Many thanks to Warden Kyle for his compliments
about our work at the Center.
- When we purchased our acreage we inherited a truck that looked
as if it had once belonged to the Beverly Hillbillies. Although
it was convenient for storage, we decided to move the truck
off the property. We called Brust Auto Wrecking in Yucca Valley,
California. One of the owners of the company, Bill Tatro, very
skillfully loaded our "monster" onto the back of his
flatbed truck and towed it away -- for FREE! Thank you, Bill.
![](images/truck-250.jpg) |
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Our "Beverly Hillbillies" truck.
© Pam Bennett-Wallberg
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![](images/brust-250.jpg) |
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Bill Tatro of Brust Auto Wrecking.
© Pam Bennett-Wallberg
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- Safety for the animals is an important concern at the Center.
We have solar panels, a wind generator, propane generator, solar
refrigerator, propane refrigerator, and 3,000 gallons of gravity-feed
water in case of an emergency. Last week our Operations Manager,
Phil Wallberg, added small, wooden doors with air holes to each
of the meerkats' den boxes. The doors can be latched if the
animals are in their den boxes and need to be evacuated.
- An Angel from Austin, Texas, visited and brought cases of
paper towels, cleaning supplies, and bags of toys for the meerkats.
She didn't forget our domestic animals either. They were given
lots of treats, too!
Cheetah Update
Unfortunately, the WCMC's (World Conservation Monitoring Center)
moratorium on non-AZA member (American Zoo and Aquarium Association)
participation in the Species Survival Plan is still in place.
You can read more about this situation in our archived newsletters.
We'll let you know as soon as we have any "breaking news."
Mystery Patient
Denise Robertson, Volunteer
One morning, while I cleaned the meerkat enclosures, I noticed
Remi looked a little odd. She resembled an intoxicated woman who
had put on lipstick without a mirror. Remi's lower jaw was dark
and somewhat swollen. Although her appetite and energy level were
good, we decided a trip to the veterinarian was necessary.
Pam, our director, needed to greet our weekend visitors so Phil
and I volunteered to escort Miss Remi to the hospital.
Meerkats have a wide range of vocalizations. They can bark, hiss,
chirp, trill, and churr. They use these sounds to convey information
about predators and other important details of their lives. However,
I was soon privy to Remi's version of "swearing." She
was, most definitely, not happy to be in the transport crate and
she was letting me know. Soon, however, the drone of the van's
engine soothed her and she fell asleep.
We always cover the transport crates with towels when we take
our meerkats to the veterinarian so they aren't traumatized by
curious people peering in at them.
Pam suggested I slurr the word "meerkat" if anyone
asked what I had in the crate. In other words, I told people I
had a mmmCAT in the crate. They, of course, just heard "CAT."
I put Remi's crate on my lap and waited for our appointment.
Five minutes later Remi was awake and in a rage. She poked her
paws through the metal grate, pushed the towel aside, and revealed
her black, "Freddy Kruger-like" claws. The woman who
sat next to me had a well-mannered Persian cat in her lap. She
said "My, your cat has very unusual claws. What breed is
she?" I stuttered and, then, finally replied, "She's
a 'suri-cat' -- a very unusual breed from Africa." (Suricate
is another word for meerkat. It's short for their scientific name:
Suricata suricatta. So, I thought my reply was just short of brilliant.)
At that instant, Remi began to bark. The woman was clearly astonished
and said, "And, she barks, too!" I explained that Remi
had been raised with dogs. Then, thankfully, we were called into
the examining room, but I did hear the woman mumble, "That's
one breed I'd never want!"
Remi's swollen jaw was treated with an antibiotic. Yes, she's
"all beddah now!"
"Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens
our own and makes it so much larger and better in every way."
John Muir
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