PAW
PRINTS - April 2003
The
Voice of Fellow Earthlings' Wildlife Center, Inc.
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A big welcome to the third edition of PAW PRINTS, the newsletter
that keeps you up-to-date on all the happenings at Fellow
Earthlings’ Wildlife Center.
Spring has sprung here in the high desert! The meerkats
at the Center are always the best indicators of the warm
season just ahead. As the temperatures rise, our little
imps become even more active. The heat lamps get unplugged
and cozy wicker beds and den boxes are abandoned for more
gratifying activities such as playing in big paper bags,
digging new burrows and re-routing old ones. Of course,
the number one activity on the list is standing up proud
and tall, exposing little fur bellies to the sun, and soaking
up the warming rays. |
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The winter passed quickly at the Center. We took advantage of
the cooler temperatures by working diligently on the cheetah enclosure,
doing general facility maintenance and repair, and planting many
more shrubs, trees, and flowers to enhance the grounds.
We had many wonderful guests pass through our gates during the
first quarter of 2003. Heartfelt thanks go to our new “adoptive
parents” and to all of you who so generously continue the
legacy by re-adopting on an annual basis.
Funds from the sale of our T-shirts
and books also help us with the cost
of the meerkats’ food, veterinary care, toys, and other
necessities. Thank you for your loving support!
Here is a quick update on the latest “happenings”
at the Center:
Getting The Word Out
Public Relations
- The documentary Meerkats Unmasked premiered on the
Animal Planet Channel in March. Grant McIlrath taught the featured
photographer, Simon King, habituation techniques that enabled
him to capture incredible footage of the meerkats. Grant is
the same zoologist Pam Bennett-Wallberg studied under during her time
in southern Africa’s Kalahari Desert.
- Pam was interviewed for the excellent nature web site called
Expand the World. The interview will be featured in the next
few months.
- Kate Porter, one of our board of directors, was chosen as
Desert Woman of the Year. She was also featured in the prestigious
Highway 111 Magazine. We’re proud of you, Kate!
Fur, Feathers, Paws, and Claws
Center News
- The Center welcomed the warden from California Fish and Game
and the inspector from the United States Department of Agriculture
for their routine inspections. We, once again, passed with flying
colors. Both agencies generously praised us for the high quality
of care we give to our animals and for the excellent condition
of the facility.
- On April 5 we had the great pleasure of hosting members of
The Junior League from the Palm Springs, California, area. These
very accomplished women astonished us with their generous donations
to the animals Thank you so very much!
- Jasmine, who was featured in our last newsletter, was sadly
returned to The Guide Dogs of the Desert to begin her formal
training. After six months of training, Jasmine will graduate
as an official guide dog and become a blind person’s new
best friend. We are very grateful to have had her in our family
for a year and a half. Although we miss her a lot, we know she
will bring life, joy, and freedom to some lucky individual.
Good luck, Jazz!
Cheetah Project Update
- No word on a cheetah pregnancy yet! Hold a good thought!
- Documentary filmmakers Carol Fleisher and Lionel Friedberg
visited our Center on March 29 to discuss the details of our
trip to Namibia to film footage at the Cheetah Conservation
Fund. This footage will be included in Discovery Channel’s
documentary about our raising the cheetah cub and puppy together
at Fellow Earthlings’. Carol and Lionel have won Oscars,
Emmy Awards, and Genesis Awards for their work. We are thrilled
to be working with such accomplished filmmakers.
- Officials from California Fish and Game and U.S.D.A inspected
the work on our cheetah enclosure. Happily, both agencies gave
us a “thumbs up” and congratulated us for all the
detailed safety measures we took in the construction of the
enclosure. Hats off to Phil Wallberg, our Director of Operations,
for his meticulous work!
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Phil
Wallberg is hard at work laying tile in the cheetah's service
area.
© Pam Bennett-Wallberg |
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Cheetah Project Wish List!
Top Priorities
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Late model van (for transporting cheetah, puppy and humans) |
TBD |
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Electrical supplies and labor (for enclosure service area) |
$825 |
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Plumbing supplies and labor (for enclosure service area) |
$475 |
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Sprinkling System (for enclosure outdoor area) |
$1100 |
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Shade ramada (for cheetah lounging!) |
$325 |
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Landscaping |
$600 |
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Many thanks to our private Angel Donors who read
our Wish List and donated funds for:
- Utility sink
- Hoses
- Freezer
- Chain link doors
All donations, big and small, are very much appreciated as we
near completion of the enclosure and get ready to welcome our
newest resident.
If you would like your donation to go to something specific on
our Wish List, just let us know! All donations
are tax deductible.
Fellow Earthlings' Spotlight on...
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Denise
Robertson and Phil Wallberg take a break from painting the
cheetah enclosure’s service area.
© Pam Bennett-Wallberg |
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Continuing our Spotlight Series that highlights other residents
and workers at the Center, we would like to introduce you to the
latest addition to our facility family, Denise Robertson.
Denise came to us as a result of her great love of wildlife and
her desire to make a difference in the fight to save endangered
species. She is currently on a sabbatical from her career and
is donating her time and services to help us in many capacities.
Her professional life has taken her around the world and through
29 moves in 25 years. She has planned and executed the operational
components of major international sporting events such as the
Olympic Games and World Cup Soccer. Denise specializes in corporate
sponsorships and has handled programs for companies such as Eastman
Kodak and the United States Postal Service. She acted as the Director
of Sponsor Services for the Atlanta Olympic Committee for the
1996 Summer Olympic Games and, most recently, managed The Coca-Cola
Company’s Olympic programs for both the 2000 Summer Olympic
Games in Sydney, Australia and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in
Salt Lake City, Utah.
Denise is currently acting as our volunteer Development Director.
She is researching and writing grant proposals in the hope of
obtaining funds for the Center and the cheetah project.
Her passion for wildlife began at a very early age and solidified
during a year spent in Africa backpacking solo from Morocco to
South Africa. During her journey, she witnessed first-hand the
plight of endangered species and the rapid demise of their critical
habitat. She vowed to, one day, re-direct her business skills
to this arena. After concluding the Salt Lake City Olympics, she
chose Fellow Earthlings’ Wildlife Center as her focus. She
moved to Morongo Valley, California, and immediately immersed
herself in all aspects of the Center – raking pine needles,
mucking out the pond, caring for the animals, and fund raising.
For our cheetah project, Denise will assist us with the education
program. She will visit schools and community organizations to
help raise awareness about the critically endangered cheetah.
We are extremely happy to have Denise with us! We hope she will
be part of our family for a very long time to come!
Tah Dah!
And, now, we have a very special treat for you. We decided it
was time to make our director, Pam Bennett-Wallberg, sit down and write
about some of the animal experiences she has had over the 20 years
of working with meerkats and other wildlife. Although it was a
real challenge to get her to sit still long enough, we have had
so many requests for stories (a book perhaps?) that she just couldn’t
keep saying no. So, here, is the first installment in what we
hope will be a long series.
Animal Tails
KALAHARI -- 180 DEGREES FROM ORDINARY
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Kalahari,
the meerkat, at 10 days of age.
© Phil Wallberg |
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Kalahari, our first meerkat, was no bigger than a teabag when
she was placed with us. Although she was only ten days old and
her eyes were just beginning to open, it was apparent that she
espoused the philosophy of Rudyard Kipling’s Kim:
“You have to be quick and a little bit wicked.”
Kali was born with a congenital heart problem so, to save her
life, she had to be removed from the meerkat exhibit at The Living
Desert Zoo in southern California. At the time, I was the zoo’s
director of wildlife programs, so I was asked to take Kali home
in hopes of saving her life.
Soon our “wee beastie” began to thrive. Thus, our
three dogs suffered. They soon discovered that if they gave Kali
an inch, she wanted the metric equivalent. She stole their food,
monopolized their toys, and even bit them when she didn’t
immediately get her way. Of course, we told her “NO”
repeatedly, but sound waves traveled very slowly around her. Usually
our reprimands reached her ears only after the dastardly deed
was done.
In 1992 I got a call from Jim Fowler, the host of Mutual of Omaha’s
Wild Kingdom. He told me that Disney was making a “little”
film about a lion cub, a wart hog, and a meerkat. Of course, that
“little” film became Disney’s blockbuster hit
The Lion King. It subsequently became the stunning, award-winning
stage play of the same name.
Jim told me he had been selected to give seminars to the Disney
animators about lions, wart hogs, and vultures. He asked me if
I would do the meerkat seminars and bring Kalahari with me. Of
course, I leaped at the chance to talk about my favorite subject
and get paid, to boot! The animators were anxious to meet a meerkat
“nose to nose” so they could capture the essence of
the animal. Although the Disney animators traveled to zoos to
see other meerkats, it was Kalahari who was the studio model for
the character of Timon. When the artist asked me to list Kali’s
personality traits it was an easy assignment: Opinionated, funny,
smart, sassy, feisty, brave, loyal, loving, and rascally –
very, very, rascally! Of course, those traits were skillfully
incorporated into Disney’s Timon. The animators were delightful
to work with and Disney Studios graciously included my name in
the film’s credits.
The night before we arrived at the studio we stayed at an inexpensive
(read: seedy) motel in Burbank, California. We decided to celebrate
our upcoming Disney adventure by having dinner at a very posh
French restaurant. Three for dinner – Phil, Kali, and me.
Alas, Kali had to go “incognito.”
We used a “camera” bag with mesh sides to hide the
fact that we were dining with a meerkat. When Kali was in the
bag she could see out, but no one could see in. From previous
experiences, we knew that if Kali had been fed dinner she was
quite happy to snooze in her bag if I placed it right next to
me. Unfortunately, the French restaurant didn’t have bench
seating. Each diner was provided with an individual, exquisitely
upholstered chair. So, Kali was not seated next to me, as usual,
but in a chair of her own.
When Marcel, our waiter, introduced himself we could tell he
was as haughty and proud as a peacock with two tails. Since Phil
and I couldn’t pronounce the words on the menu we simply
pointed to what we wanted. Marcel gave a little sniff of disapproval
as he wrote down our order.
The other French waiters hovered behind our chairs like a hoard
of Kalahari vultures. In order to have a private conversation
we resorted to speaking “Pig Latin.” Not classy, of
course, but we were sure that French mothers would never allow
their children to learn “Pig Latin.”
Suddenly our “camera bag” started to jump around
on the chair when Kali woke up and found herself all alone. Phil
hissed at me through clenched teeth, “Put the bag on the
table. If she can see us she’ll calm down.”
“But, won’t it look funny to have a ‘camera
bag’ on this elegant table?” I asked.
“Pam, they’ll kick us out of here if she doesn’t
quiet down.”
I placed the bag on the table and, VOILA, when Kali saw us she
became very quiet.
Soon, however, Kali became interested in the crystal saltshaker
that was next to her bag. At the very moment Marcel returned with
our salads, Kali poked her very long, black claws through the
mesh of the bag and repeatedly tapped the salt shaker until it
teetered precariously on the edge of the table. “Mr. Peacock’s”
eyes were riveted on the action. I lunged to grab the shaker,
but I was a nanosecond too late and it shattered on the marble
floor.
Marcel, the Peacock, coldly said, “You and your ‘leedle’
friend will have your dinner TO GO, no?!”
So, we ate our stupendously expensive French dinner out of styrofoam
boxes on a formica motel table. Kali looked quite pleased with
herself. On the eve of her Disney debut she was determined to
be the central part of the festivities. Indeed.
In closing this edition, we want to convey our gratitude to all
of you who support our endeavors at Fellow Earthlings. We are
honored to know that you think our work is important. The animals
remind us of what is truly precious in our world: sharing our
lives and our dreams with people who love and value our planet’s
creatures. We are, most certainly, blessed.
“Until
he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things,
man will not himself find peace.”
Albert Schweitzer
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