Newspapers & Magazines

Moving Mountain Lions
Messenger Topanga Wild
09/23/99- 10/6/99

Actually, a couple of years ago we had an accidental fire drill at Wildworks when a car that was parked up on the hill near us ignited. At the time there were only two of us at the Center, myself and early volunteer Melodi Tayles. We called the fire department and then, with-in a half-hour, we had crated all the animals. Except the mountain lions.This year, as we face the fire season, our first priority for emergency preparedness is our three mountain lions. Wildworks volunteer Mike Bollow has a truck permanently parked at the Center and we now hold weekly drills with our lions--Phoenix, Sage and Envy--to send them safely on the way out of any danger, to themselves or to others. A friend's large secluded backyard in Woodland Hills has been designated as an emergency short-term shelter for our animals, all of whom have become adjusted to staying in crates for an extended length of time. The rescue of wild animals is a specialized operation. Our itemized emergency evacuation list includes everything fom trucks and animal crates to collars, chains and ID tags, food bowls and a week's food supplies, medicatons, vaccination records, and up-to-date photos of all our animals.Fortunately, living at the Center, I'm there most of the time. Every Wildworks volunteer cannot be trained to handle every animal. Those volunteers who live nearby, prepared to do the priority jobs, will be notified first and issued access stickers for their vehicles, with a rendezvous point for volunteers coming from farther away.

One of the newest volunteers at Wildworks is Carol Feer, T-CEP's school programs coordinator. We are working closely with T-CEP and by the time you read this will have participated in the September 18 fire drill they organized.