B2F35I2

Transcribed Text (OCR)

GARY MANGIACOPA ARCHIVE
============================================================
Title:      B2F35I2
Slug:       b2f35i2
Categories: Misplaced Animals
Source:     https://garymangiacopraarchive.com/b2f35i2
Pages:      7 scanned, 6 extracted
OCR:        Google Vision API (document_text_detection)
Processed:  2026-06-06
============================================================

Outdoors: City Dwellers Seek Refuge
By RICHARD D. LYONS
ITY dwellers who enjoy the
outdoors and want fresh alr
and solitude in an area free
ball players, joggers, picnickers and
even smokers, might well consider a
trip to their nearest urban nature
The Gazzolas, as well as the Kevin
Kellys of Queens and Alan Winters of
are among a growing band of urban
Americans who are soaking in the
Brooklyn, who were there that day.
solitude of wildlife preserves and bird
operated by Federal, state and local
agencies
Amon, the more popular Federal
The Jamaica Bay
Wildlife Refuge is
a respite from
preserve. For New Yorkers, that hid preserves are: the San Francisco social mayhem.
den respite from social mayhem is
the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge,
which straddles the Queens-Brooklyn
line on the South Shore of Long Is-
land.
More than 300 types of birds, 100
species of fish and a bevy of turtles,
terrapins, rabbits, bats, frogs, snakes,
salamanders and crabs inhabit the
9,155-acre refuge, which really is a
broad wetland of open bays, salt
marshes, brackish ponds and upland
woods situated between the giant
'sandbar that is Long Island and the
Atlantic Ocean. About 250 acres are
criss-crossed with gravel-paved hik-
ing trails and are open to the public,
80,000 of whom visit the refuge year-
ly.
To people like Charles and Joanna
Gazzola of East Meadow, L.I., who
have been revisiting the refuge 25 or
so times a year for the last four
years, it offers "a fantastic number
of birds for us to observe and photo-
graph.'
"We've traveled all over the United
States looking at bird sanctuaries and
wildlife refuges, and this one is as
good as they come," Gazzola said as
the couple ambled along the hiking
pats one day early this month.
Bay Nasional Wildlife Refuge, the
Tinicum National Environmental
Center outside of Philadelphia, the
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife
Refuge near Minneapolis, and the
Bayou Sauvage Urban National Wild-
life Refuge, a 23,000-acre facility that
opened six months ago 10 miles from
downtown New Orleans.
Such facilities operated by the Na-
tional Park Service and the United
States Fish and Wildlife Service have
seen a steady increase in visitors in
"the last several years.
John M. Morehead, associate direc-
tor of the National Park Service, said
the increase over the last year was
caused by "a variety of things that
add up to increased use of urban
facilities," including a rise in gasoline
prices, the economic recession and a
drop in overseas travel.
Yet there is a long-term trend since
attendance in the 423 preserves and
sanctuaries operated by the states
has risen more than 20 percent over
the last decade, said Ney C. Landrum,
executive director of the National As-
sociation of State Park Directors in
Tallahassee, Fla.
The reason is renewed interest in
the environment, according to Harry
E. Hodgdon, executive director of the
Wildlife Society, Bethesda, Md. "Over
the last few years we've seen a resur-
gence of interest in the outdoors and
people are going exploring in the
wildlife refuges and bird sanctuaries
a bit more that they used to," Hodg-
don added.
And they're looking at different
things these days, said Don Riepe, the
chief ranger at the Jamaica Bay fa-
cility.
"We're a little different from the
typical wildlife refuge because there
is not much game here, so we've been
trying to introduce specimens that
people would enjoy," he said.
"Some people are getting bored
with bird watching and are seeking
something else to track," Riepe said.
Trying to capitalize on this perceived
trend, the park rangers at Jamaica
Bay started building up the butterfly
stock six years ago by providing such
things as boxes where the insects
could nest and reproduce and plant-
ing flowers and bushes they liked.
"Our 'butterfly gardens' now con-
tain 30 separate specimens and some
of our visitors say they are delight-
ed," he said, adding "everyone likes
looking at butterflies but you don't
see them often in a city.'
Jamaica Bay has also reintroduced
varieties of chipmunks, snakes, tur-
tles and frogs that had largely disap-
peared from the area over the last 50
years. Further, through a grid of un-
derground pipes and valves, the wa-
ter levels of the two main ponds can
be raised or lowered depending on the
time of year and the needs of the
individual species of migratory birds.
One visitor on a recent warm day
was rewarded by sightings of more
than two dozen species of birds, in-
cluding five different kinds of geese
and four species of duck, plus hawks,
owls, swans, warblers and quail.
Watching a flight of 300 snow geese-
coming in for a landing on one of the
ponds raises the spirits of even the
most jaded urban dweller, a feeling
that is not lost on those who work at
the refuge.
On one recent Sunday, two park
rangers were repairing an osprey
nest that had been damaged by the
wind, assisted by four volunteers, in-
cluding Laura Giles of Manhattan.
Giles is associate director of nurs-
ing at Bellevue Hospital, where she
oversees the nursing activities in its
hectic emergency room.
"I've been coming here to work as
a volunteer every Sunday for four
years and I absolutely love it," she
said. "It's a different world here, one
that helps put me in a different frame
of mind."

[PAGE BREAK]

SPECIAL ADVERTISING FEATURE
Nature's Alien Invaders
U
nbeknownst to the local community, alien creatures with
sharp teeth, voracious appetites and the ability to live on
both land and water, were lurking in their midst. The
creatures multiplied and two years later thousands of offspring
were ready to devour everything in their path. Sound like an
alien thriller straight from Hollywood? This horror story actu-
ally happened-in a pond in Maryland. The alien invader? A
fish from China.
The fish, the northern snakehead, was taken from its native
home, brought to Maryland and released into a pond in which
it had no natural enemies. The foreign fish flourished in its new
home at the expense of the native fish already living there.
The snakehead is an example of an epidemic that is taking
place around the world-the destruction of native ecosystems
due to the introduction and spread of invasive species.
This is a
Special Report
brought to you by
The Nature
Conservancy
SAVING THE LAST GREAT PLACES ON EARTH
Emily Whitted
With these easy precautions you can help
protect native plants and wildlife. When visiting
any natural area, please remember to:
. Clean boots, boats and other outdoor equip-
ment before and after your visit.
⚫ Never leave behind the cores, pits or seeds of
fruits and vegetables.
⚫ Never release fish or animals into the wild
without the approval of local authorities.
⚫ Verify that the plants you are buying for
yard or garden are not invasive.
your
Make a Difference
Visit nature.org/naturevalley to
participate in the Nature Valley
click-to-donate campaign. For
every click, Nature Valley will
donate $1 to The Nature
Conservancy (up to $125,000,
limited to one click daily per
person). While you're there,
you can learn more about
invasive species and how
Nature Valley is supporting the
Conservancy's work.
The Nature Conservancy, Idaho
Mother Nature's Steamroom
Yellow starthistle-infested area in Hells Canyon, Idaho
Invasive species are quickly spreading and causing environ-
mental and economic damage. Only habitat loss poses a greater
threat to rare and endangered species. Invasive species are esti-
mated to cost $137 billion annually in the United States alone.
In an effort to prevent the devastation caused by the spread
of invasive species, The Nature Conservancy has been work-
ing with government agencies, local communities and
individuals to prevent their introduction and to restore those
areas already infested.
At Hells Canyon in Idaho, the Conservancy is implementing
a weed-control project that includes replanting native grasses,
organizing volunteer efforts to remove exotic plants, and
utilizing insects that feed on them. In the Florida Keys, the
Conservancy is working with local volunteers, including the Boy
Scouts, to battle trees and vines that threaten the native forests.
Although many restoration techniques have proven successful,
the most effective way to eliminate invasive species and the
harm they cause is to prevent them from entering the environ-
ment in the first place.
"It's just like your doctor says - an ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure," said Ann Bartuska, director of the
Conservancy's invasive species initiative. "The good news is
that by doing a few simple things, people can really help pre-
vent the introduction of invasive plants and animals.
While some infestations are introduced intentionally, most are
an unintended result. Gardeners plant something that escapes
their yard, animals act as stowaways on boats and thrive in their
new homes, or seeds stick to the bottom of a hiker's boot and
become dislodged elsewhere, spreading invasive plants.
▶Mother Nature's Energy Bar
The chewy trail mix bar made with
fruit and nuts and whole grain granola.
The Energy Bar Nature Intended'
NATURE VALLEY
TRAIL MIX
FRUIT & NUT
NATURE VALLEY
TRAIL MIXI
PRUIT & NUT
©2003 General Mills, Inc.

[PAGE BREAK]

SPECIAL ADVERTISING FEATURE
Nature's Alien Invaders
U
nbeknownst to the local community, alien creatures with
sharp teeth, voracious appetites and the ability to live on
both land and water, were lurking in their midst. The
creatures multiplied and two years later thousands of offspring
were ready to devour everything in their path. Sound like an
alien thriller straight from Hollywood? This horror story actu-
ally happened-in a pond in Maryland. The alien invader? A
fish from China.
The fish, the northern snakehead, was taken from its native
home, brought to Maryland and released into a pond in which
home
it had no natural enemies. The foreign fish flourished in its new
at the expense of the native fish already living there.
The snakehead is an example of an epidemic that is taking
place around the world-the destruction of native ecosystems
due to the introduction and spread of invasive species.
This is a
Special Report
brought to you by
The Nature
Conservancy.
SAVING THE LAST GREAT PLACES ON EARTH
Emily Whitted
With these easy precautions you can help
protect native plants and wildlife. When visiting
any natural area, please remember to:
•Clean boots, boats and other outdoor equip-
ment before and after your visit.
⚫Never leave behind the cores, pits or seeds of
fruits and vegetables.
•Never release fish or animals into the wild
without the approval of local authorities.
•Verify that the plants you are buying for your
yard or garden are not invasive.
Make a Difference
Visit nature.org/naturevalley to
participate in the Nature Valley
click-to-donate campaign. For
every click, Nature Valley will
donate $1 to The Nature
Conservancy (up to $125,000,
limited to one click daily per
person). While you're there,
you can learn more about
invasive species and how
Nature Valley is supporting the
Conservancy's work.
Mother Nature's Steamroom
Yellow starthistle-infested area in Hells Canyon, Idaho
Invasive species are quickly spreading and causing environ-
mental and economic damage. Only habitat loss poses a greater
threat to rare and endangered species. Invasive species are esti-
mated to cost $137 billion annually in the United States alone.
In an effort to prevent the devastation caused by the spread
of invasive species, The Nature Conservancy has been work-
ing with government agencies, local communities and
individuals to prevent their introduction and to restore those
areas already infested.
At Hells Canyon in Idaho, the Conservancy is implementing
a weed-control project that includes replanting native grasses,
organizing volunteer efforts to remove exotic plants, and
utilizing insects that feed on them. In the Florida Keys, the
Conservancy is working with local volunteers, including the Boy
Scouts, to battle trees and vines that threaten the native forests.
Although many restoration techniques have proven successful,
the most effective way to eliminate invasive species and the
harm they cause is to prevent them from entering the environ-
ment in the first place.
"It's just like your doctor says - an ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure," said Ann Bartuska, director of the
Conservancy's invasive species initiative. "The good news is
that by doing a few simple things, people can really help pre-
vent the introduction of invasive plants and animals."
While some infestations are introduced intentionally, most are
an unintended result. Gardeners plant something that escapes
their yard, animals act as stowaways on boats and thrive in their
new homes, or seeds stick to the bottom of a hiker's boot and
become dislodged elsewhere, spreading invasive plants.
The Nature Conservancy, Idand
Mother Nature's Energy Bar
The chewy trail mix bar made with
fruit and nuts and whole grain granola.
The Energy Bar Nature Intended
NATURE VALLEY
TRAIL MIX
FRUIT & NUT
NATURE VALLEY
TRAIL MIX
FRUIT & NUT
© 2003 General Mills, Inc.

[PAGE BREAK]

WALLET, AMERICAN
ALLIGATOR
BUTTERCUP, ALBINO
BURMESE PYTHON.
NEW YORK
Rob Stephenson is a
licensed wildlife
rehabilitator whose
front porch has been
converted into a
compartmentalized ter-
rarium, where rescued
animals including
Buttercup (opposite
page) and Wallet
(right)-can stay in a
comfortable, sunny
environment before
moving on to new
homes. "I wouldn't
say these are pets,
because you can't
really own an animal,"
says Stephenson, 28.
"I'm kind of a big,
tough guy, but when
my first alligator,
Smiley, passed away, I
was brought to tears."
LEI, ROYAL WHITE TIGER CUB, TEXAS
Marcus Cook, 39, breeds and exhibits big cats: He has
19 of them at his 11-acre spread. "There's always work
to do-feeding, cleaning, feeding, cleaning," says Cook.
"I'm basically an animal nerd." Occasionally, new neighbors
express concerns about the cats, he says, but after
a visit "they see there's no problem here whatsoever."
PICASSO, BENGAL TIGER. NEVADA
As cubs, Tony and Ferdinand Fercos' 11 cats roamed the house, but at six months, they graduated
outside, to the brothers' two-plus acres. (In this photo, Picasso makes a rare return visit indoors.)
Even trainers like the Fercoses never completely let down their guard. "Sometimes I think
they're reincarnated people," says Ferdinand. "But you have to realize that they are dangerous."
12 LIFE AUGUST 5, 2005
animal-welfare groups. "It's dangerous to have wild
animals as pets, and it's incredibly inhumane," says Kim
Haddad, manager of the Captive Wild Animal Protec-
tion Coalition. "These animals are often kept in inappro-
priate conditions and bred and sold purely for profit."
Such purchases aren't always made with great fore-
sight, either. Getting a young animal "because it's cute
and cuddly is not the right reason," says Texas big-cat
breeder Marcus Cook, who has tigers, cougars, and lions
and who, like the other owners whose animals are shown
here, is licensed to work with exotics. "But they get so big
so fast that they can get dangerous very, very quickly."
When something goes wrong-as in recent devastating
attacks in Minnesota, Ohio, and Indiana-the creatures
can be destroyed or placed in a sanctuary by animal-
control authorities. (Animals raised in captivity do not,
as a rule, have the skills to survive in the wild.)
But for every fool who ends up on the evening news
when he loses a boa constrictor, there are other owners
of exotic animals-they tend to despise the word
"pet"-who provide safe, healthy, and loving environ-
ments. These devotees swear that the bond they have
with the creatures is stronger than what most people
feel for a cat or dog and is more than worth the effort
and expense: as much as $40,000 a year for a tiger.
The most visible type of owner, says Pat Hoctor, the
publisher of Animal Finders' Guide, a resource for exotics
lovers, are people who work with animals, like Ferdinand
and Tony Fercos, whose cats perform in their traveling
magic show. But the most common are folks like Kendra
Lester, an "alternative pets" advocate who fell in love
with a sick monkey she found at a flea market. "She just
reached out to me," says Lester. "I cleaned out my bank
account and came back for her."
-JOHNNY DWYER
PHOTOGRAPH (LEFT) BY CHRISTIAN WEBER

[PAGE BREAK]

THE
ELEPHANT
Photographs by MARC JOSEPH
NEXT
DOOR
For owners of exotic pets, lions,
tigers, and the occasional pachyderm are
just like part of the family
HE FERCOS HOUSEHOLD'S WEEKLY
grocery list probably reads much like yours:
milk, eggs, fruit, cereal. And then there's the
700 pounds of raw meat. Which makes sense,
considering a lion, two panthers, and eight tigers
reside on the grounds of their five-bedroom
Las Vegas home.
Whether you live in a cul-de-sac or a downtown
condo-and whether you know it or not-one of
your neighbors could be at Petco right now, loading
up on Komodo Dragon Chow In 2003, after all, the
residents of a New York City high-rise found them-
selves in the national news when it was revealed
that they'd been living under the same roof as Ming,
a 400-pound Siberian-Bengal tiger. Word leaked
out only after the cat attacked its owner, Antoine
Yates, who'd quietly raised it in his apartment
Even more astonishing than a tiger going unde-
tected in Manhattan is the fact that if Yates had lived
in a different city, he could have been perfectly within
his rights to house a big cat. Only 23 states, includ-
ing New York, ban the animals outright; 13 allow
them with restrictions, and 14 have no regulations.
The Humane Society estimates that in the
United States, trade in exotic animals currently
tops $15 billion a year-a figure encompassing
some 3,000 great apes, 10,000 to 20,000 big cats,
and unknown numbers of llamas, lizards, and pot-
bellied pigs. Most big cats, monkeys, and apes are
bred in captivity in the U.S.; reptiles and birds are
more likely to be imported or smuggled in.
Exotics are a controversial topic with many
KAMBA,
AFRICAN ELEPHANT.
TEXAS
Doug Terranova, 44,
ran away with the
circus after high school.
Now an animal
exhibitor, he lives near
Dallas with his wife
and three daughters,
ages 18, 6, and 3, and
a variety of animals
including 25-year-old
Kamba (at right) and
two other elephants.
"My niece Stephanie
told everyone at school
that her uncle has
tigers and elephants,"
says Terranova. "She
was sent home with a
note saying she had
a 'vivid imagination.
10
LIFE AUGUST 5, 2005

[PAGE BREAK]

WALLET, AMERICAN
ALLIGATOR
BUTTERCUP, ALBINO
BURMESE PYTHON,
NEW YORK
Rob Stephenson is a
licensed wildlife
rehabilitator whose
front porch has been
converted into a
compartmentalized ter-
rarium, where rescued
animals-including
Buttercup (opposite
page) and Wallet
(right)-can stay in a
comfortable, sunny
environment before
moving on to new
homes. "I wouldn't
say these are pets,
because you can't
really own an animal,
says Stephenson, 28.
"I'm kind of a big,
tough guy, but when
my first alligator,
Smiley, passed away, I
was brought to tears
PICASSO, BENGAL TIGER, NEVADA
As cubs, Tony and Ferdinand Fercos' 11 cats roamed the house, but at six months, they graduated
outside, to the brothers' two-plus acres. (In this photo, Picasso makes a rare return visit indoors.)
Even trainers like the Fercoses never completely let down their guard. "Sometimes I think
they're reincarnated people," says Ferdinand. "But you have to realize that they are dangerous."
12 LIFE AUGUST 5, 2005
LEI, ROYAL WHITE TIGER CUB, TEXAS
Marcus Cook, 39, breeds and exhibits big cats: He has
19 of them at his 11-acre spread. "There's always work
to do-feeding, cleaning, feeding, cleaning," says Cook.
"I'm basically an animal nerd." Occasionally, new neighbors
express concerns about the cats, he says, but after
a visit "they see there's no problem here whatsoever."
animal-welfare groups. "It's dangerous to have wild
animals as pets, and it's incredibly inhumane," says Kim
Haddad, manager of the Captive Wild Animal Protec-
tion Coalition. "These animals are often kept in inappro-
priate conditions and bred and sold purely for profit."
Such purchases aren't always made with great fore-
sight, either. Getting a young animal "because it's cute
and cuddly is not the right reason," says Texas big-cat
breeder Marcus Cook, who has tigers, cougars, and lions
and who, like the other owners whose animals are shown
here, is licensed to work with exotics. "But they get so big
so fast that they can get dangerous very, very quickly."
When something goes wrong-as in recent devastating
attacks in Minnesota, Ohio, and Indiana-the creatures
can be destroyed or placed in a sanctuary by animal-
control authorities. (Animals raised in captivity do not,
as a rule, have the skills to survive in the wild.)
But for every fool who ends up on the evening news
when he loses a boa constrictor, there are other owners
of exotic animals-they tend to despise the word
"pet"-who provide safe, healthy, and loving environ-
ments. These devotees swear that the bond they have
with the creatures is stronger than what most people
feel for a cat or dog and is more than worth the effort
and expense: as much as $40,000 a year for a tiger.
The most visible type of owner, says Pat Hoctor, the
publisher of Animal Finders' Guide, a resource for exotics
lovers, are people who work with animals, like Ferdinand
and Tony Fercos, whose cats perform in their traveling
magic show. But the most common are folks like Kendra
Lester, an "alternative pets" advocate who fell in love
with a sick monkey she found at a flea market. "She just
reached out to me," says Lester. "I cleaned out my bank
account and came back for her."
-JOHNNY DWYER
PHOTOGRAPH (LEFT) BY CHRISTIAN WEBER