LAT: Plight of the Wild Ones (CA wildlife sanctuary regulation)

[DeepModem Mom]

Plight of the Wild Ones
Exotic and abandoned animals find refuge at remote sanctuaries. State's oversight of the centers draws scrutiny after series of mishaps.

By Amanda Covarrubias, Times Staff Writer


....Remote corners of Southern California have become retirement homes for exotic and abandoned animals from across the country.

They provide homes for chimps and tigers employed by circuses and movie studios in their youth, then left to spend decades in sanctuaries; for monkeys and wolves that people took for pets only to realize they could not care for wild animals; for turkey vultures and crows that could not find homes in zoos.

They end up in one of several dozen licensed wildlife centers dotted across the region.

Most are run by private individuals moved by the plight of the exotic animals and mindful that those without shelter face death or a life in medical research facilities.

But a string of problems involving some of the sanctuaries has underscored long-standing concerns about how well the centers are regulated....


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sanctuary10apr10,0,6828489.story?coll=la-home-local