TARENTUM PA--Crisis, PSPCA raid at Tiger Ranch Sanctuary

March 16, 2008

Everyone at Winging cat Rescue (WCR) is in total shock. We found out about this at the same time and the same way everyone else did. Ironically Barbara & Eddye, WCR's other members, were in Georgia when I called them Friday morning with this horrific news. They were there visiting some of the shelters WCR rescues from as well as vesting our fosters and networking with other local rescues.We are hoping in the next few days we will find out more of the facts ... we are all paralyzed by these events.Winging Cat Rescue has sent many cats to this rescue. Before we ever sent any, two of our volunteers visited Tiger Ranch and inspected the facilities. This past May of 2007 we again visited Tiger and inspected and once again found the entire Sanctuary to be a professionally run no-kill facility. Being a

no-kill facility meant designated areas including hospice and clinic areas for the ill and special needs. The level of care was exemplary as well as the conditions. Our transporter also inspected the premises each time we delivered cats there. On all these occasions our WCR people saw a very different sanctuary than described in newscasts. To say we are distraught is an understatement.On Friday, March 15, one of our members contacted the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA) and had a long conversation. The PSPCA member said they will be issuing a statement sometime Saturday. I will update if we hear directly from this spokesperson. We are hoping it will answer some of the questions we all have. Winging Cat Rescue is also sending a volunteer there on Monday to see what we

can do to help and to retrieve some cats that were transported there last week.We are all devastated by this event. Hopefully the next few days will give us all some desperately needed answers...Susan BirnbaumWinging Cat Rescue (WCR)swatch12 (swatch12 @ earthlink.net)