Dozens of animals killed in Zoo to You fire in Paso Robles

Posted on Thu, Apr. 23, 2009

Tonya Strickland
A barefoot Anita Jackson fought urges to dash into the building filled with thick smoke and raging flames early Thursday morning to save the 62 Zoo to You animals inside.
“You don’t even have time to think,” she said, “You’re just reacting.”

Instead, the nonprofit educational director grabbed a hose and began pouring water on the flames. Just seconds before, she first learned the building on the eastern Paso Robles property was on fire, threw on clothes and ran from her home next door.

“It was engulfed in flames,” Jackson said. “The whole ceiling was just covered in fire. There was black smoke everywhere.”

No people were hurt in the fire, which started about 7:40 a.m., but nearly 40 animals died. Early indications were that the fire started from some kind of electrical malfunction.

Finding flames

Employee Angela Beolk, who first discovered the blaze and called Jackson when smoke billowed from a door she opened, was already on the phone with a 911 dispatcher to send help to 2445 Adobe Road when Jackson arrived.

Soon, other employees came, too — hosing the building down before County/Cal Fire and Paso Robles Emergency Services arrived within 10 minutes. The blaze was contained 10 to 15 minutes later.

Zoo to You is a nonprofit North County-based wildlife educational organization that takes in rescued animals and introduces them to schools and groups. About 250 animals live in habitats on its 40-acre site near the Paso Robles Municipal Airport, including mountain lions, a tiger, a bear, porcupines and alligators.

“Just looking at it,” Jackson said of the fiery building, “you could tell nothing was surviving in there.”

However, less than half the occupants did survive — primarily snakes, lizards, frogs and turtles from the reptile room where the door was always kept shut to keep the heat in for the climate-controlled environment. A total of 24 live animals were pulled from the charred building when the fire was out.

Those killed were 38 of the nonprofit organization’s monkeys, parrots, sloths, small kookaburra birds and others.

“Everybody is devastated,” Jackson said of the numerous helpers that spend hours each day caring for and interacting with the creatures.

“These aren’t just animals, they’re your best friends.”

Among the animals that died was a 50-year-old Macaque monkey named Lisa Lulu. Jackson said the 20-pound primate was a staff favorite and everyone is saddened to have lost her and the others.

Another animal Jackson spoke fondly of was a 10-year-old sloth named Mogee who recently traveled to Santa Maria to interact with hundreds of smiling children.

“He was such a sweetie,” she said. “He just wanted to be in your arms.”

Community help

The destroyed building was a one-story ranch house converted into habitat rooms for animals that needed to be kept indoors, Jackson said.

While about 95 percent of the approximately 1,200-square-foot building was used to house the critters in enclosures and aquariums, County/Cal Fire public information officer Clint Bullard said, one corner was used as an office with a desk, computers and a fax machine.

Officials reported $400,000 in damages to the contents and animal equipment kept inside the building, and about $80,000 to the structure itself.

Investigators said the cause was electrical and started in the office, and insurance investigators were still trying to determine the specific cause.

By about 8 a.m., Jackson said about 50 neighbors and passersby showed up to help.

The group saw an outpouring of assistance by the afternoon — neighbors brought food, two Atascadero veterinarians donated antibiotics to treat the surviving animals, Sylvester Winery lent out its climate-controlled wine container for a temporary reptile home, Paso Robles Waste Disposal set up a trash bin for debris and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio donated $5,000 to the fire-recovery effort.

how you can help

To donate to Zoo to You’s fire-recovery effort to build a new reptile structure, send checks to P.O. Box 1998, Paso Robles CA 93447. There is also an account set up at Rabobank under the name Zoo to You. Officials estimate a new reptile enclosure will cost the group $70,000 to $80,000.

Missionary Clown

Lowell M. Durham Jr., “Missionary Clown,” New Era, Apr 1973, 30

“Graduation—the lights on the stage dimmed; the time that we had all looked forward to was finally here. The ceremony had been grand; all the pomp and circumstance to fit the occasion had been unfurled. Boy, I sure hoped my rubber nose wouldn’t fall off.” Tim Holst was graduating magna cum laude from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus clown school. He had even been offered a job with the circus, the Greatest Show on Earth.

“How did all this happen?” he wondered. Tim had been a student at Utah State University studying to get a teaching degree so that he could teach seminary. During the summers he would work in Yellowstone Park in a little summer theater company called the Playmill Theater. Tim was playing, directing, and acting as master of ceremonies for the show when he was spotted by one of the circus promoters for Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The promoter liked Tim, thought he was funny, and invited him to go to the circus clown school in Florida.

Now Tim had completed the eight-week course in clowning. He had learned the fundamentals of juggling, clowning, acrobatics, gymnastics, make-up, and costuming. The offer of a one-year contract to clown for the circus was appealing. Should he accept? Tim decided not to. He was very close to graduation from college, and he felt that he should finish his schooling. He left Florida after graduating from the clown school and drove back to Utah State University to begin his winter quarter classes.

“Still, I just didn’t feel right,” Tim said. “I felt as though I should get right back to Florida and accept the offer to be a clown for the circus. After much prayer and consideration, and after talking with my parents back in Illinois, I decided to head back to Florida and begin rehearsal as a clown for the upcoming circus season. As I was settling into my new room, there came a knock on my door. I opened the door, and there stood a member of my graduating class, another Tim—Tim Torkildson. He had observed what he thought was something special about me, and Tork (that was his circus nickname) wanted to know about the Church.”

Tork said, “Tim’s life-style was different from anybody else’s, and I wanted to know more about him.”

Tim introduced his friend to the Church, and soon Tork was taking the missionary lessons. After about six weeks Tim baptized Tork in Florida, just a few days before they left on their circus tour of some forty-five cities throughout the United States and Canada. Tim now knew why he had needed to return to Florida. He was to be a “missionary clown.”

Both Tim and Tork say that clowning has its good and bad sides. Being away from home more than ten months a year, traveling by train from city to city, and living out of a truck can become tiring. But the good side seems to outweigh the bad. Living so you can influence others inside and outside the circus is a great challenge. The circus people seem to respect them for their beliefs. Tim’s boss clown often comes to him for advice, and Tim has even helped him with a lesson in delegating authority. Tim and Tork think highly of their boss who is responsible for the clown acts, seeing that they are good and that they get into the arena in order and on time.

One of the first things Tim and Tork always do in a new city is contact the closest bishop and get a schedule of the Sunday meetings. They are able to attend church in almost every city. Usually after working sixteen to eighteen hours on Saturday, they get up early and attend priesthood meeting on Sunday morning. They have been able to meet many members of the Church all over North America. Meeting new people in new places has been a special reward all its own.

A day in the life of a clown? Well, there are traveling days and set-up days, but the busiest and most exciting days are performance days. On Saturdays the circus puts on three shows, and this keeps everyone extra busy.

Make-up takes Tim about one hour. His particular clown face is his own creation. A clown’s face and costume are his trademark, and it is part of the clown’s unwritten code that he will not use the face or costume of one of his fellow clowns. Tim starts making up by covering his face with cold cream so that the rest of his make-up will come off easily after the performance. He whites his face all over. Then, over the white face, he draws in bold, descriptive lines around his eyes, nose, and mouth that exaggerate his expression. At various times while he is making up he will stop and wrinkle up his face in his very best smile to make sure that the make-up is on correctly. Tim makes his own big red rubber noses and tops off the new face with a bright red wig. His make-up and all his costumes are in his own steamer trunk that follows him wherever he goes. His circus life revolves around his circus trunk. Sitting in front of the open trunk he can reach the compartment in front that holds his make-up; in the drawer beneath he keeps his personal gear. On one shelf there are some tissues, and in the left side of the trunk hang all his clown costumes and some of his civvies. In the bottom drawer are two pairs of specially made clown shoes. Everything seems to have its proper though crowded place. On one of the top shelves is a Book of Mormon, some well-worn New Eras and Ensigns, and a few copies of the Church News. Tim treasures them and reads them again and again. Tim’s trunk is vital to his profession.

The clowns must make up and be ready before everyone else to “warm up” the audience for the rest of the show. The clowns do slapstick comedy and vaudeville-type routines to get laughs from the crowd. Sometimes they all work together in one big rollicking show, and other times they work alone doing a routine of their own creation. Tim is the very first performer in the arena. He walks in with his huge shoes slapping on the hard rubber runway and a big bandage wrapped around his head. He groans and screams in pain from the most terrible toothache that anyone has ever had. But never fear, who should appear at the other end of the arena but a clown-faced dentist in a tuxedo who obviously has the equipment and know-how to help Tim get rid of his horrible toothache. This all seems fine to Tim until he sees the dentist’s equipment—a large hammer and a huge pair of pliers. Tim makes several attempts to escape but all to no avail. The dentist and Tork finally wrestle Tim to the ground right in front of the center ring, and with his huge pair of pliers the dentist extracts a huge foam-rubber tooth that had been hidden in Tim’s bandage. It’s a great laugh for everyone, and the clowns seem to enjoy it most of all. After a few more good routines, the crowd is warmed up and the show begins.

The ringmaster grandly announces the initial entry, and all the circus performers and animals parade around the arena. During a show Tim makes twelve costume changes. He continues clowning around, assists in the aerial ballet, and participates in a number of parades and productions that have become part of the modern circus: the clowns all squeeze into a little car, hit each other with cream-filled pies, do a proper amount of kicking and swatting each other, and generally give the audience a rousing good time.

Between shows Tim often finds the local library and studies. He writes letters and reads the scriptures and Church publications. The break between shows is also a time to grab a bite to eat. The circus provides food at a reasonable price for the performers and people who work for the show, some five hundred in all.

Tim, our missionary clown, traveled to 45 cities and clowned his way through 548 performances this past season. Does he like the circus? He has signed a contract for another year with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, but Tim won’t be a clown this next season. Tim will be the ringmaster—the man who is often the focal point and always the person who keeps the Greatest Show on Earth moving.

Tim explained that staying with the circus for another year would enable him to help send his brother on a mission.

What do Tim and Tork think about their occupations as clowns? Let’s say that they are both proud to be part of a great tradition. Clowns are as old as literature and the arts. Shakespeare’s Lear had his fool, who was perhaps the least foolish of all. There have been clowns in literature from earliest times to the present.

Tim Torkildson says: “It is my feeling that laughter is a most precious and valuable gift to mankind. It helps make things easier when you can laugh away your problems. As you watch a clown go through his convolutions and escapades, you begin to realize that there, but for the make-up on his face, go I. Essentially, a clown is just magnifying and perhaps even understanding what we as human beings are prone to do. The closer a clown comes to the truth, the harder we laugh. And as we laugh, perhaps we also begin to think. Pride and boasting are brought tumbling down to the ground by the antics of a clown. To make people laugh is to help them in some indefinable way. You know, I have found nothing that hampers my living according to gospel principles. I love my work and love the gospel.”

Tim Holst says: “I’ve noticed for years the confusion and heartache that people experience no matter what their stations or beliefs. My clowning relieves some of the problems of others by poking fun at everyday experiences. I marvel at all the people who visit the circus. And in many ways I feel very humble to be able to perform to such great audiences. I had a difficult time in deciding between the circus and returning to school. I made my decision to be a clown and then asked Heavenly Father for help and strength in my decision. I pray daily that I might be an example for all those I come in contact with through the circus. The high point of this year was when I was able to help bring someone else into the Church. I felt his new-found joy and peace, and I felt closer to the Lord.

“I’m not a star or celebrity but a hard-working performer with an inner desire to achieve excellence in my field. The scope of the circus is worldwide.

“To those who have the desire to be professional actors or actresses or to involve themselves in some aspect of show business I would say, think very carefully of the decision you have to make, weigh all the factors, and then have the courage and fortitude to maintain your standards and decisions.

“The most important thing in my life is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Though this year has been a tough, rigorous schedule of performances, I’ve gained great strength through prayer.

“My parents have influenced my life with goodness and living the gospel. I love them very much, for they have helped and encouraged me to develop the talents that God has given me.

“Many times as a clown, I feel very close to those for whom I perform, and I want to share with them the blessings I have. I love clowning and children, and nothing delights me more than hearing laughter and seeing smiles. What would this world be without clowns … or comedy?”

Skin of rare Amur leopard discovered in car

....Police are investigating the killing of an Amur Leopard after officers discovered the skin of an adult leopard in a private car. © WWF-Russia / S. Aramilev....



Ussuriisk, Russia – Police are investigating the killing of an Amur Leopard – one of the rarest animals on earth with only a few dozen left in the wild – after officers discovered the skin of an adult leopard in a private car.

Internal Police Service officers found the dead animal’s pelt on 3 April while inspecting a car and the skin was then sent to the Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of the Primorsky State Agricultural Academy for examination.

Specialists from the academy and experts from the Primorsky province Hunting Department and WWF-Russia identified the skin as belonging to an adult Amur leopard, most likely male. The experts concluded that the leopard, also known as the Far East leopard, likely died of a gunshot wound.

“This finding is another tragic loss for the Far Eastern Leopard population,” said Sergey Aramilev, WWF Russia Amur branch biodiversity conservation coordinator, who participated in the examination. “The animal was evidently killed on purpose most probably in order to make money on his skin. From the point of view of ordinary person this killing of the most peaceful predator in Russia is an act of outspoken barbarism, because even in the crisis period there are other easier ways to make one’s living.”

The skin showed that the leopard most likely died last year, in the spring or autumn of 2008, Aramilev said.

“We took pictures that will allow us to compare the skin’s spots pattern with an available database of Far Eastern Leopards skins,” Aramilev said. “This will help to identify the individual and the place of his death.”

The Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) is the most northern-living leopard subspecies with only 30-40 individuals left in the world, according to Natalia Pervushina, co-ordinator of TRAFFIC’s Russian Far East programme. The animal is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Russian Red data book as critically endangered, as well as in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, meaning all commercial trade is totally prohibited.

According to the Russian Federation Criminal Code, killing of a Red listed leopard is punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine up to 500, 000 rubles (approx. 15,100 USD).

“WWF Russia and TRAFFIC hope that the Internal Police Service will succeed in tracing the criminals and identifying the animal’s killer,” Pervushina said.

FROM MIKE NAUGHTON

Hello All, Please help us get the word out that the Memorial Gathering to Celebrate the Life of Tim Holst will be held at the Hyatt RegencyBallroom in Sarasota on Sunday April 26th from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Everyone is welcome to come and share our memories of Tim. The Family is aware that not everyone will be able to attend, as the season is infull swing, but, you may wish to send your thoughts totimholstmemories@feldinc.com. On behalf of the Holst Family,

Regards,

Jim Ragona 941-726-1055

....Thank Heaven For Little Girls....

Here are some pictures of the newest Circus member....Miss Genevieve Evelyn Cainan....Born April 19th at 12:59 PM, 7.6 lbs....



....Georgia holding her little sister....



....The Proud Dad, Casey....


....The beautiful Mom (Natalie) and daughter bonding....


....The Cainan Family....

Thank heaven for little girls
for little girls get bigger every day!

Thank heaven for little girls
they grow up in the most delightful way!

Those little eyes so helpless and appealing
one day will flash and send you crashin' thru the ceilin'

Thank heaven for little girls
thank heaven for them all,
no matter where no matter who
for without them, what would little boys do?

Thank heaven... thank heaven...
Thank heaven for little girls!

pictures snitched from casey's blog..The Circus Diaries..

Shrine Circus offers oodles of escapism

By Kellie B. Gormly
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, April 1, 2009


Sometimes, it hits Jennifer Smith just how interesting, and even bizarre, her career is: being blasted out of cannons and flying up to 150 feet through the air at the Shrine Circus, which comes to Mellon Arena this weekend.

"I know it sounds very strange, but it's usual to me," says Smith, 35, of Bolivar, Mo. "It doesn't really register, because it's something I've been doing (for 18 years)."

When Smith is out with her kids and hears them talking about what she does for a living, she sees the amazement and puzzlement on the other children's faces.

"I am incredibly lucky and I love my life," Smith says. Her father, David Smith, is a cannon champion. "I get the opportunity to travel around the world. ... (Fans) are always very intrigued, and I love that."

Smith, called "The Cannon Lady," will be among the acrobats, clowns, wild animals and other performers at the Shrine Circus, which will show Friday through Sunday. The three-ring circus includes Clayton Rosaire's "The Big Cat Encounter" with tigers, juggling acts, the "Big Syrian Bears" act, elephant acts with three adult pachyderms and two babies, goofy clown acts, Spider-Man appearances, an instant costume-changing magic act, and more.

A guest clown is the famous "Grandma the Clown," played by Barry Lubin of the Big Apple Circus in New York. Grandma got his name from his atypical clown appearance: He wears a red dress, regular gray wig, glasses and yellow knee-highs.

"I did not want to be a caricature; I wanted to be a character," says Lubin, of Garwood, N.J. "If I look like every other clown ... then nobody's ever going to notice me. I have the look of somebody who accidentally wandered in from the audience."

Lubin will be making several comical appearances throughout the show, including for a lesson on water-spitting, and a lip-sync of a Britney Spears song.

"It's one of my greatest thrills to do a three-ring circus," he says. "It's a major treat for me as a performer."

Paul Leavy, the Pittsburgh-area promoter for the Shrine Circus, has been able to get Grandma as a guest performer several times because of their friendship.

The Shrine Circus, despite the bad economy, has seen an increase in attendance recently, Leavy says. The most expensive ticket is $20.

"I say it's escapism," he says. "In these economic times, we are proud to say that we are still the most economical family show to come to the arena.

"It offers something for everyone, no matter what age you are," Leavy says.