My name is Robert M. I have been involved in wildlfe for more then 30 years. (After some research, I found that Robert is a wildlife photographer, primarily of birds, focusing on wildlife found in Northern Alberta)
Not only do I think your website is out to lunch, I will make it my personal job to see to it that others do as well. You seem to really enjoy causing trouble for people. I will give you my phone number if you wish or better still I can stop down to see you in person. You are the kind of person that we all need to watch very carefully.
(Second Email)
You really don't sound like evil people or anything. But you have got off the beaten path a bit. I don't complain on the internet about a situation I may not like, rather, I get involved and help out. I have built more animal pens then you will ever see. I have fished birds out of rivers, walked through the woods to rescue injured wildlife,I clean cages and pens out, donate my money and help out in any way I can. There are a great many people that do this. Never would I ever do what you do!! It can't work, we all need to co-operate together. You will only scare people away with just one look at your website. It's too extreme, the animals won't benefit in the long run. You will end up alone with no support, at least not the support you need to last
My response:
Robert,
We run an animal rescue ourselves. (www.themcdonaldrescue.com) A real one, that doesn't breed and sell wild animals into the pet trade, that provides vet care to sick animals, that doesn't take on more animals then we can handle. Our entire day consists of caring for these animals, helping others improve the lives of their own animals, assisting people in finding their animals appropriate homes, etc. We have also, believe it or not, fished injured birds out of water, spent hours capturing injured seagulls, magpies, and pigeons to take to the wildlife rehabilitation center, spent days hidden in our cars watching carefully set cat traps to capture (or not capture, depending on the luck of the day) feral cats to be spayed/neutered and vaccinated, and have dedicated our lives, our homes, and all of our extra money towards helping animals in any way that we can.
We also work alongside many other local rescues who share the same basic ethical standards as we do, such as SCARS, SNAP, NASAP, and more. Guzoo does not fit these standards. They purchase animals to expand their collection, despite not having adequate housing available for them. They claim to want to upgrade their facilities, but if that was the case, then wouldn't they put their money towards their pre-existing animals, rather then constantly breeding them and buying more?
As a wildlife lover, who has obviously spent hours in the bush patiently waiting for that perfect photograph, can you really agree with them breeding bears, skunks, and raccoons, and then selling them as pets?
They may take in unwanted animals, but they certainly don't do anything to decrease the "unwanted population". The Gustafson's claim that they are the only chance for some of these animals. If that is the case, if that animal was so unwanted in the captive trade, then why do they go on to breed that animal? How does that make any sense? How does that help the species in the long run?
My dream, what I would absolutely love to do, would be to start a captive wildlife sanctuary. A REAL one, that is capable of being accredited as such. These are the type of facilities that need our support, sanctuaries such as the Aspen Wildlife Sanctuary, The Big Cat Rescue, Monkey world, etc.... they only take in as many animals as they can comfortably and humanely support. They get them fixed to prevent breeding. They put the animals' needs first, rather then the pleasure of their visitors.
If Guzoo was an up and coming Sanctuary, that truly had the animals best interests at heart, and wasn't just perpetuating the cycle of deprived and homeless captive wildlife, then we WOULD support them. If they were providing life long homes, not allowing them to breed, only taking in as many as they could support, providing them with species specific diets, proper medical care, adequate housing, adequate enrichment and stimulation, then I wouldn't be campaigning against them...but they have proven themselves to be ultimately more interested in expanding their collection and having a constant supply of baby animals to entertain the public, then they are in improving the lives of the animals they take in and ultimately, the entire population of captive wildlife in North America.
I cannot help them, because in doing so, I would just be assisting them in re-obtaining a permit and allowing them to continue on with purchasing and breeding wild and domestic animals. They are not helping the situation of overpopulated homeless captive wild animals...they are merely contributing to it. Anybody that goes out there and volunteers their time, labor, and money, is just making it easier for the Gustafson's to stay open and continue perpetuating this cycle.
Raising awareness of the situation is the best I can do at the moment...constant public pressure since the day Guzoo opened lead to an upgrade of Zoo Regulations and Standards in 2005, which shows that the efforts put forth by concerned animal lovers such as myself DO indeed work. The vast majority of people can see the big picture, can see why this is wrong, and have enough respect for wildlife to condemn it...they just don't know about it yet. The internet is an amazing tool, able to reach out to hundreds of thousands of people...and this website in particular has already received enough support from other Albertan's (including former Guzoo supporters and visitors) that I know that It's not being taken as "too extreme".
Now, the government actually has to reinforce their new standards, and take the time to look at each species and their needs as INDIVIDUALS that need specific care in order to survive and thrive.
Devon
