Leo's Life and Sacrifice​

Tribute Video

I'm going to tell you a story. It doesn't start out with Once upon a time. It doesn't have a happy ending. It is very hard to hear. But it must be told.

There was a 19 year old lion who lived in a place called Tiger Ridge since he was a cub. He was happy, healthy, and strong. Even though he had hip problems from his advanced age and a neurologic condition called ataxia. But the ataxia was very mild, the only sign of it was he misplaced his feet when walking now and again. He was put on medication for both conditions and was doing great

Then his owner got his USDA permit, what he's been doing every year for 40 years. Then the Ohio Department of Agriculture came the next month. They told him nothing, they never even spoke a word. Kenny waited and waited for them to call or write him with what he needed to do to be up to code. The ODA had swore, when they enacted their laws, that they would work with owners to get them up to code. He heard nothing from them until a few days before the anniversary of his wife's death. They said they were coming to take his animals. Not due to abuse or neglect or danger to the public. No, it was because he applied for his permit late. He called and called asking what he should do. They never returned his calls.

They came on the anniversary of his wife's death. They came in unmarked cars and in masks and with guns. They darted the animals and left them lying in the snow up to 40 minutes. They ripped apart fencing to get the animals out. They dragged them through the snow into cold horse trailers for the 3 hour journey to the ODA facility.

Back to Leo now. With ataxia sedation is absolutely something you do not do. Not unless it's life and death and even then not without a full medical workup. The ODA never asked about the animal's health, or what medications they were on. For the long journey Leo was never monitored for vitals. A must in big cats since sedation is the number one killer of these cats. When they arrived at the ODA Leo would not wake up. So they tossed straps over him and dragged him over concrete into the 10 by 10 cell that would be his hell.

The ataxia Leo had, when he finally did wake up, was remarkably worse, and now permanent. He started to stumble when walking, then he started falling over, and finally he could no longer stand. He was in horrible pain from lying and falling on bare concrete, his hips got even worse and he kept ripping open his skin on the concrete which also caused pressure sores. But still if Leo had continued on his medication he might of had several more months left despite the damage the ODA did to him. But the ODA refused to give him his medications. They refused to give any of the animals any veterinary care. But Leo fought hard.

He lasted over three months with no bedding, no sunlight, no fresh air, and no love. But the pain he suffered was great. They had fed him chocolate, coffee, and deodorant, all toxic substances that made him vomit. He got weaker. He lost 100 pounds. He got so ill he could no longer stand. The ODA allowed him to lie there, rotting in his own waste for a month and a half. He started eating his own fur for any sort of nutrition. His claws were broken off trying to pull himself to the food they were placing out of his reach. One day he just stopped trying. So finally the ODA did give him some care. They euthanized him, ending the suffering they had caused. Instead of returning his body to his owner so he could bury him they tossed him into a vat of acid. They only told Kenny they had done all this after they had done it.

There are ten remaining animals left at the ODA. They are fed, they get water, but no veterinary care. No one is certain that the rest of the animals are alive. We are fighting hard to bring them home. But we need help. We need this story to go nation wide. The abuse and neglect by the ODA is clear. They should not get a free pass to harm and kill animals simply because they are government run.