Homes won't come easy for circus animals

Owner Manuel Ramos has 60 days to find new homes for a host of animals. Experts say his task is difficult.

By LINDA GIBSON

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 8, 2000

TAMPA -- Experts say it won't be easy to find good homes for 16 feline carnivores that weigh hundreds of pounds, need lots of securely fenced space and eat up to 15 pounds of meat a day.

Yet circus owner Manuel Ramos of Riverview must find buyers for the lions, tigers, leopards and jaguars within 60 days.

If he can't, he'll be forced to donate the big cats, along with two zebras, a couple of camels and some llamas, to satisfy a deal with the U.S. Department of Agriculture over charges he violated the federal Animal Welfare Act.

Either way, according to people who work with wild animals, Ramos faces a daunting task.

A proliferation of big cats bred in zoos and circuses and by dealers has created an overpopulation crisis mirroring that faced by domestic felines.

Zoos almost never take circus cats, said Craig Bestrup, executive director of the Association of Sanctuaries in Glen Rose, Texas. "They do their own breeding," he said.

So do some of the bigger circuses, he said.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus acquires kittens bred from their own animals or bought from dealers, then works with them from the time they're youngsters, said spokeswoman Catherine Ort-Mabry.

"It's not like a human performer who can go from show to show," she said. "It's about a relationship of trust between the individual and the animal."

Circuses that might buy grown cats would only take those that are trained to work with more than one trainer, in good shape and not too old, said Pat Hoctor, publisher of Animal Finders' Guide in Prairie Creek, Ind. The guide, full of advertisements for exotic animals such as emus, reindeer and big-cat cubs, helps buyers find sellers.

For cats who meet those criteria: "You might be looking at $1,000 plus. If not, you might have to give them away," Hoctor said.

The settlement between Ramos and the USDA was reached six months after an elephant named Kenya broke loose from her chain and killed Ramos' sister, 52-year-old Teresa Ramos-Caballero. The elephant later died of natural causes.

After investigating, the USDA charged Ramos with failing to properly restrain the elephant and with failing to screen elephant handlers for tuberculosis. Rather than contest the charges, he agreed to give up his animals provided the USDA drops a $20,500 fine.

Ramos declined to talk about his animals.

Steve DeLacure, an investigator with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said the animals appear to be in decent condition.

Even so, the cost of caring for the animals is more than many nonprofit sanctuaries can handle.

"It's a rare thing that a sanctuary like ours would offer to take in a big cat," said Carole Lewis, founder of Wildlife on Easy Street, a nonprofit sanctuary in Tampa for big cats. "They're usually so strapped for money and space, they can't consider it."

Wildlife on Easy Street already has 144 felines, from bobcats to tigers. Lewis said she might be interested in taking Ramos' jaguars because she doesn't have any, but that would be a costly decision.

Each would require about 1,200 square feet of caged space, preferably equipped with a pond and a waterfall.

"You're talking about an investment of $7,000 or $8,000 for two cats," Lewis said.

Jennifer O'Connor, a spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said she fielded 400 calls last year from people trying to find new homes for big, dangerous wild cats they acquired as small, playful kittens. She managed to place two.

"When the kitten has grown into a 600-pound Bengal tiger, these guys are almost impossible to place," she said.

It's possible Ramos will be able to transfer ownership of the animals to his son, Lance, who trained them. Lance Ramos is building a larger enclosure for them and has applied for a permit to exhibit them, DeLacure said. Spokesmen for the state and federal agencies involved declined to comment on how likely that is. The USDA must approve the exhibitor, sanctuary or individual who wants to take ownership of Ramos' animals, said USDA spokesman Jim Rogers.

If Ramos has trouble finding buyers by the deadline, both the USDA and the wildlife commission are ready to help him find homes in sanctuaries or zoos.

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