6 - Lies-The Dallas Morning News_ Document Display
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8/7/2019 6 - Lies-The Dallas Morning News_ Document Display http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/6-lies-the-dallas-morning-news-document-display 1/2 Dallas Morning News: Document Display //nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=print&p_docid=0EDABE2E918B558C[4/30/2011 4:17:00 PM] The Dallas Morning News September 2, 2000 CLOSE-UP SATURDAY: Close to home A Collin County home becomes a refuge for undernourished, abused and diseased big cat raised in captivity. Roy Appleton Staff Writer of The Dallas Morning News Vicky Keahey's love of cats is becoming large. Her disgust for irresponsible wildlife breeders is growing. he took in three tiger cubs last month. Two came from an animal park near Bastrop in Central Texas; hird came from a breeder in Leon County. All were undernourished, diseased and near death, she said. ltogether, Mrs. Keahey is now mom to five tigers and three cougars at her Collin County home. She's oping for more. Outside my son, they're the most important thing in my life," she said. Mrs. Keahey directs In-Sync Exotics, a refuge for big cats, on her 3 acres northeast of Wylie. he has used donated labor, money and materials to erect spacious, chain-link cages where her pets ounge, pace and play - on land and in water. This one here has a teddy-bear attitude," she says of Kiro, a 14-month-old white tiger she rescued fr he Leon County operation about a year ago. Mrs. Keahey likes to play as well. She scampers outside the cages, cooing and calling to Kiro. She sits a ate nuzzling Kenya, a Bengal tiger and her largest animal at roughly 450 pounds. She gets kissy-kissy with Tacoma, Kiro's 5-month-old brother, who arrived last month. And she's waiting for tiger cubs Lucc nd Sabre to come home from the doctor. here are also the cougars: Tahoe, who was left at a Wylie veterinary clinic nine years ago; Ranger, who ame her way in 1994 after a game warden removed the animal from an abusive home; and Sahara, wh he retrieved from a local breeder earlier this year. And there's Pantera, a domestic feline mix - dinner-s or his exotic brothers and sisters. He's the guardian," says the former vet assistant and dog groomer. "He helps raise all of them." Mrs. Keahey, 45, figures she typically spends about $600 a month on food (chicken and horse meat) and 200 on doctor bills, which hit about $2,500 in August with the three arrivals. She uses donations to help ffset the cost and says whatever the expenses, she will find a way to pay. Wild animals belong in the wild, she says. But these cats, born in captivity, probably couldn't survive on heir own, she and other animal welfare specialists say. This makes me sick. I'm tired of seeing tigers that need a home," she says, declining to identify the ource of her animals, fearing retaliation from the breeders who were persuaded to give them up. Mrs. Keahey had to give up one of her cats for 30 days in May 1998. Ranger had bitten a Garland boy o he leg, and the cougar was quarantined to check for rabies. The boy healed after a brief hospital stay, he animal cleared the quarantine and was returned. nyone who breeds exotic animals for sale must have a federal license and is subject to inspections to nsure the animals are receiving minimum standards of care. he state of Texas ended its oversight of exotic animals in 1997, turning authority over to cities and
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Transcript of 6 - Lies-The Dallas Morning News_ Document Display
8/7/2019 6 - Lies-The Dallas Morning News_ Document Display
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/6-lies-the-dallas-morning-news-document-display 1/2
Dallas Morning News: Document Display
//nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=print&p_docid=0EDABE2E918B558C[4/30/2011 4:17:00 PM]
The Dallas Morning News
September 2, 2000
CLOSE-UP SATURDAY: Close to home A Collin County hom e becomes a refuge for undernourished, abused and diseased big cat
raised in captivity. Roy Appleton Staff Writer of The Dallas Morning News
Vicky Keahey's love of cats is becoming large. Her disgust for irresponsible wildlife breeders is growing.he took in three tiger cubs last month. Two came from an animal park near Bastrop in Central Texas; hird came from a breeder in Leon County. All were undernourished, diseased and near death, she said.
Altogether, Mrs. Keahey is now mom to five tigers and three cougars at her Collin County home. She'soping for more.
Outside my son, they're the most important thing in my life," she said.
Mrs. Keahey directs In-Sync Exotics, a refuge for big cats, on her 3 acres northeast of Wylie.
he has used donated labor, money and materials to erect spacious, chain-link cages where her petsounge, pace and play - on land and in water.
This one here has a teddy-bear attitude," she says of Kiro, a 14-month-old white tiger she rescued frhe Leon County operation about a year ago.
Mrs. Keahey likes to play as well. She scampers outside the cages, cooing and calling to Kiro. She sits aate nuzzling Kenya, a Bengal tiger and her largest animal at roughly 450 pounds. She gets kissy-kissy
with Tacoma, Kiro's 5-month-old brother, who arrived last month. And she's waiting for tiger cubs Luccnd Sabre to come home from the doctor.
here are also the cougars: Tahoe, who was left at a Wylie veterinary clinic nine years ago; Ranger, whoame her way in 1994 after a game warden removed the animal from an abusive home; and Sahara, whhe retrieved from a local breeder earlier this year. And there's Pantera, a domestic feline mix - dinner-sor his exotic brothers and sisters.
He's the guardian," says the former vet assistant and dog groomer. "He helps raise all of them."
Mrs. Keahey, 45, figures she typically spends about $600 a month on food (chicken and horse meat) and200 on doctor bills, which hit about $2,500 in August with the three arrivals. She uses donations to helpffset the cost and says whatever the expenses, she will find a way to pay.
Wild animals belong in the wild, she says. But these cats, born in captivity, probably couldn't survive onheir own, she and other animal welfare specialists say.
This makes me sick. I'm tired of seeing tigers that need a home," she says, declining to identify theource of her animals, fearing retaliation from the breeders who were persuaded to give them up.
Mrs. Keahey had to give up one of her cats for 30 days in May 1998. Ranger had bitten a Garland boy ohe leg, and the cougar was quarantined to check for rabies. The boy healed after a brief hospital stay, he animal cleared the quarantine and was returned.
nyone who breeds exotic animals for sale must have a federal license and is subject to inspections tonsure the animals are receiving minimum standards of care.
he state of Texas ended its oversight of exotic animals in 1997, turning authority over to cities and
8/7/2019 6 - Lies-The Dallas Morning News_ Document Display
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Dallas Morning News: Document Display
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ounties. Collin County, where Mrs. Keahey lives, requires that owners of exotic animals in unincorporatereas have a federal exhibitor's permit. Dallas County doesn't allow private ownership of the animals; theity of Dallas does so by permit.
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