Local man gives refuge to wild cats

Joe Taft is a man driven by love and hatred. He loves animals, especially cats, and hates humans who mistreat them. But the objects of his affection are not cuddly household pets; they are dangerous wild cats. \nLions, tigers, leopards, cougars -- they are all his friends. \nTen years ago, Taft came across some badly abused animals. Having owned three wild cats for more than 35 years, he decided to take these under his wing. He came from New Mexico, and invested his life savings to start the Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Clay County. \nToday, the center has 116 wild cats, including lions, tigers, cougars, leopards, bobcats and two tiger cubs. Some come from circuses or from private owners who have mistreated them. Others come from people breeding them without a license. They are rescued or confiscated by federal authorities.\nTaft lives at the center. The back room of his house is open to two tigers and a leopard, -- the only animal that predates the center itself. They come and go as they please. \nIn another room rests a cougar that was caught two weeks ago in Monroe County. The rage in Taft's voice is almost palpable as he recounts its past.\nAfter Taft cared for the cougar last year, authorities insisted on returning the animal to its owners. There, things didn't work out, and the animal was returned to the center. This time, Taft said, it was too weak to stand and had lost one-third of its body weight.\n"We have been literally pumping food into her as fast as we can, and now it finally looks like she will live," Taft said.\nSome people who want a wild cat as a pet choose cougars, which are small and cost less than tigers. When the owners realize their folly, they try to kill the animal or let it loose, Taft said.\nTaft said animals that come from circuses have spent nine to 14 years of their average 24-26 year lives in cages smaller than they are. Most are undernourished, ill-treated and often infected with diseases, he said.\nThe center employs five full-time workers. Volunteers do the other work -- fellow wildlife lovers who come to help and often end up staying, such as Jeanie Herberg, a former fifth grade teacher. Herberg volunteered at the center for nine years, last year, she quit her job to start working there full-time. \n"You can't help but get attached to them," she said of the cats. "Each time I came, I felt more and more in love with them. They are so beautiful, and they need your love so much. I finally decided this is where I wanted to be."\nDanny Baublit, who has worked at the center for almost a year, said he heard about the job from a former volunteer. \n"I came here and saw the place. I always liked animals, and I realized this is where I wanted to be, working with these animals," Baublit said.\nTaft admits the center often has to turn away animals, but those that are accepted are loved and cared for for the rest of their lives. \nTigger, a 2-year-old cat, had been locked in a basement, with his teeth filed away and his head swollen by infection. He was blind. The man who owned him now faces a minimum $32,000 fine.\nCosmo, a male, was being used as a guard animal at a methamphetamine lab. \nTaft said when the animals arrive at the center, they are scared, abused and distrustful of humans. \n"But after a while," he said, "they realize that they do not face any threats here, and they come to love and trust you." Taft said some of the tigers introduce themselves by spraying outside of their cages, almost like a skunk. \nKeeping up such a center is expensive, and although it is funded by private donations, Taft said it almost always needs money and volunteers. During the winter, each cat can eat 30-40 pounds of meat per day. \nEach animal has a cage with plenty of room to run, a water reservoir and a sturdy shelter from extreme weather.\nInitially, area residents resisted the center, thinking it might pose risks to the neighborhood. \n"But, most people who protest against this place are those who haven't been here. Anyone who comes here rarely ever goes away with a negative impression," Taft said.\nPaul Harden, the chief conservation officer for Clay County, said the center has a federal permit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The state has no authority over the center, as long as it abides by the rules. \n"Initially, some of the neighbors complained or protested against the place on safety grounds. But, since then, to the best of my knowledge, there have been no problems" Harden said.\nFor more information, call 835-1130 or visit www.exoticfelinerescuecenter.com.