MICHIGAN LEOPARD EN ROUTE SOON TO SHAMBALA HOME.Byline: Peggy Hager Staff Writer ACTON - Actress Tippi Hedren's Shambala animal preserve is scheduled Monday to receive a new resident named Cleo, a 17-month-old female black leopard leopard, large carnivore of the cat family, Panthera pardus, widely distributed in Africa and Asia. It is commonly yellow, buff, or gray, patterned with black spots and rings. The rings, unlike those of the New World jaguar, never have spots inside them. found in an illegally parked sport utility vehicle in Detroit. Shambala already has two lions that once belonged to the same Michigan owner, who had left the leopard in his SUV last January in Detroit while in court for illegally keeping an alligator alligator, large aquatic reptile of the genus Alligator, in the same order as the crocodile. There are two species—a large type found in the S United States and a small type found in E China. Alligators differ from crocodiles in several ways. , Michigan authorities said. ``With her arrival, we can't accept any more animals until we build more compounds,'' Hedren said. ``We take on a 20-year commitment with each of these animals.'' The nonprofit A corporation or an association that conducts business for the benefit of the general public without shareholders and without a profit motive. Nonprofits are also called not-for-profit corporations. Nonprofit corporations are created according to state law. preserve has more than 50 lions, tigers, leopards, and other big cats, plus one elephant. The leopard's owner later killed himself after being arrested on suspicion of beating up his mother, Michigan authorities said. She had turned him in when he acquired a cougar after losing the leopard and alligator. ``Allegedly, he was scared he was going to jail and killed himself,'' said Lisa Acho, manager of the Humane Society A humane society is a group that aims to stop animal suffering due to cruelty or other reasons. Examples Examples of humane societies include: The Humane Society of the United States, Peninsula Humane Society, American Humane which was founded in 1877 as a network of office in Rochester Hills, Mich. Once Cleo arrives at Shambala, after flying in from Michigan as cargo on a Northwest Airlines jet, she will be placed in quarantine quarantine (kwŏr`əntēn), isolation of persons, animals, places, and effects that carry or are suspected of harboring communicable disease. at the preserve for a month and then will be moved to her own compound. Hedren said she was asked to take Cleo by the Michigan Humane Society The Michigan Humane Society is a private, nonprofit organization providing animal welfare and sheltering services to the metropolitan Detroit area. Events at the Michigan Humane Society are featured in the Animal Planet channel's reality television show Animal Cops Detroit. six months ago. ``As far as we know, she is healthy and all right,'' said Hedren, best known for her role as Melanie Daniels in Alfred Hitchcock's movie ``The Birds'' and owner and founder of Shambala. Hedren previously received a lion in May 1998 and a lioness last April from the Michigan Humane Society. Both animals reportedly belonged to the same man who owned Cleo, officials said. Hedren has sponsored a bill called the ``Shambala Wild Animal Protection Act of 2000,'' which would restrict breeding and sales of wild animals WILD ANIMALS. Animals in a state of nature; animals ferae naturae. Vide Animals; Ferae naturae. such as Cleo. Hedren went to Michigan five years ago to help the state develop more stringent laws regarding the possession and breeding of wild animals. Shambala is accepting contributions toward Cleo's upkeep, which the organization calls adoption. Anyone interested in visiting Cleo, or adopting her, can call the preserve at (661) 268-0380. |
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