Sanctuary

Chapter 1: The Introduction

*PLEASE REMEMBER THIS IS ALL A WORK OF FICTION, JUST BASED OFF OF SOME TRUE EVENTS AND PEOPLE*

All across the United States, people own wild animals in their houses, basements, and backyards. It is a nationwide wild pet epidemic. They own animals ranging from harmless Chinchillas to extremely dangerous Lions and Tigers. And they own them with zero regard for themselves and their neighbors. My focus is mainly on dangerous animals as harmless animals are rarely in need of being rescued by my sanctuary. But when the harmless ones are in need of rescue, I am usually able to help. But the dangerous animals are always in need. I can get multiple calls each week for an animal in need of rescue. That is why I travel all across the country, and occasionally out of the country, either rescuing animals myself, coordinating rescues, or assisting in them. I work with sanctuaries to place them. And I do it all with my non-profit rescue team and sanctuary called WEAR, which stands for Wild and Exotic Animal Rescue. The sanctuary is located on a very large area of land in Southern Florida. And I am the founder and CEO, Matt. I have been a part of some of the largest rescues in the history of the United States. Some will be discussed here. Others will be new as I write since animals are always in need of rescue, which is very upsetting to know. But rescuing isn't all good. We can't rescue our way out of the situation the country is in. That is why throughout the stories depicted here I will discuss legislative efforts that are being done by those who fight to end the trade and private possession of exotic animals. The biggest thing I will discuss is the Big Cat Public Safety Act, which would end the breeding of Big Cats outside of zoos/aquariums and ban keeping Big Cats as pets. It would also end the cub petting and photo opportunities that lead to so much abuse. In addition to legislative issues, I will detail the horrific abuse issues that we witness in these rescues. Some things we encounter would give you nightmares. Keep reading as it is a wild ride.

As I have said before, my team and I have been involved in many different rescues. From small rescues to some of the largest in history. My team and I have assisted and spearheaded rescues in most states and even a few other countries. We have been involved in raids, emergencies, surrenders, USDA shutdowns, and many other situations. We've assisted in just the transport many many times. We've worked with many facilities and organizations around the world on rescues and their legislative work. My crew and I do a lot, but we enjoy it. It can sometimes be heartbreaking, gut-wrenching job. But in the end, we know we are helping animals who can't help themselves. That is the one thing that keeps us going even when our spirits are crushed. It gives us hope to see them happy in their furever homes.

One of the most memorable rescues I have ever gone on was the first rescue my team and I had ever been on. It was in the early days of the sanctuary, before our GFAS (Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries) accreditation. We had a few animals in our care that I had previously rescued on my own. But this was our first real rescue. We really had no idea what to expect. We had talked to other sanctuaries to learn, so we had all the right materials. My team and I hopped in the older truck I had been using which was hooked up to our small rescue trailer. There was a transport cage in the trailer as well as our emergency materials. Our main equipment was in the back of the truck. The rescue trailer was a custom project we pretty much built ourselves. We based it off what we had seen others use. It had a generator that powered heating, air conditioning, cameras that stream to our cell phones, and lights. It had our logo on the outside. It had the ability to use straps and bars to hold transport cages of all sizes in place. Our bigger one has the same capabilities, it is just a bigger size for larger rescues. We left the sanctuary grounds at 5:30 in the morning. The rescue team consisted of me, my sister and our President Jennifer, my son Jake who is our media producer, and my friend Justin who is our operations manager (though I do a lot of the coordinating myself a good chunk of the time unless it is something to do with desk work). We all took shifts driving to get the rescue in time. Our destination was Lake County, Illinois. It was a 20-hour drive and we weren't stopping to sleep. We didn't have time. This was an urgent rescue and every second counted.