Great Cats World Park

Infobox Company
company_name = Great Cats World Park
company_
company_type =Private
foundation = May 2005
founder = Craig Wagner
location = Cave Junction, Oregon USA
industry =
homepage = [http://www.greatcatsworldpark.com/index.html www.greatcatsworldpark.com]

Great Cats World Park is a big cat zoo. It is located a few miles south of Cave Junction, Oregon. It is run by Craig Wagner, who involves himself personally in the raising of the cats: feeding them, training them and sometimes sleeping with them as babies. He has also been attacked by his charges, with one incident requiring 1,500 stitches.

History

Craig Wagner first began raising big cats at the age of 23 in Minnesota after he accidentally met a cougarcite web |url=http://www.newsreview.info/article/20070823/ENTERTAIN/70823033/-1/rss01 |title=Big cats go wild at the Great Cats show at Wildlife Safari this weekend |accessdate=2007-09-29 |last=John |first=Givot |coauthors= |date=August 23, 2007 |publisher=The News-Review] , and is federally licensed to own and show big cats.cite web |url=http://www.theworldlink.com/articles/2007/07/27/community/fair01072707.txt |title=‘Cativated' |accessdate=2007-09-29 |last=Strong |first=Amy Moss |date=July 27, 2007 |publisher=The World] In 1998, he brought his cats to Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon, where he periodically returns to put on cat shows. After several years in Winston, Wagner moved to Cave Junction and set up Great Cats World Park. [cite web |url=http://www.greatcatsworldpark.com/mmt-article.html |title=greatcatsworldpark.com home page |accessdate=2007-09-27 ]

Cats

As of 2007, Great Cats World Park has 32 cats, of 17 different species, including cougars, leopards, jaguars, lions, Siberian tiger cubs, a fishing cat, and an ocelot. [cite web |url=http://www.illinois-valley-news.com/valley_visitor/cats.html |title=Some folks are cat people |accessdate=2007-09-27 |publisher=Illinois Valley News ] [cite web |url=http://www.grantspassoregon.gov/Index.aspx?page=280 |title=Great Cats World Park |accessdate=2007-09-27 |publisher=Grantspassoregon.gov]

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service probation

In September 2007,Great Cats World Park was sentenced by a Federal Court to one month probation for violation of the Endangered Species Act and fined $10,000. Owner Craig Wagner pleaded guilty in June 2007 to purchasing the park's ocelot for $3,000. There is a near-total ban on ocelot sales in order to discourage the commercialization of the rare animals. [cite web |url=http://www.triplicate.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=5852 |title=Officials pounce on Ore. attraction |accessdate=2007-09-29 |last=Grube |first=Nicholas |date=September 19, 2007 |work= |publisher=The Daily Triplicate] The ocelot was purchased from the Isis Society for Inspirational Studies, who were given two years probation and fined $60,000. The ocelot will continue to live at Great Parks World Park. According to Phil Land, the resident U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent in charge, "Sometimes it's actually better to leave them with the people that care for them. Then we don't have to try to find a place for them." [cite web |url=http://www.triplicate.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=5889 |title=Cat park remains open despite illegal activity |accessdate=2007-09-29 |last=Grube |first=Nicholas |coauthors= |date=September 21, 2007 |publisher=The Daily Triplicate]

References

External links

* [http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60923-d587210-Reviews-Great_Cats_World_Park-Cave_Junction_Oregon.html Great Cats World Park at tripadvisor.com]