Ann Witmer

Animal Havens: Local Sanctuaries Give Homes To Exotic Species

by Ann Witmer, Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News

Winding along the country roads near Penn’s Creek an hour north of Harrisburg, I stop short and blink hard. Blinking back at me is a camel.

Wilson, the camel, is one of 200 animals that have found a home on the Mattive family’s 23-acre refuge, T&D Cats of the World.

The camel shares his home with 16 tigers, four lions and a menagerie of bears, monkeys, emus, deer, raccoons, servals, and other exotic animals that have been abused, mistreated, exploited or become too much for the humans who owned them as pets.

An hour east of Harrisburg, near Lititz, the Darlington family runs a similar sanctuary for wolves.

For 20 years, both refuges have taken in majestic, intelligent and endangered animals that would otherwise have been euthanized.

Both conduct educational tours and special family-oriented events (see box) to raise money. Keeping wild animals safe, happy and well fed is neither cheap nor easy.

T&D’s carnivores eat 12,000 pounds of meat a month, the equivalent of 10-12 cows. Farmers donate cows, horses and calves that have died from natural causes, but the Mattives still spend $1500-$2000 a week on food.

The Darlington wolves eat every other day. Meat is preferred, with dog food as backup. Outdated meats no longer suitable for humans are donated by a butcher, a grocery store, and a food bank. The sanctuary also takes donations from people cleaning out their freezers. “Wolves don’t care about a little frost burn,” said Darin Tompkins, their caretaker.

Neither refuge feeds live animals to their carnivores, nor do they breed their animals. Both are nonprofits and receive no state or federal funding. They rely on donations, their owners’ resources, admission fees and the kindness of veterinarians and volunteers.

T&D Cats of the World

“Everyone has a dream growing up,” said Terry Mattive who owns T&D Cats. “Ever since I was seven, I have loved animals and wanted to be a state trooper.”

For 25 years, Mattive was an on-road state cop, retiring in 1993. His animal dream began taking shape 20 years ago when he got his first cougar. Then came the others, one by one.

“These animals would have been euthanized if I didn’t make a home for them,” he said. “They didn’t ask to be born. They didn’t ask to be raised by an idiot. Many were abused, neglected, abandoned, or hurt.”

While Mattive and his family (wife Donna, daughter Jennifer, son T. J.) share their menagerie with visitors, animal welfare, not profit, is the priority. T&D Cats is closed all winter and visiting hours are restricted to weekends and two tours each weekday in the summer.

Early in the morning Mattive goes out among his animals.

“They know me,” he said. “And I know each animal’s story. The tigers chuffle a greeting and that’s my reward.”

Most of those stories aren’t pretty.

“Some of my animals have lived in basements all their lives,” he said. “When they came here and we put them outside, they were afraid to walk on the grass. They didn’t know what it was. One of the monkeys lived for nine years in a birdcage. He never got out until he came here.”

Sturdy enclosures offer room to roam and places to swing and hide and bask in the sun. There’s a pond for swimming (tigers love it, lions don’t) and tree trunks for young bears to climb. Animals look robust and healthy and interested.

Ozzie, a big tiger, sprints along a fence and splashes into a mud puddle to show off.

“He’s gorgeous and he knows it,” said Mattive’s daughter Jennifer who took me on a tour. “He’s happiest when people are admiring him.”

Terry Mattive is, in fact, more wary of people than his animals seem to be. He’s seen trouble and runs a tight ship here in the animals’ home where people are guests. There’s zero tolerance for teasing, taunting, or feeding the animals.

None of Mattive’s animals can ever be returned to the wild because they’ve been raised by humans. Many never learned survival skills at their mother’s paws because they became pets when they were cute cuddly babies. Others were declawed or had teeth removed.

“I want this to be a safe happy place where animals that have been mistreated and abused can live out the rest of their lives,” Mattive said.

Wolf Sanctuary of PA

Dawn Darlington grew up with wolves…in her house. Her father, Bill, had five as pets along with cats and a skunk. “We were part of their pack,” she said.

That was before 1980 when Pennsylvania enacted laws to regulate ownership of wild animals.

Today the 23-acre sanctuary, run by Darlington, her partner Darin Tompkins and her mother Barbara, has 42 wolves and enclosures that meet all the state Game Commission’s specifications for safety. Raised as pets by humans, these wolves can't be returned to the wild.

In 2006, the Darlingtons set out to share their knowledge of wolves and dispel myths perpetuated by fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs.

“Wolves are beautiful, mysterious animals,” Darlington said. “When I look into their eyes, there’s something coming back to me. They make eye contact and you can see their intelligence.”

Wolves are family-oriented, she added. They live in a pack, have pups and take care of their own. They howl when they need to communicate. They are shy and steer clear of humans. Unlike dogs, they have no odor and don’t bite without reason.

Good thing. The strength of their bite, matched only by a pig, is 1500 pounds per square inch, twice that of a dog. In the wild, wolves hunt to survive, culling weak and sick animals from herds of elk or deer, eating bones and all.

There are no longer any wild gray wolves in this part of the country, Tompkins said. Long on the nation’s list of endangered species, ranchers and hunters in western states want them delisted and conservationists fight back.

Each of the Darlington wolves has a name so guides can tell their stories.

Glacier is the grandson of Two Socks who appeared in the movie Dances with Wolves.

At five months of age, Smokey was confiscated at the Lancaster airport from a man who had ordered him through a hunting magazine, then forged his permit.

Despite their passion for animals, both families – and the Game Commission -- strongly discourage people from adopting exotic animals as pets.

Not only is it time-consuming and costly, it's illegal in Pennsylvania without a special permit.

Far better to visit the animals at well-run refuges, then donate time, money and food for their care.

Sidebar: DID YOU KNOW?

• A wolf’s winter coat is one-third of its weight. When it snows, wolves curl up, put their tails over their faces, tuck their feet under their bodies and slowly disappear. Lions and tigers also grow undercoats and adapt well to central Pennsylvania winters.

• When wolves eat, they pull, rip and swallow. They don't need to chew. They "wolf it down."

• A wolf can smell something a mile away.

• When a tiger is born, it’s the size of a guinea pig. In two or three years, it’s a 300-500 pound wild animal that can live for 20 years.

• People who “rescue” hurt or baby animals they think have been abandoned are not doing them a favor. That animal will have to be dispatched (killed) and tested for rabies. The Game Commission says “Leave wildlife in the wild and call us if you’re concerned."

• Bears climb trees when they’re young. Once they’ve grown big and ferocious and can scare their adversaries, they stop. It’s easier to terrify than climb a tree.

• Wolf-dog hybrids are unpredictable and usually don’t make good pets.

• A great gift for a child is to sponsor an animal at T&D Cats for $50-$100 a year. You’ll get two free passes and the child’s name on the animal’s enclosure. Or follow the lead of one child who asked her friends to bring meat for the wolves to her birthday party, rather than presents. After the party, the children delivered the meat and got a tour.