Authorities seize exotic animals from residence
Owner will fight to get animals returned to him
Staff reporter
Chris McDonald is lost without his cats. He has a hard time talking about the animals he's grown to love. Tears are in his eyes and a lump in his throat as he describes the events Friday morning.
The culmination of a six-week investigation resulted Friday in the seizure of 11 animals.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Kansas Department of Wildlife (KDW) seized the animals from McDonald's residence at 140th and Timber, southeast of Peabody.
According to Marion County Sheriff Lee Becker, USDA seized five black leopards, including two cubs; two spotted leopards, one being a three-week-old cub; one African lioness; and three Bengal tigers.
KDW seized two Kansas-native bobcats.
The sheriff and three deputies, Jeff Soyez, Larry Starkey, and Mike Vineski, assisted with the seizure.
A semi-tractor trailer and a boxed trailer pulled in at 11 a.m. and 90 minutes later, the animals were loaded and on their way to USDA sanctuaries. The animals were transported to undisclosed locations out of Kansas.
"There are no exotic animals in Marion County now," said Becker.
With the new county zoning regulations, a conditional use permit will be required if the animals are not returned to McDonald within six months.
McDonald stated that he is going to fight this action and has an attorney en route from Alabama to Marion County.
"They came and took my animals without any type of warrant," said McDonald. McDonald said he would have filed an injunction to stop the seizure but the judge was out of town.
"If the Marion County judge says that USDA can take them, then so be it," said McDonald. "I just want my day in court."
Raising and training the animals is more than a job to McDonald. He said he's made a lot of sacrifices for these animals.
"I've lost my wife, my family," said McDonald. "I've given up my life for these cats."
A former Sedgwick County firefighter and on disability because of a broken neck, McDonald uses most of his money for food and supplies for the animals.
Boxes containing chickens sitting near a pen were to be fed to the animals when authorities arrived. The 11 animals ate a significant amount of meat per day.
"I eat bologna and have a wood-burning stove," said McDonald with a smile. "These cats eat a lot better than I do."
Moving to Marion County from Wichita in 1990, McDonald followed his dream to raise and train big cats.
"I've been raising animals for 12 years," said McDonald. "I'm licensed to raise and train these animals. I've always tried to be compliant."
Officials stated that the fencing is inadequate for the animals, the disposal of animal carcasses was improper, and the general health of some of the animals was questioned.
USDA hired veterinarians to examine the site and the animals and determined that some of the animals were lacking adequate care.
McDonald claims that the animals that were in poor health, and 10 others, belonged to his partner, Ken Lockwood.
USDA removed three sick animals Nov. 25 after the initial investigation. McDonald said the other 10 that belonged to Lockwood were returned to Lockwood in Missouri.
"I love my animals," said McDonald. "I would never do anything to hurt them or not take care of them. I hand feed them and even sleep with them."
McDonald was especially concerned about the three-week-old spotted leopard cub that was taken Friday by USDA.
"She's still on the bottle and I'm the only one who could feed her," said McDonald.
Claiming to be a law-abiding resident, McDonald said that he doesn't want to violate any county ordinances.
"When David Brazil told me to stop building the new fence, I stopped," McDonald said.
Trying to become compliant with the fencing, McDonald was constructing an exterior fence around the existing fence. County zoning regulations require a building permit for the construction of the fence. McDonald did not apply for the permit and was asked by Brazil to cease construction. McDonald complied to the county's order.
When asked about the anhydrous ammonia found on his property in the Nov. 25 raid, McDonald said the ammonia and drug paraphernalia were not his but belonged to a man who was living there at the time.
"I was with my dying brother in Cheney when all of this was going on," said McDonald. "I had nothing to do with it. The only thing I'm guilty of is being naïve."
Joseph Hathcock of Pine Hill, Ala., now lives with McDonald. Hathcock came from Alabama to learn to be an animal trainer.
Hathcock said he doesn't receive pay for the work but gets room and board.
The animals, said McDonald, were used for educational and demonstration purposes. He has presented drug awareness programs in the Wichita school system, at Prairie View, McConnell Air Force Base, Wichita's Children's Home, and for charitable causes.
"The Burns grade school and some area home school kids have been here to see the animals," said McDonald.
At the Newton, El Dorado, and Winfield Wal-Marts, McDonald said he took the cats for photos. People could pay $10 to have a picture taken with a declawed, baby tiger. He said that a minimum of 15 percent was given back to the charity that Wal-Mart was supporting that day.
"Nobody has ever been hurt by any of my cats," said McDonald.
A Vietnam veteran, McDonald is upset that the government "just came in and took his animals."
"A million other guys and I served our country and this is the thanks I get," said McDonald.
