Hello and Thank You for signing this petition.
It is my intention to fulfill this petition and present it to both Mr. Siminski and the Board of Directors at the Living Desert, so that this disasterous move to relocate the Meerkat enclosure into direct proximity and view of the African Lion enclosure will not occur.
I am posting this response that was received from the Director of education, Mr. Peter Siminski, at the Living Desert Zoo:
Sent: Mon, 20 Oct 2008 6:59pm
Subject: RE: Animals-livingdesert.org
The article that you read is not correct. Although the meerkat exhibit is adjacent to the lion exhibit, the lions and the meerkats will never see anything but a possible very distant view of one another. The meerkats are absolutely not being used to stimulate lion activity nor are the lions being used to stimulate meerkat activity. We do not do things that will cause detrimental stress to any of our animals.
Let me know where you got this information.
Peter Siminski
Director of Conservation & Education
The Living Desert
47900 Portola Avenue
Palm Desert, CA 92260
Tel: 760-346-5694 ext. 2103
Fax: 760-568-5694
Original Petition Post:
The Living Desert Board of Directors is making plans to expand several of their enclosures, including the African Lion exhibit and the Meerkat exhibit. They plan on placing them next to one another in an attempt to stimulate the Lions. This will be too stressful for the Meerkats and will endanger their existance. It is a known fact that the Dominant female Tulle, has already been subjected to much stress in her lifetime, by being caught in a den collapse. She has also been successfully treated for bone disease, which is why she appears in this picture, minus her right front leg.
Please read the article from the Desert Sun newspaper online, by clicking on this link: http://www.mydesert.com/article/20081016/NEWS01/810150333/1026/news12
Please sign this petition which will be presented to the Board of Directors upon completion. Also may I ask that you please forward this petition to your friends and family, so that they may also help in protecting the Living Desert Meerkats.
The Board of Directors of the Living Desert,
Please remember that as stewards of wildlife in your care, your main goal is to protect them from harm.
In placing the Meerkat enclosure next to and in the plain view of the African Lion enclosure, you will be subjecting them to constant elevated stress levels, which will in turn elevate their cortisol levels which will ultimately damage their health and longivity.
Please consider the welfare of the Meerkats in your care. Please reconsider placing the African Lion enclosure elsewhere in your spacious and beautiful zoo setting.
Thank You for your kind consideration to this matter.
