Feds seek answers in Wildlife in Need fire
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it will be "looking into" a recent barn fire at a Charlestown, Ind., wildlife refuge that killed 41 animals.
While the popular Wildlife in Need refuge's supporters were offering condolences and donations after Tuesday afternoon's blaze, the federal agency in charge of issuing licenses to harbor non-native species said it wanted some answers.
"It's different from an investigation," USDA spokesperson Tanya Espinosa said Wednesday. "We'll look to see if there were any Animal Welfare Act noncompliances that contributed to (the fire)."
Continuous run-ins with the USDA has led the group to press for Wildlife in Need director Tim Stark's federal license to be revoked.
Andre Heal, the assistant chief with the Charlestown Fire Department, said Tuesday that they don't know how the fire started and arson investigators hadn't been on the scene.
The department had posted to Facebook on Monday, saying units responded to a call for an "odor of gas" on the 3000 block of Jack Teeple Road, the same block Wildlife in Need is located. It isn't clear whether the call was to Wildlife in Need, and repeated attempts to reach the department were not answered Wednesday.
Wildlife in Need responds to USDA abuse report
Stark told a WHAS-11 reporter he was able to save about a dozen animals during the fire Tuesday, including three wolves listed as USDA regulated animals.
USDA's Espinosa said the agency didn't believe that any of the animals that died in Tuesday's fire were USDA-regulated animals but were instead native species that aren't covered by the federal Animal Welfare Act. The state regulates native species.
According to the USDA's most recent list of animals at Wildlife in Need, dated October 2015, the nonprofit wildlife refuge has 125 USDA regulated animals, including 18 tigers, two lions, two brown bears, several different species of primates and many other animals nonindigenous to the region.
But on Wildlife in Need's Facebook page, the organization said," ... Our bird and reptile area was included in the property that was lost today and unfortunately 41 of our Ambassadors lives' were lost. Some were scaly, some were feathered, others furry, but all were friends."
Linnea Petercheff, an Indiana Department of Natural Resources staff specialist, said Stark holds a state rehabilitation permit covering native mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds. But state officials have no say over non-native species the USDA gave Stark a license to rehabilitate.
Petercheff said the state department doesn't have recent numbers reflecting how many birds or reptiles Wildlife in Need might have and said she couldn't comment on Tuesday's fire or the native animals that perished.
If the group was found to be in violation of USDA regulations, it would add to a list of noncompliances and repeat offenses leveled at Wildlife in Need over the last few years.
The USDA usually only performs annual inspections of licensed facilities, unless the organization has a history of repeat noncompliances. Wildlife in Need faced at least three USDA inspections in 2015, adding up to 12 total and four repeating noncompliances.
And the federal group filed a motion in February 2015 to terminate Stark's Animal Welfare Act license. The motion was filed by Kevin Shea, the federal administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Stark has responded to the motion, but the USDA is awaiting the judgment of the federal USDA Office of Administrative Law Judges. The USDA seeks to revoke Stark's license because, according to the motion, he pleaded guilty to violating the Endangered Species Act in 2008 and because Stark holding a license would be contrary to the act's purpose "because respondent has been found to have harmed the animals in his custody."
Stark has been outspoken about the USDA reports and the motion to revoke his license. He told WHAS-11 on Tuesday: “There ain't nothing or nobody that will shut me down. It's just that damn simple. I will always do what I do.”
41 animals perish in Wildlife in Need fire
Stark established Wildlife in Need in 1999. According to previous Courier-Journal reports, he's been licensed to keep wild animals for two decades.
Wildlife in Need has planned to continue hosting "tiger baby playtime" fundraisers and has them scheduled through Jan. 21. The organization asked for donations to replace food and supplies lost in Tuesday's fire.
"We have so much gratitude in our hearts for the outpouring of support and offers to help," Wildlife in Need posted on Facebook. "We are continuing on and are grateful for our current fundraiser support more now than ever."
Reporter Lexy Gross can be reached at (502) 582-4087 or via email at lgross@courier-journal.com. Like the Courier-Journal's Indiana Facebook page for more regional news at www.facebook.com/cjindiana/.