Wildlife Planet Believes The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) Have Utterly Failed Their Mission Statement By Leaving Behind, Not Once, But Twice.
Almost 300 Helpless Animals That Will Continue To Endure A Hellish Life At Hands Of The Owners Of The Cricket Hollow Zoo In Manchester, Iowa Pamela And Tom Sellner.
Does ALDF Believe That These Non-Sexy Animals Won't Bring Enough Enough Donations? Is ALDF Figuring Why Waste Our Time On A Silly Bear or Wolf?
Let me start off with a note: While ALDF has done many good things, Wildlife Planet has never and will never accept "They have done many good things" as an excuse for screwing up even once. It does buy you "We are sorry we overlooked this, or should have done better" then all the good things you have done buys you a pass.... ONCE!
The USDA found that The Cricket Hollow Zoo AKA The Cricket Hollow Park was cited for multiple violation in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and coming soon 2017. With all the fines and editorials in Des Moines Register Newspaper along with many other sites condemning this horrific zoo, the owners Tom and Pam Sellner have shown they could care less about negative publicity. The only way to shut Cricket Hollow down is for organizations like ALDF to stop making settlement deals and shut places like Cricket Hollow down. ALDF takes in millions of dollars in donations under the guise they will give 'Voice to the voiceless' ALDF needs to finish what it started!
I do not know the exact date to which the ALDF first became aware of the gruesome conditions that these animals are subjugated to daily, but I do know for a fact that on March 4, 2014, ALDF warned the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Cricket Hollow Zoo of their plan to sue the zoo owners for violating the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by “wounding, harming, and/or harassing” endangered animals like tigers, lemurs, and wolves at the zoo.
Having dealt with organizations that receive millions of dollars in donations, they are the equivalent of sloths when it comes to action against any human predator preying on helpless animals. So it is more than safe to say the ALDF was aware of the atrocities taking place at The Cricket Hollow Zoo by late 2013... That's almost three years ago. |
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It does not matter whether you are an animal or a Human, I know first hand how it feels to be defenseless against an abuser and how living in that world can be a nightmare.
Growing up the man I loved, and looked up to, the man I called Dad, beat me everyday. He was a product of his times, and my heart and soul forgave him long ago. But as with these animals, a 7 year old is unable to change his daily fortune without a champion.
The beatings I endured became routine, the pain dulled, and as a child lying in bed sobbing, battered from that nights punishment, I swore that I would never let any child, woman or animal suffer like this.
Unlike these helpless creatures, I and millions of other children grew up to become men and women who one day had the courage to stand up and say "Enough." No longer would we accept our fate. So we fought back and changed our destiny to what we wanted, not what others tried to determine for us.
I would willingly sacrifice myself in order to protect anyone from harm and in the years that have passed, life has presented me with far too many opportunities to put that seven-year-olds promise to the test and I have never once failed in honoring his vow.
Months ago we pleaded with the public to contact ALDF and not let these 300 animals suffer any longer, without doing everything possible to shut this place down. Many people did contact ALDF but they continued to do nothing.
The first question that I always ask myself is why?
Why would a company do something that would seems to be on the surface a complete disregard toward their mission statement?
Talk to any Police Detective investigating a woman who had been murdered in her home and the first thing they will say is "It's always the husband" Well, when it comes to organizations that take in donations and fail to honor their mission statement "It's always the money"
I care little for finances because my focus is on the protection of animals, but, I do look at the finances to make sure that if the need arises for Wildlife Planet to call out a company, I want to make sure they have the resources available.
If a company seems to be failing their mission statement, but is trying their best, only to have their efforts thwarted by a lack resources, then they should be commended for at least trying.
Wildlife Planet as a rule, will do whatever we can to promote organizations like these in any way possible and hopefully, in some small way, help them achieve their goals.
I rely on Charity Navigator to see a companies financial stability, they are an excellent source of truthful and verifiable information. They rate the finances of any Organization taking in donations, in essence they are the watchdog for people who intend to generously donate a potion of their hard earned money.
In the fiscal year of 2014, the last statement that Charity Navigator has listed for ALDF, The Animal Legal Defense Fund took in more than $14 million dollars in donations.
Charity Navigator rates organizations on a score of 0-100 over the past ten years ALDF has been given a score as low as 68 and as high as 92.
So why would the ALDF abandon their mission to protecting animals from the cruelty of man? I believe it was to protect their company's fundraising, which in recent years has made incredible leaps and bounds forward as far as revenue.
Their financial information tells me not only how much they took in, but more importantly, provides a motive for a company failure to adhere to their stated mission
For almost ten years the ALDF's total revenue (Donations, Grants, etc.) fluctuated between 3 and 5 Million dollars per year, but, then for unknown reasons, within the last three years ALDF's total revenue dramatically increased.
- 2008 - $5.8 Million Dollars
- 2009 - $3.7 Million Dollars
- 2010 - $5.3 Million Dollars
- 2011 - $5.6 Million Dollars
- 2012 - $8.5 Million Dollars
- 2013 - $13.4 Million Dollars
I live pretty much by two rules:
- The Golden Rule: Treat others how you wish to be treated
- KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid
As an outsider looking in, ALDF's failure to communicate and explain their reasoning for abandoning 300 animals, not once, but twice and using the kiss rule, the answer is simple.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund fell in love with their donations, so much so, they have now placed raising money above the legal defense of animals in need.
In today's world headlines means money, you can have the best intentions, my site for example, is devoted to animals and the protection from cruelty that we humans can inflict upon them. When the place of business I was employed at closed down, I decided to devote myself to this cause, for all my good intentions the site has not caught on as I had hoped, so the revenue I receive from Google ads provides my family with just enough to keep us out of poverty, but I refuse to give up.
Now suppose I latch onto a story that makes Wildlife Planet really popular, what do you think I will do when the popularity starts to dwindle? Exactly, run back to the story that created all the buzz the first time around.
A great example to me is PETA. They spent years building up a reputation promoting themselves as "The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals" with flashy ads that showed naked stars, saying "I would rather go naked than wear fur" and it worked and the donations started pouring in to a tune of almost $100 Million Dollars.
But as always, money changes things and instead of working for the animals they started working for the donations. So they went off the rails and started pouring blood on themselves for a "Shock" value headline in newspapers and websites.
PETA figured out that "Headlines = $$$" and PETA's CEO Ingrid Newkirk needed those headlines so much she went and jumped the shark in a headline grabbing protest sat outside British retailer Fortnum & Mason’s Piccadilly store, had someone force a feeding tube down her throat in a display that P.T. Barnum would have been proud of.
I am assuming ALDF hasn't reached the PETA point in their organization, but it is evident that the have fully realized that headlines equals donations, now instead of fighting for all the Cricket Hollow Zoo animals subjected to their daily suffrage they found that one of big 5 would suffice to give them their much needed headline.
Please note: I care little about what they have done anywhere else in the world, they can produce talking points up their ass for all I care, I care about only what has transpired at Cricket Hollow Zoo.
The KISS rule means to me "If you saved 10,000 animals but left 1 alive, living in hell you failed" it doesn't get any simpler than that... ALDF left 300 behind in Iowa not once, but twice and there is no excuse or talking point that will change that fact.
In early 2014 they saved a few Tigers and lemurs and walked away patting themselves on their back as they read the headlines "ALDF Saves Tigers and Lemurs from the hell hole called Cricket Hollow Zoo"
Then in 2016 they were back for another publicity tour but this time the headlines read "ALDF Saves Lions from the hell hole called Cricket Hollow Zoo"
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Click Here to Sign the Petition Demanding , Iowa Governor and it's political leaders Close down The Cricket Hollow Zoo Immediately and have the Animals transferred to facilities that will care for them properly
Related Stories
- 2012 - The Cricket Hollow Zoo In Manchester, Iowa Is The Zoo From Hell
- 2014 - Numerous Violations At Cricket Hollow Zoo Headed To Trial
- 2015 - Des Moines Register: Why Is This Zoo Still Open?
- 2016 - ALDF Lawsuit Claims Cricket Hollow Zoo Abused Lions
- 2016 - Why Did ALDF Settle With Animal Abusing Cricket Hollow Zoo?
- 2016 - ALDF Abandons 300 Animals At Cricket Hollow Zoo
- 2017 - Wildlife Planet Files USDA Complaint Against The Cricket Hollow Zoo
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