TCAD residents visit Black Pine Animal Sanctuary in Albion, Indiana.
Maria Center coworker Christine Lehiy aptly summed up the residents and Catherine Cottage Sisters recent visit to Black Pine Animal Sanctuary. “It’s like a zoo except every animal has its own story.” Many of those stories involve heartbreak and trauma. The animals at Black Pine in Albion, Indiana come from a variety of backgrounds, including roadside zoos, circuses, and most notably, tigers from the now disgraced Joe Exotic’s TV show.
As residents and Sisters strolled the paths and viewed the animals, Guest Services Manager Becky Graves explained the history and the backstory of the sanctuary. Founded in the late 1980s, Black Pine Animal Sanctuary moved to its current 18-acre location in 2006 and is home to 79 animals, comprised of 55 different species.
In 2019, Black Pine was accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. It’s one of only 200 globally accredited animal sanctuaries in the world, and the only one in located in Indiana. Black Pine does not buy, sell, trade, or breed animals. Here, they’re free to live out their lives on their own terms, with enrichment, plentiful food, medical care, and with the love of the 11 staff members and numerous volunteers. “This is their home for the rest of their lives,” Becky said. When their lives are over, animals are laid to rest in a graveyard at Black Pine.
Among the menagerie the Sisters and residents got to meet were a pair of Spider Monkeys, Goober and Lucy, who were owner surrenders. The owners pulled out the monkeys’ teeth because they could not handle the biting as the animals grew up, which is consistent with their nature as wild animals. “If you have to pull out an animal’s teeth, you probably shouldn’t be keeping them,” Becky stated. Next, the group strolled past a small herd of donkeys, including Marie and Noah, who had beautiful cross markings on their backs and were happily munching on hay.
In addition to providing sanctuary, Black Pine also tries to simulate the wild for their charges as much as possible. This includes pairing them with companion animals, creating enrichment opportunities such as foraging for their food, and by letting the animal set its own schedule, meaning that an animal won’t be compelled to come out of its enclosure to interact with visitors if it doesn’t want to. Sisters and residents got to watch Timber, a North American Cougar, climb tall ramps and open boxes to “hunt” for food the keepers gave her at feeding time.
Residents also got to meet white tigers formerly owned by infamous reality TV star Joe Exotic. Since it was a cool day, all four were out and visible, revealing the health issues they’re dealing with from severe inbreeding. One had crossed eyes and is awaiting surgery, and two also had slight back haunches, another sign of inbreeding. It was like witnessing a litter of Hapsburgs come to life. Despite their sad circumstances, Ima, Elvis, and Prince’s beauty and sense of security was evident as they lounged or pranced in their habitats.
Resident Roger Simmons said he enjoyed seeing the tigers the most, since he’s a Detroit Tigers baseball fan. Sister Damian McNamara photographed many of the animals as she walked the paths and noted with a laugh, “I’m with the aged. We’re all retired.”