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It is hard to believe that it has been one year since the tragedy near Zanesville, Ohio when Terry Thompson released more than fifty animals from his private zoo and then took his own life. Lions, bears, primates roamed the streets aimlessly, literally lost, before being shot by authorities, ill-equipped to handle such an insane situation. Since then, Ohio has strengthened its legislation but other states lag woefully behind. Still other exotic animal exhibitors perform with tigers or let patrons swim with them. Born Free USA is working tirelessly to ensure that we Keep Wildlife in the Wild!

Who says there's nothing good on television? Not us — especially now that we've heard the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary will be featured on the nationally syndicated program "Wild About Animals," hosted by Mariette Hartley. Because the show airs across the country at various times in each market, you'll have to check the listings to see when it airs in your area. (It's scheduled to air Saturday morning — Oct. 5 — on local TV stations in San Antonio and New York City, for example. Repeats of the episode are likely in the coming months.) "Wild About Animals," according to its press release, "travels the globe to bring viewers fascinating stories about wildlife and is known to offer the best in family-friendly, entertaining and educational programming. While the target audience is teenagers, the show provides quality viewing for all family members."

Adam Roberts, left, and Nolan Ryan.
(Click to see a larger version.)

About four years ago, baseball pitching legend and Texas Rangers co-owner Nolan Ryan spoke with reporters about having once been an "ambassador" for the snow monkeys who were living in what is now the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary. While everything at the sanctuary has changed for the better since Ryan's visit, his dry recitation of what happened back in the 1990s became a viral hit online, attracting so much attention that the Rangers' July 1 home game this season was declared "Nolan Ryan Snow Monkey Day" at the ballpark. Last week, as the regular season wound down, Born Free USA's executive vice president, Adam Roberts, flew out to the Rangers' ballpark to accept a $5,000 donation from Ryan himself — a most-welcome gift to our Primate Sanctuary, which has just completed its largest rescue ever. Thank you, Texas Rangers, and go get 'em in the playoffs!

An 11-year-old girl waiting for heart and liver transplants fulfilled her dream of hunting a bear. WAOW reports.

Link: CNN.com

Click on image to watch segment.

It looks like a scene out of a box-office smash movie. But for Jeff Harwell, 30, an animal handler at Arizona's Out of Africa Wildlife Park in Camp Verde, Ariz., running at full speed, being chased by a full-grown tiger or waiting for the 450-pound animal to pounce is part of a normal day.

Link: ABC.com

Animal control officers in Washington state seized 39 emaciated and sickly horses on Wednesday from inhumane conditions in dark stalls filled with feces on a breeding farm outside of Tacoma, authorities said.

Link: Huffington Post

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of new arrival Kaleb the baboon!

We are thrilled to report that all 107 macaques and one baboon rescued from the Wild Animal Orphanage have arrived safely at the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary! This rescue, by far our largest ever, has been in the works for a long time. Following many months of negotiations and planning, early this year we began building enclosures and recreation structures for what we call The WAO Group. We began accepting the monkeys, transported in stages by air-conditioned truck from nearby San Antonio, in late July. The last delivery was yesterday.

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It's still a natural paradise far out in the Pacific, with thick jungles and stunningly steep and verdant slopes climbing out of the sea. But much of the splendor in the tiny Chilean islands that likely inspired Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe" castaway novel is being eaten away.

Link: Yahoo! News