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Broken Arrow's Safari Sanctuary welcomes volunteers

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — When the president of Safari Sanctuary isn’t taking care of the sheltered animals, she tries to take care of herself.

Lori Ensign was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis about three decades ago.

“That is what actually started the whole zoo. When I was 25, I got diagnosed. And my doctor said get a hobby. And I kinda went overboard and started rescuing.”

She runs a haven for exotic animals that have either escaped or been abandoned. Tigers, bears, monkeys, birds, snakes, and a porcupine are among the animals Ensign cares for.

The non-profit relies on volunteers. Larry Conners just began to help on the property. He spoke fondly of Ensign.

“From the moment I met her, she’s just cheerful and upbeat and out here trying to get things done.”

The volunteers and Ensign say that there is much more to gain there than just community service hours.

“The fun of volunteering is that you get to meet these guys that you only see on nature channel.”

For more information about volunteering, visit safarisanctuary.org

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Visitor Tips and News About Safari's Exotic Animal Rescue

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We spent all summer taking RA road trips, and this was far and away the best thing we saw! The overnight stay and VIP tour at Safari's Exotic Animal Rescue are worth double what they charge. The volunteers spent over 5 hours showing our kids whatever they wanted to see. Every animal and every volunteer have an awesome story.

This little rescue is a walk-around park with lions, tigers, bears, wolves, reptiles, primates (monkeys and lemurs), ducks, pigs, a real Liger, zebra, donkey and whatever else people don't want to take care of anymore. These are such sweet people and you can tell from the faces on the animals how much they are loved.

There is even a little "cabin" that you can rent and hear all of the lions roar and wolves howl overnight [the 1800s log cabin is called Safari's Sanctuary Bed n' Bagel]. They tell me that on the first Friday of every month (starting Spring) they have "camp out" night -- anyone and everyone, whether tent or trailer, can come (no hook-ups tho). Is run by volunteers.

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Why not try your luck with a visit to Hard Rock Casino Tulsa during your visit to Catoosa? Check out the casinos and lively bars in this family-friendly area.

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Animal sanctuary worker dies after attack by ‘liger’

An animal handler with thousands of hours of experience has died after being mauled by a 1,000-pound lion-tiger hybrid he was feeding at an Oklahoma animal sanctuary.

Peter Getz, 32, had entered the big cat’s enclosure on Wednesday while it was feeding, a violation of standard procedures. The hybrid cat, called a liger, bit Getz on the neck and back before other handlers rescued him and called 911. He was taken to a Tulsa hospital, where he died Thursday night.

A powerful creature On Friday, Animal Planet host Jeff Corwin told TODAY’s Matt Lauer that Getz broke the cardinal rule of dealing with large carnivores.

“You’re talking about an animal that is 20 times more powerful than the human being that was feeding it,” Corwin explained. “One of the most important protocols with these powerful cats in captivity is to never enter their enclosure with the animal present, especially when it involves food.”

Getz had been a volunteer for more than a year at Safari’s Wildlife Sanctuary in Broken Arrow, Okla., and reportedly had thousands of hours of experience dealing with animals at the Tulsa Zoo.

“We try to have all the procedures in place, but for some reason, they weren't followed this time,” Lori Ensign, the sanctuary’s owner, told NBC affiliate KJRH in Oklahoma. “In all my years, we've stressed that whatever you do, you don't open that gate.”

Food is put on a pole that is inserted through the fence to feed the animals. It’s deer season in Oklahoma, and Ensign said that the liger may have been more excited than normal because he was being fed raw venison.

Lion-tiger crossbreed The liger, a cross between a male lion and female tiger, is named Rocky. Ensign said the animal was donated to the sanctuary, which houses 200 animals, most of them either rescued or donated. She told KJRH that when Rocky was growing up, she used to ride him like a horse and that he has a gentle nature.

But Corwin told Lauer that it doesn’t matter how gentle a predator may be.

It remains unknown why Getz entered the enclosure. An investigation by local authorities will attempt to determine that, and will decide whether Rocky should be allowed to live or be put down.

“In many situations, the animal is destroyed because it has connected in a negative way and a dangerous way to human beings, and the truth is there’s an increased opportunity for this animal to become even more dangerous,” Corwin told Lauer.

Texas tigers There are other questions behind the story, Corwin went on. “What it really echoes to is a bigger situation, which is keeping these exotics in captivity for nonlegitimate purposes in the first place,” he said. “This is a rescue center, but what is the individual history of that liger? How did it get there?”

“If you went to India today, you would find that there are less tigers living there than there are in the state of Texas, where the laws and regulations are incredibly loose,” Corwin said. He added that every year, “There are probably 10 people or more that are critically injured, in some cases killed, by tigers, and it’s happening in our own country.”

Ensign, the park owner, said that her sanctuary has closed since the accident. She did not say when it might reopen.

The sanctuary is a nonprofit wildlife refuge. All staff members are volunteers. It is licensed and regulated through the Oklahoma Wildlife Department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is subject to the same rules as public zoos.

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