AR-News: (US) CELEBRITY PHONE CALLS, STAR MEMORABILIA, ORIGINAL ART, STUDIO TOURS UP FOR AUCTION BY THE FUND FOR ANIMALS TO SUPPORT RESCUED TIGERS

[Tracey McIntire]

CELEBRITY PHONE CALLS, STAR MEMORABILIA, ORIGINAL ART, STUDIO TOURS
UP FOR AUCTION BY THE FUND FOR ANIMALS TO SUPPORT RESCUED TIGERS

SILVER SPRING, MD (April 12, 2004)  The Fund for Animals will hold an 
online auction to support the care of 39 tigers saved from one of the 
worst incidents in animal rescue history, and help educate the public 
about the tragic consequences of taking wild animals out of the wild. 
The auction will be held April 16 - 26 at www.fundauctions.org 
(associated with EBAY).

Among items up for auction: original art by Peter Max; backstage tour at 
As The World Turns; telephone calls from soap stars Julia Barr and Grant 
Aleksander; cast autographed scripts from Joan of Arcadia and King of 
Queens; tickets to The View, Letterman and Live with Regis and Kelly; 
and personal items from Richard Pryor, Dennis Franz, Chynna Phillips, 
Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller.

Auction proceeds will support tigers rescued last year at a home and 
pseudo-sanctuary in Colton, CA, where officials found 90 dead tigers, 
and seized 75 exotic cats still alive. The Fund took over care and 
placement for the cats who survived, and successfully placed all but 39 
in reputable sanctuaries. The Fund raised $250,000 to build a new 
sanctuary for the remaining cats, still being cared for daily by The 
Fund and 400 volunteers. The new expansive habitat is under construction 
at PAWS (Performing Animal Welfare Society) in San Andreas, CA, where 
the tigers will move in May.

Michael Markarian, President, The Fund for Animals, said: These cats 
were fortunate but there are over 10,000 tigers privately owned in the 
U.S. -- double the number living in the wild in Asia. Wild animals 
belong in the wild and private ownership must end. Its dangerous to 
people, to the animals, and to the preservation of the species. This 
auction will benefit these tigers and educate people about the 
consequences of owning a wild animal. We are grateful to the 
entertainment industry for their support.

The Fund for Animals, founded in 1967 by author and animal advocate 
Cleveland Amory, has spearheaded some of the most historic efforts for 
animal protection through litigation, legislation, education and rescue. 
Its world-famous sanctuaries -- including the Black Beauty Ranch and 
Wildlife Rehabilitation Center -- provide care and a safe haven for 
thousands of abandoned or abused wild animals.