Updates
- 1/11/2013 - Colorado Parks & Wildlife Commission votes to keep regulation. Click here for more details...
- 12/28/2012 - Commission Meeting Schedule Released! Click here to see the full agenda - but otherwise know that the Commissioners have scheduled the regulation & Meatball issue to be heard starting at 8:30 AM on FRIDAY January 11th. Please plan on attending the meeting in order to demonstrate how important this issue is - as the Commissioners and local media need to see that you are very serious about helping Meatball and the other animals that will suffer if they do not vote to repeal the regulation! The Sanctuary will have check in stations posted around the Hotel site for you to get last minute instructions and updates. Look for large Sanctuary banners to guide you in the right direction. Click here for a flyer and Map to the Hotel. See you there!!!
- 12/13/2012 - Colorado Parks and Wildlife Comission agrees to hear Citizen Petitions - With the law suit not being dismissed, the CPW and Attorney General's Office realized they needed to allow the citizen's petitions to be heard and voted on. This is the only other option to get the regulation repealed (besides the law suit), and is an important step in the rigt direction. The comission meeting will be held in Denver on January 10th & 11th. The exact day and time the petitions will be heard has not been published yet, but further posts here will cover that information as it becomes available. Check the Commission Meeting Flyer for current details - and plan on attending the meeting to demonstrate your support for Meatball and the regulation repeal!!!
- 12/12/2012 - Court rules in favor of law suit continuing - In an attempt to stop the law suit filled on Meatball's behalf (and for all the other animals that the regulation preventing the Sanctuary in CO from taking in wild animals that need a home), the Colordao Attorney General's Office filed a motion to dismiss the law suit. During the time the court needed to consider the dismisall request, the Attorney General also convinced the Colorado Parks and Wildlife to postpone the citizen's petitions that were scheduled to be heard in November - stating there was no need to hear them because they had filed the motion to dismiss. GOOD NEWS! - The Colorado court returned its decision on the motion and DENIED their request to have the suit dismissed! This means the court agrees the law suit has the correct merrits to continue, and they will hear the case. No date has been set yet, but this is a monumental move in the right direction!
- 10/26/2012 - URGENT UPDATE - YUMA MEETING CANCELED - Click Here to Read
- 10/17/2012 - March on YUMA, CO - Letter and Flyer Posted - click here to read
- 10/7/2012 - MEATBALL & REGULATION UPDATE ---- Our public pressure campaign to help free
Meatball and to get the regulation repealed is working! The Governor & Attorney General’s Offices
– as well as the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director & Commissioners - have
all been bombarded with tens of thousands of emails, letters and phone calls
demanding the regulation be repealed, and that meatball be allowed to be
rescued. They have conceded to the point
where they are requesting citizens file petitions to ask for the regulation to
be repealed – and the Parks and Wildlife Commission has already agreed to hear
four specific petitions on November 8th or 9th. These hearings will determine if they will
repeal the regulation – OR NOT – so it is critical you let them know you expect
them to vote in favor of repealing the regulation!!!! --- We will be giving you further updates on
the Commission hearings… but mark those days in your Calendar right now – as we
plan to have thousands of Super-Supporters join us in YUMA, COLORADO to ensure
the Commissioners don’t forget how important this vote is!!!! Don’t Miss Your Chance To Be Part Of
Something Really, Really Big! Start the chant now! YUMA, YUMA, YUMA, YUMA, YUMA, YUMA!!!!!
- 9/27/2012 - Concerned and compassionate people are asked to sign the change.org petition
- 9/26/2012 - Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) accepts 3 Citizen’s Petitions requesting the regulation be repealed. The petitions will be presented at the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission on November 8th & 9th at their meeting in Yuma, CO.
- This is a move in the right direction to get the regulation repealed… but a bad option for Meatball – as he will be forced to remain in his tiny concrete and steel cage for many more weeks.
- CPW is stating Meatball will no longer be sent to Colorado - but as usual - that is due to CO putting intense pressure on California Fish & Game to keep him there.
- No information concerning the status of Lions Tigers & Bears habitat construction has been released, so no one knows if any construction has even begun - or how much longer it will take to be completed. Once complete, LTB’s Director says Meatball will have to remain in his small cage until they feel he no longer wants to go back to the wild.
- In the end, Meatball most-likely will have spent months in a cage, when he could have been roaming freely in Colorado had the CPW addressed the regulation issue from the start.
- 9/17/2012 - Sanctuary mails out 75,000+ campaign newsletters to free Meatball and get CO regulation repealed
- 9/11/2012 - Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commissioners create and send out a similar boiler-plate response to concerned citizens that says there is a process for bringing the issue to them (as if they never heard it). Both the Attorney General's Office and the Sanctuary already presented the issue to them and they did nothing.
- 9/11/2012 - The Wild Animal Sanctuary files a law suit in Denver District Court asking for a Judge to intervene on Meatball's behalf - as well as for every other animal that may be jeopardized by the ill-fated regulation.
- 9/10/2012 - CO Attorney General's Office responds to concerned citizens trying to deflect the issue by saying CA Fish & Game will not be sending Meatball to CO - but supporters understand that is perfectly understandable since the regulation still stands. Supporters say remove the regulation so CA Fish & Game can openly say they want Meatball to come to CO.
- 9/10/2012 - The Wild Animal Sanctuary begins legal action to get Judge to intervene
- 9/9/2012 - The Wild Animal Sanctuary launches national campaign to save Meatball and other wildlife through HomelessBear.org web site and national mailing efforts
- 9/7/2012 - The Wild Animal Sanctuary's Executive Director pleads before CO Parks & Wildlife Commission for them to repeal or clarify regulation - commissioners fail to act
- 9/4/2012 - The Wild Animal Sanctuary's attorney contacts CO Attorney General's Office asking fr help - as Parks & Wildlife regulation opposes CO State Law
- 9/2/2012 - CO Parks & Wildlife deny Meatball from coming to CO
- 8/31/2012 - The Wild Animal Sanctuary contacts CO Parks & Wildlife to let them know they need to rescue Meatball
- 8/29/2012 - Meatball gets captured by CA Fish & Game and is taken temporarily to Lions, Tigers & Bears in San Diego
- 8/28/2012 - CA Fish & Game calls The Wild Animal Sanctuary to say they are catching Meatball and need to place him with the Sanctuary - but will send him to holding facility in meantime.
TIMELINE
June July August September October
meatball Meatball Sanctuary Sanctuary Sanctuary Sanctuary Sanctuary Sanctuary YUMA, CO
gets in gets in is contacted is contacted is contacted contacts files legal Begins Commission
trouble trouble about about orphan to come AG's office suit to get Online Meeting
again Meatball cubs near rescue to get Judge to and Direct
and is asked Sacremento Meatball - help with intervene Mail Campaign
if they can and goes to but CO convincing to get supporters
rescue him rescue them Wildlife the Wildlife to call & write
if he is caught Officials Commission Commissioners
again - stop rescue to repeal Governor &
Sanctuary the regulation Attorney General
says yes but AG fails to to get regulation
they will help repealed