SALEM Tiger talk? Well, sort of

Owners want the facility to be among the largest of its kind in the nation.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- Where does a 200-pound tiger sit?
Anywhere it wants, indeed.
Nook, a 10-month-old endangered Siberian tiger, made himself at home Wednesday, much to the delight of the ladies assembled at Timberlanes restaurant for the Salem Area Christian Women's Club luncheon.
The tiger grunted greetings as Doug Whitehouse walked him around the banquet room, then the big cat stretched out on the cool tile floor and washed himself.
Nook is the goodwill ambassador of Noah's Lost Ark Inc., an exotic animal sanctuary in Berlin Center owned by Doug and Ellen Whitehouse. They said they want the facility to be among the largest of its kind in the nation.
Big boy: At 200 pounds, Nook is less than half grown, Ellen explained. He will eventually weigh 600 to 800 pounds, and eat 15 pounds of raw meat each day.
Although Nook slept in a cage in the Whitehouse's laundry room until a few weeks ago, Ellen is quick to point out that the tiger is no house cat. Many people buy young animals that are "cute and cuddly," expecting to tame them, she said.
"This is a wild animal," she explained. "He cannot fend for himself in the wild, but he is wild, just the same."
Nook was confiscated from an exotic animal auction when he was 7 days old. He had pneumonia and was treated by Dr. H.E. Albert, a Salem veterinarian.
Ellen said there are about 200 Siberian tigers left in the wild, and they will likely be extinct in about 10 years. They have been hunted for centuries for their hide, teeth, and bones, she said.
People working with large exotic animals must know how to handle them and respect their power, Ellen said. Doug noted that although Nook has been declawed, at just 10 months old, he packs enough power in his paws to knock an adult down.
Not good pets: Ellen said typically, the plight of many large exotic animals is that they are often mishandled and mistreated by people who don't know what to do with them when they become too large to manage and too expensive to feed.
Some large exotics such as tigers, bears and lions end up on game ranches where people pay a sizable fee to hunt and kill them.
The Whitehouses opened Noah's Lost Ark three years ago. Although many sanctuaries don't allow visitors, Noah's Lost Ark is open to the public May through October, for "conservation through education," Ellen said.
More than 125 animals, including lions, bears, camels, wolves and wallabies, are among the permanent residents. Donations of cash and materials are needed to expand the facility so many animals on a waiting list, including two lions in Arkansas, can have a home, she said.
For more information about Noah's Lost Ark Inc., call the Whitehouses at (330) 584-7835, or check the Web site at www.noahslostark.com.