Actress turned activist to testify in lion cub case

The cub was 8 days old when it was brought to the sanctuary by a reporter.
& lt;a href=mailto:sinkovich@vindy.com & gt;By PEGGY SINKOVICH & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- An animal activist who says he's the owner of a lion cub brought to Noah's Lost Ark animal sanctuary will be getting help from a movie star during a court hearing this week.
Tippi Hedren, a former fashion model and movie star, best known for her work in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds," says she is hoping to testify in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.
Reached by telephone at her Shambala Sanctuary in California, Hedren said she will testify on behalf of William Long, the man who says he wants his cub to be released from the Berlin Center sanctuary.
The cub was 8 days old when it was brought to the sanctuary at 8424 Bedell Road, Berlin Center, on Oct. 12 by a New York Post reporter.
"The reporter from the Post, Al Guart, called me and said he was working on an expos & eacute; on the exotic animal trade," Hedren said. "The story was to focus on the need to protect both wild animals and the public, and draw attention to pending legislation in Washington D.C. and New York about private ownership."
The animal activist, who lives at Shambala in a cottage, said the reporter didn't want to do the story unless the animal they bought would have a home.
Guart could not be reached to comment.
"The reporter was being very responsible and I agreed that the animal they bought would be able to live at Shambala," Hedren said.
Bought the cub
Guart and Long, a teacher and former Ohio State University quarterback, purchased the 3-pound cub. Long signed the papers to buy the male cub he calls Uhuru. Uhuru is Swahili for freedom.
When Hedren learned the cub was only 8 days old, she told the reporter to bring it to Noah's Lost Ark until it would be old enough to travel.
"The cub was never meant to stay there," Hedren said. "It was only to be there on a temporary basis."
When Guart went to Noah's Lost Ark on Oct. 12, the owners took the cub, called the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department and advised him he could not leave with the animal.
Long had called and sent letters to the sanctuary asking for his cub. When he did not receive a response he filed a lawsuit. The hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday.
Noah's Lost Ark and owners Ellen and Douglas Whitehouse are named as defendants. The Whitehouses could not be reached to comment. Ellen Whitehouse has said the cub she calls Boomerang is not leaving the center.
The suit noted that Noah's Lost Ark has received significant publicity and donations as a direct result of their accepting responsibility for the cub.
Arrived after Tiger
The lion cub arrived a week after Ming, a tiger taken from a Manhattan apartment, was brought to the facility.
"This cub stands for the liberation of all these glorious creatures from the captivity of private pets," Hedren said. "These animals belong in the wild, and it is cruel and dangerous to lock them up in back yards, cages or private homes. It is Uhuru's destiny to remind our elected officials that we need strong laws to protect wild animals and, with hundreds of maulings in recent years, to protect the public."
Noah's Lost Ark is a licensed facility that takes abused and neglected exotic animals. The all-volunteer organization has about 125 animals.
Hedren, however, says her sanctuary offers a better home for the African lion cub.
"African lions live in groups, in open spaces and in a warm climate," Hedren said. "Shambala offers all of that. The climate in Ohio is not suitable for lions."
& lt;a href=mailto:sinkovich@vindy.com & gt;sinkovich@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;