YOUNGSTOWN Noah's: Keep cub with sister

The cubs were reunited Friday at Noah's Lost Ark in Berlin Township.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Owners of a local sanctuary for exotic animals are hoping that reuniting a lion cub with his sister will persuade a judge to leave the siblings in Mahoning County.
They're banking on the testimony of actress Tippi Hedren, who appeared Thursday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court as a witness for William Long of Upper Arlington, near Columbus.
Long says he is the owner of Boomerang, a male lion cub born Oct. 4. He wants the cub released from Noah's Lost Ark sanctuary in Berlin Township so it can be relocated to a California sanctuary operated by Hedren.
But owners of Noah's Lost Ark, where the cub has been since Oct. 12, have refused to let him go.
Ownership of the cat is at the heart of a lawsuit Long filed in common pleas court against Noah's Lost Ark and its owners, Douglas and Ellen Whitehouse.
Hedren flew to Youngstown to testify during a hearing on the matter Thursday. The actress and animal activist said she had an agreement with a reporter from the New York Post who was doing a story on how easy it is to buy exotic animals.
Hedren said she told the reporter that if he was able to buy an animal, she would keep it at Shambala, her animal sanctuary in Southern California.
The reporter bought Boomerang, then just 8 days old, from a man in Wapakoneta, Ohio. Because of the cub's young age, the reporter feared a trip to California would be too difficult for him. Another animal activist recommended that the cub be taken to Noah's Lost Ark until it was old enough to travel.
During her testimony Thursday, Hedren said socialization with other cubs is an important part of a young lion's development. She said the ideal situation for Boomerang would be to grow up with his own sibling if possible, no matter where that would be.
Lawyers knew Boomerang had a female sibling, and knew that she'd been sold by the same man who sold Boomerang. They didn't realize she'd been sold to Larry Wallach, a New York City animal activist who serves on the board of directors of Noah's Lost Ark.
Brought her to center
Wallach, who brought the female cub to Noah's Lost Ark on Friday to be reunited with Boomerang, said he had another man buy the cub for him Sunday. He took the cub to an exotic animal store he owns in Elyria, then brought her here.
"We just wanted to do the right thing," Wallach said.
Wallach, who serves as spokesman for Noah's Lost Ark, said he hopes that when Thursday's hearing resumes Monday, Long and his attorneys will back off and allow the cubs to stay together at Noah's.
The legal issue, though, is not whether either sanctuary is more appropriate than the other, but who owns Boomerang. If the court finds that Long is the owner, he will probably be released and relocated to Shambala.
"If the judge rules against us, then I guess [Boomerang] goes to California," he said.
Wallach said he's not sure whether he would send the female cat to California as well if Boomerang ends up going to Shambala.
"I'd have to think about it," he said.