The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

J www.durhamrcgion.com The Canadian Statesman December g, 2006 PAGE AS Orono A Clarington Community ^^jyinjeplhjook at the communities that shape Clarington • News Editor Ian McMillan • Phone 905-579-4400, Ext 2248 . Fax 905-579-1809 • E-Mail imcmillan@durhamregion.com )newsdurtiamregion.cont Biding the Wild Tiger at Jungle Cat World By Sandra Rita Reed Special 10 Ihc Statesman Life is like a wild tiger. You can either lie down and let it put its paw on your head or sit on its back and ride it! Christa Klose has two grown sons, but when she stumbles to the fridge in the middle of the night, she's reaching for that little bottle of formula, once again. Just feet away, an impish monkey face Stares up at her from a crib full of Fisher Price toys, begging to be fed. Pretty run-of- the-mill stuff for a mother, but this story has a different twist; beside the crib is a changing table, stacked with newborn pampers, each with a precut precut hole for the baby's tail. Christa and Wolfram (Wolf) Klose have recently adopted Benito, an eight-week-old spider monkey, bom at the Calgary Zoo. When Benito's mother died, he suddenly needed special care so the zoo had to find him a new home. This little monkey is the latest addition to the Klose household but he is, by no means, the first wild animal they have nurtured nurtured in their Orono home. It all began 25 years ago when Wolf paid a visit to a nearby zoo. "I don't know what made me go there," he says, "but they had an African Lion Cub and I found myself wondering if I could train him." Not an unusual notion, since Wolf owns and operates Havelberg Dog Academy and has been breeding and training dogs since be came here from Germany many years ago. As he sat there, staring at the baby lion, the challenge of training a wild animal animal was too much for him to resist. As fate would have it, that zoo was in need of a guard dog and by the time Wolf left, he had traded one of his security dogs for the young lion. When asked if the cub was easy to train, he laughed. "I was pretty naïve back then," he said. "I was used to dogs - never had a problem. When I said 'Come here boy,' they would run to me. But cats are different - especially especially jungle cats. When I gave Pasha a command, he just yawned and looked the other way." In spite of his independent feline qualities, Pasha soon became a full fledged member of the family. He looked like a lion but acted more like a dog, perhaps due to the nature of his training. When he was old enough to explore the outside world, the family frequently took.him along SIEy , . • %h£- ■ ".-û , ■ * ^ . y. vt.'Z. Photo copyright Sandra Tira Reed and Jungle Cat World Wolfram Klose is photographed holding an eight-week-old spider monkey born at the Calgary Zoo. Benito is the latest addition to the Klose household but he isn't the first wild animal they have nurtured in their Orono home. on family outings. You can imagine the reaction they got when people passed them on the street! Unfortunately, lions don't stay young and playftil forever. When Pasha grew big enough to take up half the parlour and old enough to acquire a mind of his own, it was evident evident the King of the Jungle needed his own turf. Wolf erected a huge enclosure for Pasha on their 15-acre homestead and that was the beginning beginning of Jungle Cat World Wildlife Park. 1 Eventually they brought in a lioness lioness to keep Pasha company. The two cats co-habited quite blissfully in their private domain and over the years, his mate had several litters. It was an exciting time for the Klose family but sadly, at age 17, Pasha died of a heart attack. "As we carried him away," says Christa, Christa, "we heard the cry of a cub. It was like a miracle! His mate had given birth on the day he passèd away." They called the baby Pasha Too. His father was buried in the back field. Very few people have a lion enclosure enclosure on their property, so naturally folks were quite curious, right from the beginning. Visitors came from all around to check out the jungle cats and it was their keen interest that encouraged the Klose family to acquire more animals and become involved in wildlife preservation. In 1989 Jungle Cat World became the first accredited residential Zoo in North America. Pasha Too now carries carries on his father's legacy as one of the main attractions. It's a country style zoo - quaint and natural. You park right at the front entrance and can be greeted by spotted spotted muskovy ducks and rare white peacocks that roam freely around the grounds. The park itself is just as untamed as some of the animals, with wildflowers, evergreens and shade trees growing exactly where nature planted them. Although they specialize in wild felines like the Siberian Tiger and the Amur Leopard, Leopard, there's a vast range of interesting wildlife -- wolves, foxes, cotton- top tamarins and even a Burmese Python. Wolf and Christa raised their two sons in this wildlife environment and Peter, aged 36, still plays an active role. Better known as Indiana Pete from his TV series, he is in charge of the Safari Zoo Camp -- the only existing kids camp adjacent to a zoo, and a major enterprise in itself. Kids come here to learn about animals and nature and they go home with pictures of themselves handling the animals, exploring the caves and sitting sitting around campfires. Wolf built the cabins, a tall climbing wall and some igloo style huts. I counted 100 beds (mattresses donated by Sleep Country) Country) so it's no small operation. According to Wolf, 1 "If you want to survive in business, you have to diversify." The amount of activity that's going on within this 15-acre property is certainly a testament to that statement. And there's more. Five years ago he designed and built a second story addition over the office building -- 2,000 square feet of space, which now serves as accommodation for their new B&B venture - Safari Lodge. Two large, fully equipped suites welcome adventurous guests from far and wide, lured by the prospect prospect of observing the animals, right from their own balcony. Jungle Cat World is open all year round including holidays. For more information go to www. junglecatworld.com or e-mail info@junglecatworld.com. Photos copyright Sandra Rita Reed and Jungle Cat World. spark the imagination By Catherine Vivian Special loThe Statesman ORONO -- In researching material material for my articles I come across the odd notation in a book, newspaper clipping, or Internet gem that sparks the imagination. Such is the case with an old newspaper article from the sixth of June 1899. Meet Mr. W.H. Adams, a retired newspaperman, as he travels from house to house talking with older members of his community. As he sits in the home of Mr. R. Moment he hears of the story of the naming of the town. A group of the town's citizens had congregated at the spot where the blacksmith shop had once stood to find an appropriate name for their growing community. It had been called such names as Jericho and Slab City. Bloomington was suggested until it was pointed out that a settlement by that name existed in Prince Edward County. One member of the group, a preacher by the name of Beale, suggested suggested the name of his hometown in the United States. He had been born in Orono and it was a name unlikely to be duplicated duplicated in Canada. The name was agreed • upon. , The spot where the old blacksmith shop once stood was, reportedly, the location of Mr. Moment's House. Another tale is of Samuel Billings, who when he first arrived in Clarke Township discovered there was no York Road (today Hwy. 2) and travel was done by the lakeshorc. Mr. Billings Billings was among those who cut the trees to make way for the roads that we now travel. ■ ; :S ; K : ■' : : ; ;■ ' ' ' Zwetstoot Carpentry • Carpentry • Renovations • Flooring • Dry Walling • Basement Restoration * Fencing » Decks • Cabinets > Painting Dennis Zwetsloot Professional Carpenter All renovations booked from free consultation 905-925-6546 ' ' /'^ V , , ' ^ . .. ' ■- nintrv lleaf}. 2L indoor environment ™ is OUR BUSINESS "KRACO" CARPENTRY ft CONTRACTING Complete Carpentry Service • Custom Built Homes • Renovations • Additions • Designing William & Rudy Kraayvanger 905-623-1101 l ' ( himi« Sales , Service and Installation for All Heating & Cooling Solutions: Gas, Wood, Propane, Oil, Pellet ' Ceo-Tlwrmal Systems • Hot Water on Demand • In-floor I lea tin y • Chimney Sweeps • WE IT Inspections • Masonry Repairs visit us <fi www.chci.ca !<■!: 001- i72-022 i Lt\:W5-;i72-022H WINTER REGISTRATION Publication dates: Dec. 10 & 17 Oshawa, Whitby, Clarington To advertise in this feature call INSIDE SALES for more details: 905-579-4400 Freedom 55 Financial •Individual life Insurance •Disability Insurance ■Business Insurance •Travel Insurance •RRIFs, LIFs ft Annuities QUADRUS Reaching Your Goals Takes Careful Planning That's Why We're Here to Help. GICs ft mutual lunds Group Insurance Group retirement plans Mortgages RRSPsft RESPs -< SwvtCM ltd. A rteee at Hw Me* Dwight and Deri a Hickson Vhi.tiivl.il Nvaiilly mul litvvMmviu Kv|iivmtUllvi 5 Kinj» Avi'., Newcastle (905) 987-5372 A Division of M.tlcy Insurance tt IIiuikUI WORLDWIDE ffRAVEUlNSURANEE ♦ Pre-existing condition coverage ♦ Single trip Z annual plans ♦ Trip cancellation insurance ♦ Visitor to Canada insurance Ifyai'n Not CoWJ, «,.**>„, ^ Too m (»Q5) 6Z3 - pan w mammas ■tiE