Published: Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 6:50 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 6:50 p.m.
Twisting past open pastures and grazing cattle, the 22 Gator Riders from Gainesville rode as one. They ripped past quaint country homes with front porches and dormers. Wooden rocking chairs sat still and silent amid the roars of the bikes.
It was a beautiful morning for a ride, but their journey on Feb. 3 was about the destination.
When Kurt Stoner was in high school, he almost died. His friend's car, going much faster than the speed limit, plowed into a tree.
Kurt was in the passenger seat. His body was torn up: legs broken, teeth shattered, hundreds of stitches. The last thing he remembers is waking up from a coma in the hospital a month and a half later.
"You get a deal like that and you're almost gone," Kurt said, "you're living life to the fullest."
Thirty-one surgeries later, he and his wife, Lisa, are doing just that. They own Forest Animal Rescue, an exotic animal sanctuary that is uprooting its operations from Hardee County to 80 acres in the Ocala National Forest near Silver Springs.
Unlike a zoo, the organization is not an attraction. Though they offer guided tours twice a month upon reservation, their main purpose is to provide lifetime care for about 200 animals.
"We save them," Lisa said. "They're not expected to do anything but live life out in peace."
For 14 years, it has been a struggle. The surrounding town of Zolfo Springs began to grow, and soon Peace River Refuge & Ranch, the organization's former name, faced opposition from neighbors and local government.
Who wants wild animals right next door, where families are living and children are playing?
The land that housed the rescued animals ? ranging from bears and big cats to bats and monkeys ? was sold, and plans for a housing development are now forming right on top of Kurt and Lisa's life work.
"In 14 years, we haven't had one escape or injury," Lisa said. "We've gone through three different hurricanes, had $200,000 in damage, but we came through it flawlessly."
But even with a perfect record, it was a losing battle.
"We decided to find a better place," Lisa said, "and boy, we did."
In padded, protective jackets, the Gator Riders pulled into Johnny 5's diner, off State Road 40. The group cut their engines, feeling the first hum of silence in more than an hour.
They lined the bikes up in the back parking lot and waited for Lisa and her 4-wheel drive Forest Animal Rescue sedan to show up.
The group chose to volunteer at the sanctuary because, this month especially, Lisa and Kurt could use all the help they can get.
The deed for their Hardee property expires on March 1, which means their land is turned over and their animal-care permit is voided.
If the animals aren't moved up to Marion County by then, they can be legally shot by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The Gator Riders are just one of many groups of volunteers who have helped the Stoners prepare for the property's future inhabitants. They have just a couple of weeks left to finish the sanctuary's structural work.
Installing and finishing fencing is their main task. A perimeter fence will surround the entire property. Within it, each compound ? which could be up to an acre large depending on the animal ? will have a secondary layer of fencing surrounding it. And, to be as safe as possible, there will be a third layer of fencing between the animals and potential human visitors.
"There's no reason for us to ever have any problems," Lisa said.
The Gator Riders also helped assemble 12 "storm lockout cages."
In the future, the smaller, heavy-duty wire cages will be used to house the animals during severe weather. But for now, they will be the animals' temporary homes until the building materials can be moved from Hardee and used for larger compounds in Marion, saving both time and money.
Lisa took the group in two trips, maneuvering her truck through the soft sand and mangled tree limbs that made the last leg of the journey impassible for the motorcycles.
At the site, the volunteers lifted wire supports for the lockout cages high above their heads and clasped them together, one by one. Men and women toiled on their knees, sweat forming on their brows as they tightened bolts and fastened hinges.
Elsewhere on the property, others hoisted heavy wire to finish the perimeter fence. It was thick and hard to bend, but some of the riders questioned the wire's strength in the face of a massive bear or big cat.
"A woman going 100 miles an hour hit this same fence at our property in Hardee," Kurt said. "Damaged the car real bad and tore out a few posts, but the wire was still intact."
To get the huge herd to the new enclosures, Lisa and Kurt have arranged a four-day move of all the exotic animals they own. Between tranquilization and transport, timing is essential.
Lisa is assembling her troops. As member of Florida's State Animal Response Coalition ? which saves wild animals stranded in severe storms ? she is taking advantage of the opportunity.
"We're treating it like a training exercise," Lisa said.
The coalition, the Humane Society of the United States and other organizations will accompany the Stoners as they move the animals later this month. By the beginning of March, all of the animals will be in Marion.
But until then, there's still a lot to be done. Besides a demand for volunteers and manpower, there is a time crunch for utilities and resources.
On three different sides, the Ocala National Forest borders the property. Because of federal regulations, about 4 inches of the forest's property is preventing the Stoners from getting electrical power.
They've completed the required biological and archaeological surveys needed to drill in that small space and connect the power line. The St. Johns River Water Management District and Clay Electric Cooperative both gave them approval, but the forest service has yet to give them the approval.
Until then, they rely on generators.
"People have no idea how much maintenance costs alone," Kurt said.
Forest Animal Rescue is a nonprofit organization that relies solely on donors, grants and sponsors to sustain the $550,000 annual budget that keeps the animals alive and healthy.
"About 95 percent of our budget is donated by individuals in small donations that add up," Lisa said. "A very small amount of it is grants, and we get no government funding."
Three years ago, Lisa and Kurt bought the Marion County land, and after spending half that time removing 1,500 tons of sand pines ? which threatened to fall and damage future animal enclosures ? they started the construction they're now hastily trying to finish.
The move cost more than $1 million, Lisa said, and it's still not fully paid for.
Lisa said local businesses like East Marion Self Storage have reached out to help the sanctuary as "groundbreaking sponsors," donating money and resources to help the Stoners with the move.
In Hardee, three nearby grocery stores donated older meat and produce, vital since the animals go through 150 pounds of fruit, 150 pounds of meat and 150 pounds of dry food per day.
But in Marion, they're still trying to secure regular donors. Lisa said local grocery stores already donate their food to area homeless shelters, and she is having trouble working out a deal.
"If we can just get our foot in the door," she said.
If not, the couple would either have to spend money on gas to make the eight-hour round trip to Hardee for the donated food or buy it all locally.
"Either way, if we take all our budget and put it into food, we won't be able to expand the compounds," Lisa said.
At about 1 p.m., Lisa and Kurt drove the crew back to Johnny 5's for lunch. Over cool glasses of sweet tea and plates of big burgers, the group basked in the air conditioning and talked about their day.
"It's always hard when you do this type of work, but we're a pretty cohesive group," said Bonnie Kisko. "I think we got a lot done."
Kisko, 51, of Gainesville, said she scoped out the sanctuary as a spot where the Gator Riders could help.
"I've volunteered at a number of different sanctuaries over the years," Kisko said. "I told Lisa the motorcycles might scare the animals, but she said, ?The animals might scare you.' "
After almost an hour of storytelling and laughter, the crew headed back to the sanctuary for another four hours of hard labor. As the sun set, they chucked cinder blocks and mended wire; lifted cages and finished fencing.
Just before dusk, the Gator Riders collected their things, suited up and set off.
Forest Animal Rescue still has a long road ahead of them, too.
"People either say we're really committed, or we need to be committed," Lisa said, smiling.
Source: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20130217/articles/130219624
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