Waystation Allegations Detailed

The state Department of Fish and Game provided a detailed account Friday for the first time of alleged health and safety violations by the Wildlife Waystation animal sanctuary.

The revelations were made public on the same day a team of environmental, medical and animal experts, and actress Dyan Cannon rallied to defend the refuge and its director, Martine Colette.

Dr. David Levine, an orthopedic surgeon, said in a news conference that the nonprofit organization has been blocked from raising money because the state recently ordered the Waystation closed to the public.

“Perhaps the most damaging thing Fish and Game has done is tainted our reputation and provided an air of fear within the public,” Levine said.

Fish and Game officials said some of the chimpanzees at the center may carry HIV and strains of hepatitis.

But Waystation veterinarian Jennifer Conrad said all the chimps have been tested and none carry HIV. One tested positive for hepatitis C, which can be transmitted only by the exchange of body fluids, Conrad said.

Jim Mahoney, the New York University professor who sent the chimpanzees to the Waystation, confirmed that none of the animals carry the virus that causes AIDS. He said he sent 16 chimpanzees--once used for biomedical research--to the refuge in 1996 because it was the only facility that would take and care for them for the rest of their lives.

“This was a tremendous service to the animals and to the country because she [Colette] was the only one in the U.S. who would do it,” he said.

Fish and Game inspectors said they found a number of “serious cage violations” at the refuge that threatened the welfare of animals and the public. Of the more than 200 cages inspected, two-thirds were out of compliance, the state said.

They said they also found garbage and abandoned vehicles leaking oil near creeks and streams clogged with bottles, tires, corrugated metal pipe and other debris. The inspectors reported discovering large amounts of horse manure flowing into a stream, as well as disinfectant, urine and other animals’ feces.

“As a result of their inspection, the team determined immediate action was necessary to protect the public’s health and safety and to help assure the well-being of the animals,” wrote Michael R. Valentine, a lawyer for the state agency, in a letter to the Waystation’s board of directors.

But court-appointed Watermaster Melvin Blevins refuted the allegations that streams and creeks were polluted.

“The water is clean with no problems,” said Blevins, who inspects waterways in the San Fernando Valley and reports his findings to Los Angeles Superior Court.

Colette broke down in tears Friday, saying she was betrayed by the Department of Fish and Game.

The recent action by Fish and Game reverses a mutually beneficial relationship that started when the Waystation opened in 1976, she said. The facility, which houses orphaned and abandoned wild and exotic animals, had accepted some rescued animals from the state.

“The nature of this facility is the phone rings and you respond,” Colette said. “You house an animal the best way you can. Then you build a permanent cage. Then you start over again.”

Cannon, who appears on TV’s “Ally McBeal,” said she chose to work with the Waystation six years ago after seeing Colette’s dedication to rehabilitating injured animals.

“I would lay down my life for this woman and what she stands for,” said Cannon, who recalled watching Colette work through other crises. “And she will rise up from this crisis too.”