Zion Wildlife Gardens Zion Wildlife Gardens in Recievership

zooboy28

zooboy28

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Zion park placed in receivership - national | Stuff.co.nz

LATEST: Big cats at Northland's beleaguered Zion Wildlife Gardens risk being "put down'' during its receivership.

Pricewaterhouse Coopers announced the receivership about 4.20pm.

Partner Colin McCloy said receivers would ensure standards were maintained at Zion.

"We are committed to doing the best we can for the welfare of the wildlife. As a result we are working closely with an independent zoo expert, who is not related to any prior operator.

"This is to ensure the current welfare and containment standards of the animals at Zion Wildlife Gardens are maintained. "

Receivers were also working with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Patricia Busch, the park's current operator and mother of "Lion Man'' Craig, said in a statement this afternoon that some of the 36 cats housed at the reserve, on the outskirts of Whangarei, were now at risk. At the time there was only speculation that receivers would move in.

"If the receivers now move in the cats will be separated, some will be sold overseas, some will be re-housed and for those that cannot, will be put down,'' Mrs Busch said.

"These animals are like our family and we know that we can keep breeding these endangered cats.
Mrs Busch said she was about to lose her farm and all of her land which had been mortgaged in a bid to save the park.

"If the receivers move in this will have a devastating effect on the animals, as the bank intends to remove [Mrs Busch] and [my] family from the role of looking after them.''

Mrs Busch said that the park's income had been drastically reduced due to a series of incidents; including the stopping of wildlife encounters, the tragic death of big cat handler Dalu Mncube and ongoing litigation between Craig, herself and various companies.

Mrs Busch claimed some of the blame lay with her son, who won worldwide fame in his starring role in The Lionman television series.

Since Craig was removed from the park in November 2008, Mrs Busch said she had been committed to keeping the once-popular tourist attraction alive.

She had been helped by her daughter, Megan, and with close friends, family and a team of staff at Zion and was in the process of establishing a charitable trust to help keep the park door's open.

"This park was not only his [Craig's] life work, it has become the families' life work,'' she said.

"Thousands of hours have been spent on this vision of a haven for Bengal tigers and a breeding programme, we have achieved the impossible only to see it being destroyed before our very eyes.

"I despair to see this happening to the cats. I want New Zealand to help me save the cats in fact for New Zealand.''

Craig Busch is in South Africa and currently unavailable for comment.

His spokeswoman said a statement would be made as soon as he could be contacted.
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Craig Busch is in South Africa and currently unavailable for comment.
His spokeswoman said a statement would be made as soon as he could be contacted.
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gosh I wonder what his statement will say..... :rolleyes:
 
I'm rather surprised there hasn't been more on this yet. I've tried googling and basically all that's out there is the original article and a slightly updated one (and of course the rabid outpourings from the Saint Craig worshippers).
 
hmm, just after I wrote the above I see this article:
Lion Man could buy back Zion - Local News - Northland Northern Advocate
28 July 2011

Lion Man Craig Busch could buy back Whangarei's world famous Zion Wildlife Gardens after the big cat park was put into receivership, his spokeswoman says.

Receivers were called into the park on Tuesday over debts believed to be about $2 million, sparking fears for the future of Zion's 36 big cats. A statement issued by the park this week said its income had been drastically reduced by the withdrawal of wildlife encounters and ongoing litigation.

Mr Busch's spokeswoman in New Zealand, Jill Albrow, said the Lion Man has the finances in place to buy back the park from receivers PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Ms Albrow said Mr Busch - who shot to international stardom in the hit TV programme The Lion Man until he was sacked from the park in 2008 - was prepared to discuss the state of Zion with receivers.

Receiver and PwC Partner Colin McCloy said the company had only just been appointed to Zion.

"Once we have all the information in front of us, we will assess all options available to us as receivers."

Rabobank called in the receivers with the park understood to be in the red by about $2 million and operator Patricia Busch will file an injunction in court to prevent the receivers from interfering with the animals.

But Ms Albrow said an injunction already existed from the Lion Man to protect the 36 animals housed at Zion.

She said the big cats could not be disposed off or euthanised without the consent of a High Court judge after earlier court proceedings.

"Proceedings already exist that show the cats are Craig's and have never been the property of the park," Ms Albrow said.

She said a trust already existed for the welfare of the cats.

"Craig has the experienced personnel and financial resources to take back the park immediately from the receivers and re-establish the Lion Man and cat breeding programme in New Zealand," Ms Albrow said.

"Craig is prepared to discuss with the receivers on any day at any time to arrange for this to happen."

Mr Busch, who was in Africa, was not ready to talk about the developments at this stage, she said.

His supporters globally had been raising money for him to buy back the park or to set up another.

Mrs Busch recently denied her son was negotiating with her to buy back the park, saying her son was only required to repay $1.2 million in loans she gave him to regain control of the park.

He did not say he was returning to the country or the park during a recent conversation, she said.

This week she said she had put everything on the line to save the animals and the park by lending her son the $1.2 million to pay out a previous business partner, to pay legal fees and bail out the park.

However, in a bid to regain control of the companies associated with the park, her son had since waged a publicity campaign against her through social media, she said.

She has said that she wants to save the animals and the park "for Northland and New Zealand" and is in the process of setting up a charitable trust.

Mrs Busch's lawyer, Evgeny Orlov, said Zion's financial situation was fairly serious but not in any sense insurmountable.

"The problem is no one is really serious about gaining the support of the Government and the people because it [the park] is more than a park, it's a breeding ground for rare animals who can be looked after under a joint partnership venture," he said.
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I'm not sure I can really give much credence to the various comments by Craig's spokeswoman Jill Albrow
 
what a complicated mess!

Do they have any pure tigers here, or are they all generic crosses?
 
Pertinax said:
what a complicated mess!

Do they have any pure tigers here, or are they all generic crosses?
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a lot of the problems there really are solely due to the back-and-forth fighting between Craig and Patricia, the monetary one in particular is partly due to the costs of the court cases between the two. As for the tigers they are all "Bengal" (read generic) and white tigers. The other cats there are "Barbary" lions, white lions, I think some generic lions as well, two cheetahs, two servals and a black leopard.

The following item just appeared this morning (NZ time). What a joke.
'Lion Man' has new plans for Zion - national | Stuff.co.nz
'Lion Man' Craig Busch has revealed his plans for Zion Wildlife Gardens if he regains control, including turning the big cat reserve into an African-style safari park.

Most of Zion's 36 big cats – including lions, tigers, cheetahs and a sole leopard – would be released from their enclosures and allowed to roam around the Northland tourist attraction.

Tourists would be able to get close to the big cats, travelling around the park's secure boundaries in a specially-designed safari bus.

At night they would also have the chance to camp out under the stars, enjoy an African-style barbecue and listen to Busch, who won worldwide acclaim with The Lion Man TV series, talk about his wildlife travels and issues such as poaching and animal trafficking.

The ideas are included in a business plan prepared by those heading Busch's bid to return to the sprawling Zion Wildlife Gardens that is being tabled with potential investors.

Busch's support team includes Charles Cadwallader, a former national inspector of the SPCA and ex-MAF animal welfare investigations manager andSunday News can confirm major changes will be made to the park if Busch returns.

He opened Zion, on the outskirts of Whangarei, in 2002, but sole directorship of the park was handed to his mother, Patricia, in 2006 after she raised loans to help pay off growing debts.

Busch's employment ended in 2008, sparking a long-running legal battle between the pair.

Receivers PricewaterhouseCoopers were called into the park on Tuesday after action by Rabobank in relation to loans taken out by Patricia Busch.

After Patricia went public with her fears that some of the animals could be put down, the receivers said the welfare of Zion's big cats was a priority.

Talking via his official spokeswoman this week, Busch confirmed that he had the "financial resources" to resume control of Zion. "Verbal and written approaches have been made to the receivers," the spokeswoman said.

"A deal has been put on the table with various options as to how it may be implemented.

"Craig's offer has been noted by the receivers and he looks forward to working with them."

"He has the experienced personnel and financial resources to take back the park immediately from the receivers and re-establish the Lion Man and cat breeding programme in New Zealand."

Craig Busch is currently based in South Africa and is now planning to return to New Zealand.

He plans to remove many of the enclosure fences at the wildlife park. Literature circulated by the Lion Man's backers says: "We are going to turn Zion into a safari park where the cats roam freely and you and I travel on the safari bus.

"And this is where the new and exciting Zion magic will come into play. As we grow, so too will the park, so that it becomes a fusion of European safari park and African subcontinent game reserve.

"Let's open up the gardens at Zion and watch the animals wander at will through the acres of free space."

Night tours would also be introduced.

The plan explains: "You would get the feel of the African grasslands after dark. Hear the night sounds and soak up the atmosphere of a truly African safari experience. Our night tours will be amazing. The large majority of big cats are most active during the twilight hours and darkness. It is then that many will be fed and can be viewed either by torchlight or by infrared night-vision glasses.

"This will be followed by a barbecue and sitting around the campfire listening to stories from the Lion Man himself. For the truly hardy, there will be the opportunity to camp out in a tent by the big cats to be woken in the morning by loud snuffling and the occasional lion's roar."
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Zion plans

Sorry, Not buying any of that. Craig should just take his sheepish followers money and disappear.
 
Receivership spurs concern for Zion's cats | Stuff.co.nz
3 August 2011

Businesses and residents are keen to support Zion Wildlife Gardens' big cats.

Receivers were called into the troubled park in rural Kamo last week by Rabobank because of debts owed by operator Patricia Busch.

Mrs Busch says she fears the cats could be separated, sold overseas or put down.

She says the park's income has been drastically reduced after a series of incidents including the tragic death of big cat handler Dalu Mncube and ongoing litigation between herself, her son Craig Busch and other parties.

After Mr Mncube's death in 2009, hundreds of Kamo businesses and residents sponsored the felines, paying a weekly amount to buy meat.

Jennifer Beachen from Kamo Health Shop helped organise the adoption of the cats with her late husband Daryle. She says the community was hugely generous in their support of the cats and believes they will be again.

But she says she is not surprised about the receivership because she has not had good dealings with Zion Wildlife Gardens management and says the sponsorship was not received with gratitude.

Business owner Chris Barber says he was pleased to sponsor one of the lions and offered to carry on with the funding but his phone calls were never returned.

He says Zion Wildlife Gardens is a good tourist attraction which should be supported by the Whangarei District Council.

"I think it's doing more for our economy than Hundertwasser will."

Mr Barber's business transports tourists to the park and, with The Lion Man TV series still showing in Britain, many visitors are keen to see Mr Busch in action.

"I think a good outcome would be for him to get back and run it."

Mr Busch was dismissed from the park in November 2008 but has been fighting to gain control from his mother.

Mrs Busch became the sole director of Zion in 2006 after providing funds to keep the park going.

A Northland-based spokeswoman says Mr Busch now has the financial resources to take back control of the park.

Earlier this year he gained an injunction in the Whangarei District Court which bans the movements of any of the 36 cats or possible moves to euthanise the animals.

Receivers PricewaterhouseCoopers say they are committed to doing the best for the welfare of Zion's wildlife.

It is working closely with an independent zoo expert and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, says partner Colin McCloy.
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Zion Wildlife Gardens locks receivers out - Local News - Northland Northern Advocate
3 August 2011

The battle for control of Zion Wildlife Gardens is heating up with receivers for the financially stricken park going to the High Court to get access after they were locked out.

Park operator Patricia Busch last week refused to open a gate for receiver Colin McCloy, saying she would only do so on the instructions of her lawyer.

Mr McCloy and fellow receiver David Bridgman then sought a court order that Mrs Busch give up possession of the park, hand over all keys and unlock all gates at the park for them.

Justice Edwin Wylie said Mrs Busch's actions prevented the receivers from doing their job.

She was wrong to lock the gates to keep the receivers off the property, he said.

The receivers needed to have access to the wildlife park, including to the part of the park where the animals were caged.

The receivers succeeded in securing an order but the court directed they not remove Mrs Busch as the licensed operator for the care and welfare of the animals.

The receivers were also ordered not to interfere in her duties as the licensed operator.

Rabo Bank, which appointed the receivers, argued that once appointed, they had the power, possession and control of the assets of the company in receivership.

But Mrs Busch's lawyer Evgeny Orlov said as far as he was aware this did not extend to the animals.

The Busch family has a licence to occupy the premises in order to look after the animals, he said.

The receivers were playing hard ball by blocking accounts of the park, making it difficult for his client to care for the animals, Mr Orlov said

He had been unable to organise a discussion with either the receivers or former operator Craig Busch.

"While he's fighting his mother, the cats could unfortunately be lost," Mr Orlov said.

Mr Busch has put an offer to the receivers, with various options on how he'd manage the park if he took charge.

Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is deciding whether to join Mr Busch, his mother, Zion and Country Developments in the High Court proceedings.

Acting deputy director general Andrew Coleman said if the receivers were granted the ability to move the animals, MAF would, in the first instance, work with the receivers and zoo industry stakeholders to seek their advice in securing the animals' future either locally or internationally.
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Receivers locked out of Zion | Stuff.co.nz
9 August 2011

Patricia Busch has agreed to finally open the gates of Zion Wildlife Gardens to receivers.

An agreement between her legal team and lawyers from receivers PricewaterhouseCoopers states the wildlife reserve owner and operator will open up the gates at the Northland tourist attraction to receivers at 11am tomorrow.

The deal was done after the Auckland High Court was told that Mrs Busch was "holed up" in the secure wildlife reserve, deliberately avoiding receivers who were appointed to the park 14 days ago.

Lawyer Justin Toebes, appearing on behalf of the receivers, had earlier told the court that Mrs Busch was "holed up behind the security fences in a wildlife park".

"She refused to come out ... she can't be personally served."

Toebes also presented the court with an affidavit from PWC partner and receiver Colin McCloy which outlined the receiver's frustration at not being able to gain access to Zion.

After presenting himself at Zion's head office on August 3, and requesting to see Busch, Toebes said:

"The message came back that you are to leave the property immediately and you are to contact Mr Orlov [her lawyer, Evgeny Orlov]."

Neither Busch nor Orlov were present in the court.

Shaurya Malaviya appeared on behalf of the pair.

He said that part of the delay on receivers being allowed into the park was because no papers had been personally delivered to Mrs Busch.

But Toebes said that was down to the fact Mrs Busch was refusing to come to the locked front gates of Zion.

Instead, all the paperwork had been emailed to Mrs Busch and faxed to Orlov.

He said it was a stance which meant receivers were unable to do their job.

"All she [Mrs Busch] has to do is open the gates and give the keys to receivers," Toebes said.

"Then they can get on with doing their job."

The agreement made in the Auckland High Court will see the doors being unlocked to receivers at 11am on Wednesday, with Mrs Busch also providing a full set of keys to the wildlife park.

All financial books and animal records will also be handed over to PWC.

But as part of the deal, Busch is allowed to be accompanied by Orlov.

Justice Mark Woolford also included a clause which would enable a further court hearing to be heard within 12 hours if either side reneged on aspects of the agreement.

Orlov told Sunday News on the weekend that PWC would be let into the grounds if they agreed to a range of conditions aimed at ensuring their safety.

"I said come and meet with me, we will be happy to let them in," he said. "But you can't just let people run into tiger cages. She [Busch] has safety responsibilities towards the animals and the people.

"We wanted to sit down with them [PwC] and talk about where they would go and what they would be doing.

"But they refused to talk to us, they refused to even meet with me."

McCloy said that receivers were taking "appropriate legal action" after being shut out.

"We are being denied access to the property and as a result we're taking appropriate legal action," he said.

"We are not in a position to comment further because it is now before the court.

"I want to reiterate we are committed to doing the best we can for the welfare of the wildlife and to ensure we continue to maintain the current welfare standards of the animals at Zion Wildlife Gardens, in receivership."
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What a debacle! Mrs Busch sounds like a bit of a ratbag, and what a ridiculous statement to make about receivers running into cat cages - they're most likely NOT Lionman zealots, and should have some common sense. I imagine their focus will be on the books and not playing with the cats.

Hix
 
Both parties - Patricia and Craig seem to be similar in personalities. Although it seems Patricia takes things one step to far every time.

It seems in all of this no one remembers the animals. Very sad.
 
What a weird set-up. All those legal wrangles over somewhere that keeps a load of impure and colour morph Tigers and Lions, appears not to have any genetically pure cats and yet manifests desires to breed more of them. I wonder what they see as the ultimate aim of this-I can't see the point of any of it myself..:confused:
 
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The sooner Pat Busch and her daughter are pulled out of there the better. They have had some great staff, and some fantastic advisors, but they refuse to listen to them.

The best thing for that place would be to kick the Buschs well clear of it and set up a trust to run it. And do away with the stupid idea of conservation and breeding of freakish cats, the breeding of while lions and tigers is not conservation any more than breeding two headed kiwis is.

Craig's idea of forming the place into a sort of open reserve is nice, but impractical. I seriously doubt MAF would license any sort of big car enclosure that allowed the public entry. Orana closed down there big cat drive through years ago because of safety concerns, I can't see another one being allowed to operate.

The best option for the park would be to lower the entry price, encourage local contributions and participation, and keep it as a sort of retirement place for the cats, most of which have been declawed, to live out their lives in comfort.

And definitely stop any more breeding, they are over crowded as it is.

Although the cats themselves seem to be following that polciy, the last time they tried to breed more white tigers the male killed the female.

And their cheetah breeding project is a joke, which is a good thing as they dont need more cats of any sort.
 
Im surprised there hasn't been more mention on this, when the subject came up some time back there were a few defenders of the park.
But the trend is for those who work the hardest and support the park the strongest to get ***** on by the park managment and cast aside, so it could be that has happened to the recent batch of fans.

It would be sad to contemplate the almost inevitable fate of these cats, but it is a sad fact they are inbred freaks of nature that should never have been born, and further mutilated by declawing. And if that wasnt enough they are confined to small bare enclosured with no enrichment or diversity, despite what several dedicated followers have said.

the best thing that could ever happen is for the Busch clan to be given the boot right out of there, the whole place turned over to a trust, and advantage taken of the many offiers of assistence and help that have been made over the years but have been turned down because the pair of weirdos who run the place are so paranoid.
 
whole thing is a total joke. many fans raised much money for the return of the hero to his babies. instead they use funds raised on a pathetic bancruptsy case against his mother. the man is serial con artist. Does anyone know the name of the park in Kerikeri where CB 1st conned a widow out of everything she owned including her big cats. Time this man was exposed for what he really is. At this time CB is in Africa where it is rumoured to be buying land while also "an offer" has been put in. Also CB's 5 previous convictions before he knocked 7 bells out of the late Karen. Where was he in 1991 for the other assault charge. This man is a liar & a cheat using his fame to gain funds. a fame that he is not entitled too. the man is only interested in hanging his mother out to dry. not the cats of Zion.
 
What is likely to happen to the animals at the park?? Could they be moved to other collections with N.Zealand or could they go abroad to the UK or USA??
 
Badgerman91 said:
What is likely to happen to the animals at the park?? Could they be moved to other collections with N.Zealand or could they go abroad to the UK or USA??
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There is a good chance that the park will not be closed and a buyer found, hence the animals will just stay at the park (hopefully in upgraded enclosures).

However, if the park was closed and animal collection dispersed, the cheetahs alone could probably easily find homes in NZ (as they are South African imports and could be integrated into the species breeding programme). I don't know much about the history of the servals (except they came from New Plymouth - presumably Pouakai?), but they too could be rehomed in NZ (may still belong to Pouakai?). Some of the lions and tigers, and the elderly baboon (if still alive?) could potentially go to Franklin or Pouakai (who already have some of Zion's tigers) zoos in NZ. More lions and tigers, and the black leopard, might find homes at private zoos in Australia, but not all of them.

After considering these local zoos, remaining animals could be sent to the UK or USA, or even that lion park in Bali. Some did come from the UK, e.g. the black leopard, (and maybe USA?) originally. The other animals at the park (deer and ostrich) would be sold to local farms most probably.
 
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