(10-28-95) Here is a note from Dr. Bleyman regarding the need for fencing.

Our sponsor BPKP is putting up a longer than 20 kilometer fence in order to enclose a greater than 34 square kilometer area. This area houses the Conservation and Restoration Center (CRC) and consists of 20 square kilometers of good forest. There are degraded forests and open field areas. We are using the fact of the size of the BPKP purchase. The more than 20 kilometers of specially fabricated chain link fence will be a lever for getting the best price on fence from Vietnam.

We have a window of opportunity to garner either money or pledges of money for the purchase of tiger strength and height chain link fence. There will not be another time in the next few years that we have such a great opportunity. We will require approximately $10,000 dollars to purchase the fence and another $2,400 to have it come from the plant in Saigon to our site (about 1800 kilometers from the plant) The tigers are now starting to be shot and smuggled to Vietnam and Thailand. We will have guards and biologists in this area. There in the Nam Theun and on the roads to Vietnam, BPKP has patrols. When we are asked to take the young live tigers that will confiscated, we will be unable to save the last of this healthy, genetically sound population of Corbetti.

(11-19-95) Jason from Mike at CPT- The Tigers are under increasing pressure. We had just heard of a young forty pound Corbetti awaiting transshipment to Vietnam. It had lost part of a leg. Nancy rushed to the rescue but it was gone across the border before we could intercede.

(02-23-96) This past weekend Dr. Michael Bleyman was one of the featured speakers at the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition here in Charleston, SC. Dr. Richard Leakey was here as was Craig Sholley, the man that worked with Dian Fossey. CPT had a table, and good contacts were made at the show. The new CPT Southeastern Wildlife Exposition T-shirts are now available from CPT. The new domain for the Zoe Foundation is https://www.zoetigers.org.

(03-11-96) This past weekend we worked on a new Serval exercise habitat. We had to use a rock drill to go through a rock shelf to place the perimeter poles. This past weekend was also the birthday of CPT’s tigers Hannah, Connor and Eliza, one year old and 200 pounds each of fun. They romp in their 30,000 square foot, wooded habitat. CPT needs a donation of an impact hole auger attachment for a backhoe, and a small trenching machine. If any of you out there could help us out we would sure appreciate it.

(03-21-96) We have some new papers up at the CPT site. Dr. Bleyman is on his way to Costa Rica for a few weeks.

(08-05-96) Several weeks ago the director of the Carnivore Preservation Trust and my good friend Dr. Michael Bleyman passed away from cancer. He will be missed by all who knew him. He was only 58 years old. CPT had a snow leopard born three weeks ago and it was named Mika in honor of Dr. Bleyman. They also have a new ocelot. Sheb-Wollie, pictured under my animal friends, was the last animal Dr. Bleyman raised from birth. He is out now with his little Caracal buddies.

(09-15-96) CPT suffered some damage from the recent hurricane that came ashore in NC, but damage was not extensive. Two animals escaped from enclosures, an Ocelot and a Caracal, but were recaptured. There was damage to some tiger compounds, but no animals or people were injured. Repairs are underway.

(11-05-96) The Zoe Foundation, Inc. has established The Tiger Island International Trust, a National Heritage Foundation. The public relations firm Canaan Public Relations in New York was hired two weeks ago to start promotion for the Tiger Island (now called Paleocene Park) project. The Tiger Island International Trust is a 501 c 3, so tax exempt donations can be accepted.

(07-27-97) We have relocated to Apex, North Carolina. The move brought us close to CPT where we can be of assistance with their facility. We are actively trying to start an autonomous Zoe Foundation based in Switzerland. There is a new cat fence manual in the works as well as a prototype for a new design on the LitterSifter™ that may enable us to go to market with a version that costs less to manufacture.

We will be combining Savage Studios with the Zoe Foundation site in the next few weeks. The site will be changed somewhat for faster loading, etc.

(12-09-97) We have implemented a banner program that offers a commission on Gothic sales. You can check it out at Use A Link. We have recently finished a new Manx puzzle that has been divided into pieces similar to a jigsaw. It is being tested at this time. We are trying to arrange an introduction on the Isle of Man.

I did a phone interview today with a student in New York who is working on a tiger project. It’s good to see younger people interested in the tiger’s plight.

(01-26-98) We have finally finished the prospectus on The Manx project, our major fund raising program for the new tiger facility. Also, we have an e-mail address change. It is now zoe@zoetigers.org. We wanted to use our domain so we would not have to change our address when we’re on the move. I will post an update on The Manx project as soon as we get further along.

(04-06-98) It is with much regret that I have to announce that due to the present leadership and the direction of CPT I will no longer support their efforts. Many of the fine staff and volunteers that worked with Dr. Bleyman have left or been fired. I am terminating my donation of their Website as of today. It is truly a sad state of affairs when the board of directors cannot or will not address serious problems brought to light by people dedicated to Dr. Bleyman’s legacy.

(06-30-98) We have implemented a membership option. We have placed on site information about the upcoming Manx introduction and information about our Swiss coordinator Zoe Wahl. David Gobal of Charleston, SC was kind enough to donate his time doing a watercolor rendition of the new preserve. Zoe and Ben are doing fine.

(10-13-98) We have a preview up of the forthcoming Manx Event on our new domain, www.themanx.com. This Premier Event is a fundraiser for development of the new tiger facility. When the actual site comes online we will have a FREE sample Manx puzzle to download. Anyone who knows people in the media are invited to help us get out press releases. We will have those available in .pdf format soon. Get in touch with us if you would like to help promote this event.

(11-10-98) The completed Manx site is now up at www.themanx.com. The Manx CET1 is available as a direct download. This fund raising item will make a great Christmas gift.

(11-05-99) I have had to place some things on hold for while. My mother recently died of cancer. I was able to keep her at home, but that required much attention. I am now getting back to work on various aspects of the fund raising projects for the new preserve. The Zoe Foundation, Inc. will be applying for 501-c3 status in the near future, site modifications will be made, and updates on our progress on a World Record event added. Thank you for your patience during this trying time.

(02-11-00) We have filed with the state of North Carolina as a non-profit corporation. We are now filing the federal tax exempt application – 501 c3. We are keeping our affiliation with the National Heritage Foundation until we receive a ruling from the IRS on our application.

(03-17-00) I had to put down one of my personal pets today. He was a 17 year old rescue I found during a training run in 1983. His kidneys had failed, and his quality of life was rapidly fading. He was a very fine cat. I will miss him. (Suki: March 1, 1983 – March 17, 2000)

(03-24-00) The Zoe Foundation was incorporated in the State of North Carolina as a nonprofit on March 24, 2000. Forms 1023 and 872-C have been filed with the Internal Revenue Service asking for an advanced ruling on our tax status. We do not anticipate any problems in that regard.

(April – May 2000) Our European representative, Zoe Wahl, is featured in Time Magazine’s Earth Day 2000 Special Edition.

(August 17, 2000) I have just completed updating The Manx site for the Millennium Cipher. You can preview it at http://www.themanx.com/test/index.shtml if you like. It will go up in place of what is there now (www.themanx.com) on November 1, 2000. We are hoping to launch this fund raiser this year. But, as in the past, anything can happen thus causing further delays. I have added a ‘Tell Your Friends’ page to the site so people can more easily let others know about us. We have had a few runners contact us about the relay, but if you know anyone who would be interested please direct them to this site.

(December 14, 2000) As of November 29, 2000 the Zoe Foundation has been granted tax exempt status as a public charity by the Internal Revenue Service under section 4940 of the Internal Revenue Code. We are working with the Conservators’ Center Inc (CCI) on some original endangered animal art canvasses. We will be developing a new art section as soon as the animals complete several pieces. You will be able to order custom works with your selection of animal as well as colors. Look for these in the first quarter of 2001.

(February 2, 2001) We have just been notified that the Trademark office has published the Zoe logo. If there are no challenges they will issue us a ® registration by the middle of the month. We are also working with CCI at present to help tigers in trouble in Arkansas. The foundation sent heaters, tools, blankets, gloves, and socks to the volunteers to aid their efforts. We will also be starting the Endangered Animal Art project with CCI this month provided the weather stays warm.

(February 11, 2001) I have been receiving a lot of mail about Tiger Island. Unfortunately it was due to a program on Animal Plant about another Tiger Island. I have not seem the show, but I think they did a story on the Tiger Island exhibit at DreamWorld. I’m not sure, but that episode has prompted me to rename our future facility to Paleocene Park. I do not want it confused with anyone else.

I refer to Tiger Island in some of my papers. I will not be going back to change those documents, but we now have a new name – Paleocene Park. (Paleocene – In the Geologic Time Scale, the Paleocene is the first period of the Cenozoic, (Age of Mammals, 65 million years ago to the present). Although primitive mammals existed throughout the time of the dinosaurs, their numbers and varieties exploded during the Paleocene. The earliest identifiable ancestors of modern carnivores have been found in Paleocene sediments. Tigers as we know them appeared in the late Pliocene (5 to 1.8 million years ago) and thrived during the Pleistocene (1.8 million to 40,000 years ago). In historical times their numbers began to be decimated as human population levels exploded.) I think Dr. Bleyman would have approved of the new name.

(March 29, 2001) We just got the domain changed over to our new private server and all the files uploaded. That was quite a job. North Carolina sent us a letter on March 22 recognizing the foundation as tax exempt. Tigra is doing very well at her new home in Mebane.

(June 16, 2001) On May 8, 2001 Zoe became the official ® Registered trademark of The Zoe Foundation, Inc. – Reg. No. 2,449,146. We are now talking with Lazaron about banking a Zoe DNA sample.

Mr. Savage has just completed the first in a series of City Gothics called The Ocracoke Puzzle. The original 24″ x 36″ Giclée is displayed at the Berkley Manor, one of the finest Inns on Ocracoke. He is now working on a Charleston Puzzle which will debut later this year.

Plans are being laid with sculptor Daniel Mathewson for a giant stainless steel tiger that will be the center piece for Paleocene Park. Details will follow as we proceed.

Zoe will be fourteen on July 28. She broke a front tooth last week and had to be sedated for the extraction. Her blood panel was excellent, and she is now up and about.

(June 28, 2001) Zoe had her tissue sample taken today. It was forwarded via Fed-Ex to Lazaron. I will know in ten days or so if they were able to grow cells from that sample. We’ll keep you updated.

(December 20, 2001) CCI has just purchased their new land, so we will begin construction on Tigra’s new habitat very soon. Mr. Carl Regutti, a world renowned wildlife sculptor, is near completion of the bas-relief sculpture that is going to be the centerpiece for our major fund raising project. Tests with clubs and school groups will commence in the spring. Zoe is doing fine. We plan to have some new items in the gift shop as well in the next month or so. This year has been one of planning. This coming year implementation is the goal. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

(May 2, 2002) I have a distressing message to report. Zoe, my friend and mascot, passed away today after recovering from anesthesia. I took her to the vet to check a broken tooth and to have her teeth cleaned. She was just fine. I should have considered her age – she would have been fifteen in July – but I didn’t. I can’t forgive myself. I have lost possibly the closest friend I ever had. I had several tissue samples sent to Lazaron to see if they could successfully culture her cells. They were not successful the last time. I’m sorry Zoe. God speed! I miss you.

(May 9, 2002) I had to go in for surgery the day after Zoe’s passing. I am in a lot of pain, but I have started a biography about Zoe and our time together. It is a very difficult task seeing I am not a writer and I am distraught over her loss. But I will persevere for her. I intend to have Carl Regutti sculpt a life size Zoe that will be cast in bronze. I had her cremated after the samples were taken. He remains will be placed inside her statue. I hope to display it one day amongst some of her favorite things in the Paleocene Park Hall of Fame.

(May 31, 2002) I am recovering from the surgery. I am now working with CCI on Tigra’s new habitat. I am taking photos as we progress, and I hope to have some up on site before too long.

(June 25, 2002) On June 1, 2002 I received a letter from Richard Denniston, CEO of Lazaron BioTechnologies. He said they successfully cultured 1,000,000 fibroblast cells from Zoe’s sample. They are now stored in liquid nitrogen. This was great news. A part of Zoe still lives.

(July 21, 2002) I have just completed our new fund raising program. Also I have posted photos of Tigra’s habitat construction.

(January 1, 2003) I have just added some artist renditions of Paleocene Park™. In addition I have completed the Survival At Risk Silver Challenge page. This past Christmas I had the pleasure of meeting two very interesting and creative businessmen, one resides in Germany, the other here in Raleigh. We may have some exciting news to bring you in the near future.

(May 31, 2003) On May 19 we finished Tigra’s enclosure. She is a happy cat. CCI also rescued another tiger, Willie, one day before he was to be euthanized. We are now in need of funds to build Willie’s new enclosure. Can you help?

(June 6, 2003) I finally finished the complete update of the foundation site and the move to our new domain – zoetigers.org. The new domain name helps with some search engines since the word tigers is now a part of our address. Please update your bookmarks. My e-mail address is now director@zoetigers.org.

(July 5, 2003) We had a big work day today at CCI. We finished the extension to Willie’s temporary enclosure. The heat index was above 100 degrees, but we wanted to get Willie his new space. CCI bought him a much bigger wading tub!

(October 10, 2003) Samson passed away today – Friday, October 10, 2003 – trying to fight cancer that was discovered only a month before. I rescued Samson from atop a fence near a gas station in Charleston, SC when he was a kitten eleven years ago from this Thanksgiving Day. He was a wonderful cat. I will miss him. God’s speed Samson.

(November 24, 2003) We are releasing our first press release through PR Newswire tomorrow. It’s a bit late for the Christmas season, which we hoped to make. But Samson’s sickness and design delays set our time schedule back. If we do the the Brass Ticket featured at www.relayforthetiger.com we will be able to proceed quickly next year.

(December 8, 2003) I have just added seven new video clips and some new photos on the Tiger Photo page.

(July 4, 2004) A new tiger baby has been rescued by CCI. Her name is Nia, and she will be needing a major operation. You can help.

(August 2004) Nia’s operation was not successful. She passed away due to complications. The link will take you to her memorial page on themanx.com site. I am no longer supporting CCI after reading an e-mail forwarded to me by a lady who donated money through the Zoe Foundation to help with Nia’s operation.

(January 2006) Immortal Memories™, a new company started by Mr. Savage, is preparing to launch a new product designed to be a major fund raiser for the foundation. Mr. Savage and award winning sculptor and chemist Carl Regutti developed a technique to etch high resolution images into stainless steel and titanium. The memorial market is the target. These pieces can withstand the outdoor elements for thousands of years. In addition, Mr. Savage is lending a hand to Mr. Algy Vaisutis, a former Department of Foreign Affairs officer now residing in South Africa. Mr. Vaisutis has designed a revolutionary new eco-tourism project that involves saving endangered species. Mr. Savage is aiding him with contacts here in the USA. Mr. Savage has now completed the Charleston Puzzle as well as another print depicting the new and old bridges in Charleston. Both can be purchased at Tigers Time Studios.

(May 28, 2009)  I have not committed to a site update January 2006, so I thought I would start a make over even though I am feverishly working on two other major projects. One being the National Afghanistan & Iraq Freedom Reigns Memorial and the other the launch of a new fund-raising event – The Manx.

Since I began this update only a few days ago, it will take some time to transfer some of the videos and animal photos. I will definitely get to those as soon as possible.

Due to the memorial project, I have not written about the tiger’s plight since 2006.  Not a lot has changed. The tiger is still losing ground, now with an estimated 1,400 or less still surviving in the wild. Ashok Sharma of the Associated Press wrote in 2007, “Saving the world’s remaining tigers will require as much as $500 million a year, but average annual international funding only comes to $5 million.” You can easily see the problem.  Governments, corporations, and for that matter, the general public, is not overly concerned. In 2005 it was discovered that every tiger had disappeared from Sariska National Park, one of India’s 28 tiger preserves.

My position on the tiger situation has been clear for years. If they are ultimately going to be saved, a captive breeding program managed by leading geneticists must be established. But one where these magnificent animals are relegated to insufficient and unnatural living spaces is unacceptable. Some of you may be familiar with a venue I designed years ago. It was quite lavish with luxurious visitor amenities. I spent hundreds of hours on design and cost projections. Its estimated price tag was close to $200 million. That never received any traction. A pared down Paleocene Park that reduces some of the original planned amenities will still cost a great deal of money. Observation indicates such a remarkable facility is beyond the reach of small donations.

Some postulate that if the Zoe Foundation can collect enough small donations from a large enough audience, funding a new tiger preserve like I envision could be realized. When I put forth my initial site plans I was thinking along those lines. Reality then reared its ugly head. Not enough people know about the tiger’s plight, and those that do probably assume their small contribution would never make a dent in such a budget. This is understandable. Mounting a public relations initiative to combat that viewpoint and enlighten people in general failed. I personally hired a well know PR firm in New York, but very little was accomplished. The Jay Leno producers told me the subject matter was simply too serious for their audience. And the press releases I placed on the wire received no responses. I’m not saying that a multi-million dollar PR campaign would not work, but we simply do not possess those funds.

Some point to President Obama’s extraordinary success using the Internet to raise campaign funds. The tiger project is a horse of a different color. The President’s success was based on grass roots, local volunteer passion and willingness to organize. It was about electing a new President. There’s a lot of personal enthusiasm to tap at all levels. I don’t believe that kind of fervor could be generated for a tiger project. It’s not something people feel would personally impact their lives, unlike the decisions made by a new leader.

Let me make the case in another way. This relates to my Freedom Memorial efforts. Eighty percent of the funding for major memorials like the WWII and Air Force Memorials came from corporations, not private donations. Referring to paragraph three, if governments, corporations, and other funding sources can provide only $5 million a year for programs that are estimated to need $500 million, a new tiger preserve doesn’t stand much of a chance attracting corporate, foundation, or government dollars. We must pursue funding in an entirely different manner. Since individual donations will not be the primary funding methodology, I have not published a fund-raising timetable or project budget. Maybe those will be considered in the future to indicate progress once we see if our new approach produces measurable results.

Our new fund-raising initiative features an international competition based on consumer interest. The events will be personally rewarding. Proceeds generated will be directed to one of two projects – the National Afghanistan & Iraq Freedom Reigns Memorial or Paleocene Park. I know you’ve seen advertising on many products indicating a portion of the net proceeds will be donated to … program(s). That portion is usually a few cents. That’s fine. Those pennies add up, especially when major corporations are the benefactors. This is a good will marketing approach. Again, I applaud them for their generosity. I’m glad they are helping needy organizations. The difference in my methodology is all proceeds from these events will be directed to only two major projects.

I’ve designed the Manx based on many years (30+) as a competitive runner. Running events raise millions of dollars each year for worthy causes. Participants support these races for three main reasons. One, they are aware of and support the charity for which the event is organized. Two, they are rewarded for their entry fee (donation) by getting a T-shirt or some other incentive. And three, they have the opportunity to win an overall or age group award. I based the Manx on those three motivators along with the addition of one other – gift giving. If this approach is successful, it could generate all the funding for the Memorial and Paleocene Park.

Thank you for stopping by.  If you have any thoughts, ideas, or desire to assist in this tiger project or the memorial in some manner, please fell free to write.

(December 19, 2009) My wonderful cat Ben passed today. He was 21 years old.

(December 12, 2011) I have completed the habitat building slide shows. I have also added new videos that are now on You Tube. I will soon be elaborating on a new concept called the Ranthambhore Vision. This is an update on tech original Paleocene Park development. The tiger’s plight continues to get worse despite the claims being made by conservationists in the countries where tigers still exist in the wild. I predicted the wild tiger populations years ago. Today, some are publishing more accurate estimates. It doesn’t look promising.

(April 22, 2012) I have added the Ranthambhore Vision. This is an update on the original Paleocene Park development.

(April 28, 2014) New paper added – Report Card – 2014. Proposed new project: TPI

(March 17, 2017) I have not made an update in almost three years. The Freedom Memorial project has taken my time. A lot has happened in these three years.

The VP of Freedom Memorials, my sculptor friend Carl Regutti passed away. My sister also passed away on June 29, 2015.

I could never get any traction for The Manx puzzle event. Press releases did not generate a single article. The Manx has now been archived. With the advent of video games and cell phones, a puzzle event may not be attractive.

I am still working to launch two new products as fundraisers, but that has been tedious. I tried for years to reach Lori Greiner of Shark Tank fame with no success. I attended a Shark Tank casting call, but I was not selected. That was a good learning experience.

I now now coming to terms with the fact that I may never see a new tiger preserve dedicated to saving the species. I have paired down my vision to a more feasible project – the Tiger Preservation Initiative (TPI).

I am getting older, but I will keep the faith.

(September 5, 2021) It has been four years since my last update. The years move by so fast. The Freedom Reigns Memorial and the TPI have gained no traction. I went back to carpentry work to survive. I have resurrected a project that I first envisioned in 1972, my linear graphic work. I just completed the electronic portion of my six foot by six foot piece. Now its time to try and promote that work. If you would like to see what its all about please visit The Trithemian Web. The proceeds from the sale of this first piece will go to fund the TPI.