Jacob Barr (left) rests Tuesday while his father keeps him company at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
( Jordan Wilson/P-D)
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Jacob Barr awakened slowly, opened his eyes, and pulled off the white sheet covering his legs. "As of Sunday morning, I had a leg," Barr said Tuesday, pointing to his right leg, amputated just below the knee. "Now, there's nothing there."
Barr, 26, of Warrenton, is recovering at Barnes-Jewish Hospital after he was attacked by a tiger Sunday at the Wesa-A-Geh-Ya exotic animal farm near Warrenton. He faces additional surgery today to remove more of the leg to just above the knee.
"I didn't even want to work there, I was just helping a buddy," Barr said.
Because of the mauling, Wesa's founders said Tuesday afternoon they would close their facility after more than 20 years of operation. The facility will give its animals away to three different sanctuaries within the next month.
"It's a number of things, but Jacob was the straw that broke the camel's back," said Ken Smith, 51, who started Wesa with his wife, Sandra, 58. "And I don't think I can fight the fight anymore. I think this has taken the life out of me."
Sandra Smith said the attack was the first time an animal mauled a volunteer. Wesa-A-Geh-Ya means "cat lady" in her native Cherokee language.
Wesa, which houses more than 50 lions and tigers along with other abandoned animals, has come under government scrutiny and criticism by animal rights groups in recent years. It was open to the public until the Smiths surrendered their exhibitors license to the USDA in late 2003 in the midst of a federal investigation. Both have been placed on probation for violations that included failing to keep cages properly locked and failing to register some animals.
The Smiths blame some neighbors and former volunteers for much of their trouble. Because of constant complaints and allegations of abuse, the Smiths say they were unable to add on to their animals' cages because the Warren County planning and zoning board denied their requests.
Sandra Smith said they wanted to add tops to their cages, which could have prevented the mauling, but were denied by planning and zoning.
Officials at the Warren County Commission could not be reached Tuesday but issued a statement saying that since 1995, the commission has "no record of any conditional use permit for cages or perimeter fence" from the Smiths.
Sandra Smith said as soon as Wesa finds its animals new homes, she and her husband will also leave town.
"Warrenton citizens won. We've thrown the towel in," she said. "I've got animals out there I love as much as some of my grandkids, probably."
Jim Barr said his son has that same love of animals. But for some reason, Barr said, animals never seemed to return the love to Jacob.
One time, Barr said Jacob's brothers were playing roughly with a golden retriever. Jacob was on the other side of the room, but the agitated dog bolted past his brothers and bit Jacob instead. He needed more than a dozen stitches.
Sunday was Jacob Barr's first trip to Wesa-A-Geh-Ya. He was helping a friend who was a volunteer, his father said. While Barr and another worker were cleaning a tiger's cage, the animal jumped a 12-foot fence and got hold of Barr. The 800-pound tiger "tossed Jacob around like a dish rag," his father said. The tiger was shot and killed to end the attack.
Initially, Wesa workers told authorities Barr was attacked by a pit bull. Warren County Sheriff Kevin Harrison said the story changed, though, when Barr's father told the department a tiger attacked his son, not a dog. Then, Wesa workers described the attack, Harrison said. Sandra Smith said the cover-up was done to keep her animals.
Jim Barr says his son never would have gone to Wesa if he would have known the conditions of the cages.
The Smiths remain horrified at the attack.
"I'd kill every animal out there if Jacob could have his legs back," Ken Smith said.
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