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ESSENTIAL DESTINATIONS

MONTH: SEPTEMBER 2006

Human Obituaries

Linda Howard, 39, unexpectedly shot herself on July 27, 2006, after a domestic dispute at her home in San Antonio, Texas. A computer systems analyst by trade, Howard was by avocation a humane investigator, animal rights organizer, and behind-the-scenes communicator and facilitator, who for more than 15 years helped to bring wildlife traffickers and abusers to justice, organized the coast-to-coast Primate Freedom Tour in 1999, brokered exotic animal rescues and relocations worldwide by telephone and Internet, and helped to research more than fifty articles for ANIMAL PEOPLE, mostly declining public credit for her contributions. Briefly employed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare and Friends of Animals, Howard preferred to volunteer, assisting dozens of organizations as opportunity permitted. "Primates never had a better friend and primate abusers never had a more formidable foe," recalled International Primate Protection League founder Shirley McGreal. "Despite her years of selfless struggle on behalf of our primate cousins, Linda had never seen a wild monkey. I invited her to come with me to the International Primatological Society Congress held in Entebbe, Uganda, in late June 2006, and to travel with me afterwards to Murchison Falls National Park in northern Uganda. On the drive up we saw many baboons and every time Linda would insist the driver stop and we would watch the troop until the baboons disappeared from view. We went on to Jacana Lodge in the forested area of Queen Elizabeth Park. The trees were full of exquisite colobus monkeys and the more elusive redtail guenons. One night I was in the lodge reception area and Linda stayed in the room. There was a knock on the door. Linda opened the door and there stood a mother and baby baboon. It was as if they somehow knew there was a friend behind that door. The baboons made no effort to enter. They just stood there briefly, and left. Linda was overjoyed."

Joanna Burke, 36, since 1998 the senior caregiver at the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, was abruptly head-butted and stomped on July 21 while examining--but not touching--the swollen eye of an elephant named Winkie, whom Burke had handled for six years. Winkie came to the Elephant Sanctuary after attacking several handlers during a stay of about 30 years at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Madison, Wisconsin. "In 45 seconds it was over. It just happened so quickly,'' said Elephant Sanctuary facilities director Scott Blais, who had already examined the elephant's eye. "There was not a moment when I knew that something was wrong, that maybe we should back up,'" Blais told Nashville Tennessean staff writer Leon Alligood. Blais suffered a broken ankle and other injuries in a futile rescue attempt.

Richard & Wanda Reigelman, 61 and 64, owners of the Pymatuning Lake Deer Park zoo in Jamestown, Pennsylvania, were killed in a July 27 head-on collision with a car driven by Amanda Allen, 16, who died a day later. Police said Allen lost control of her vehicle and crossed into the opposite lane. Exhibiting more than 200 animals, offering a petting menagerie and pony rides, Pymatuning Lake Deer Park remained open, at least temporarily, under interim management by the Reigelmans' daughter and son-in-law. The privately owned zoo has operated since 1953.

Susan Butcher, 51, died of leukemia on August 5, 2006, in Seattle. Born in Boston, Butcher "moved to Alaska at age 20 out of a love for animals and the wilderness," recalled Washington Post staff writer Martin Weil. "She first competed in the 1,150-mile Iditarod Trail dog sled race in 1978. For several consecutive years starting in 1980, she finished in the top five. A collision with a moose set her back in 1985, but she came back to win each of the next three years' events," eventually becoming the only female four-time winner. "Ultimately, she finished fifth or better in a dozen Iditarods," Weil summarized. Butcher revolutionized sled dog training by motivating her teams with love instead of aggression; formed a self-policing association of dogsledders; outspokenly opposed breeding large numbers of dogs to cull down to get a speedy team; and kept as many as 28 retired dogs. Butcher withdrew from competition after one of her favorite dogs died suddenly from a heart attack during the 1994 Iditarod. Following the death, she gave her team a 24-hour rest, dropping out of contention. Not formally announcing her retirement, she raised two daughters in Fairbanks with her husband David Monson, a fellow dog sled racer, and served as an Iditarod official. She was diagnosed with leukemia three years before her death.

Karen Sculac, 47, died from complications of pneumonia on August 12, 2006, in Colorado Springs. Married to former exotic animal trainer Nick Sculac for 27 years, she had concealed the illness from others until two days earlier, her daughters told Denver Post staff writer Claire Martin. The Sculacs for a time operated a livery stable in Central City, Colorado. They cofounded Big Cats of Serenity Springs in 1993, initially to breed and sell exotic cats, but turned to rescue in 1995 after taking 12 big cats from a facility called the Alamo Tiger Ranch that was closed due to 50 alleged violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act. Within 10 years Big Cats of Serenity Springs housed at least 85 cats. In June 2003 two Bengal tigers mauled the only sanctuary employee. Always struggling to raise operating costs of more than $250,000 a year, the Sculacs sold 303 acres of their 320-acre property, piece by piece, then lost their home to foreclosure in 2005 after Nick Sculac suffered a major heart attack and was unable to continue his contracting firm.