Hokieman
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Registered: May 2005
Location: SWVA
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MAN EATER IN LEWISBURG, W.Va
Reward being offered for lion’s capture
By Christian Giggenbach
THE REGISTER-HERALD (BECKLEY, W.V.)
LEWISBURG, W.Va.— A Charleston man has placed a bounty on the head of the African lion that may be roaming a remote part of north-central Greenbrier County, but it’s not your every day run-of-the-mill request.
This man is willing to pay a $3,000 reward for the “safe” and “humane” capture of the big cat.
A full-page advertisement in Wednesday’s edition of the Greenbrier Valley Ranger, complete with a large photo of a lion’s face, explained the conditions under which the $3,000 was being offered.
“For the safe and humane capture of the alleged male African lion roaming loose in the Greenbrier County area,” the advertisement read. “Also, for the safe placement of the lion in a refuge set up for this species of lion.”
When contacted by The Register-Herald late Wednesday, Charleston broker Angus M. Peyton said he put up the reward out of his love for animals. Peyton paid about $1,300 to run the one-time advertisement.
“After reading the story about the lion, I was afraid that someone in Lewisburg may try and shoot the animal,” Peyton, 52, said. “So if I can just catch someone’s attention, it could keep this animal safe.
“I’m hoping this will give an incentive to the professional people who have the proper equipment to capture the lion. And I also want people to understand that this lion is worth more alive than he is dead. If this lion is really there, then he needs a proper place to live.”
Peyton said he owns land in Greenbrier County and eventually wants to settle there. An Internet search about the possible lion put him in contact with John Forga of Tiger Mountain Refuge, a Rainelle-based company that provides a safe haven for unwanted and neglected exotic animals.
Forga and members of Tiger Mountain Refuge have been camping out near Big Roaring Creek and Cold Knob the last four nights in hopes of possibly spotting or hearing the wayward lion, but so far, there’s been no signs of the big cat.
Jim Shortridge, the Frankford man who said the African lion paced around his hunting shanty just before dawn for 40 minutes on Oct. 17, accompanied Forga to his property on Big Roaring Creek for the first time last week. Since then, Forga has been on a mission to see if the lion is in the area.
“We purchased motion-sensitive nighttime video cameras and we have been putting food out each night,” he said. “All the food has come up missing each night, except for one night. We have pictures of some nice does and a raccoon, but nothing else.”
Forga said his team will stay in the woods for three more nights before pulling out.
In another effort to capture an image of the lion, Greenbrier County animal control officer Robert McClung will travel back to the woods again Thursday and check for the second time a motion-sensitive video camera borrowed from the state Division of Natural Resources. The cameras are normally used to catch illegal trash dumping.
McClung set up the camera last Friday, but found only images of bears when he checked it earlier this week. McClung said the borrowed video camera will be pulled from the woods Thursday, regardless of what images may be found. Bear traps could be set for the lion if evidence of his existence can be proven, he added.
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The $3,000 bounty for the lion — an unexpected twist in an already unusual story — will most likely continue to stir the massive media buzz that’s been created since the story broke a few weeks ago. Local, state and even national news agencies have spoken with Forga and others about the possible lion.
Officials at the Greenbrier County Convention and Visitors Bureau said Wednesday they have also fielded calls from national media.
A Google search of the words “Greenbrier County lion search” yielded 67,300 responses; however, it was not known if each of them was specifically about this story.
“I was interviewed by Hoppy Kercheval on MetroNews “Talkline” and a representative of ABC’s “Good Morning America” called, and we also had a message that Fox News Network had called,” Forga said Wednesday. “It’s being covered by news stations in New York City, Houston, and I believe the Denver Post is also writing about it. So I guess this thing picked up steam and just went nuts.”
Christian Giggenbach writes for The register-Herald in Beckley, W.Va.
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11-09-2007 10:20 PM
