This reporter recently had the pleasure of interviewing Albert Nydig, director of the New Harmony Lion Sanctuary of 18523 20A Road. What follows are highlights of that interview:
20A Today: How did the lion sanctuary come to be?
Albert Nydig: We are fortunate to have a local recluse, Mr. Derfla Ybyn, as our benefactor. He is a generous man that just wanted to give back to a community that has been very good to him.
20A: But why a lion sanctuary?
AN: It's the result of a rare opportunity of being in the right place at the right time. One day last December Mr. Ybyn was marching out to berate his two gardeners, Jose and Merle, when he overhead them talking about some lions in Mexico that were going to be destroyed. It turned out that Jose's family in Mexico had been hired to destroy the lions because the Mexico City Zoo did not want them anymore. Jose told Mr. Ybyn that the lions were still alive and he could have them cheap. Mr. Ybyn, animal lover that he is, felt that this was a rescue mission that he had to attempt so Jose's family was hired to bring the lions here.
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20A: You obviously are very knowledgeable to take on a job as director of a lion sanctuary. Have you been trained in veterinary medicine?
AN: No, I don't have any such background. Mr. Ybyn decided that I would learn on the job so to speak.
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20A: What do you feed the lions, lots of red meat?
AN: I can't say definitely, but I think it is a myth that lions need meat. I figured a lion is just a really big cat so we've been feeding them Purina Cat Chow. We were surprised how little of it they eat. I think the reason that they do not have much of an appetite is because, as you saw during the tour, they are rather dormant. They must enter some mild state of hibernation during the winter months. I expect them to have a healthy appetite come spring.
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20A: I do not see any fences anywhere at the sanctuary. How do you keep them contained?
AN: This is another one of those situations where truth is stranger than fiction. Mr. Ybyn is the inventor of the
Invisible Fence. As you probably know, Invisible Fence was designed to contain dogs. It is a buried cable that runs the perimeter of a piece of property. The dog wears a special collar that shocks him as he gets near the buried cable. Mr. Ybyn designed special collars for the lions and we buried the cable around the sanctuary. As you'll see when you visit the web site, Invisible Fence has more than a 99% success rate.
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20A: You've rescheduled the grand opening?
AN: We thought it best to proceed cautiously to insure that visiting the sanctuary will be a safe and rewarding experience. Therefore, we moved the opening from February 1st to April 1st. And, hopefully the lions will be more active by then.
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The full interview will appear at a later date.
Due to the overwhelming response 20A Today is moving. We are now located at:
The 20A Road Community has not been much help finding things lately. But, there's no need to panic as the staff here at 20A Today is sure that everything and everybody will eventually turn up.
What has become an annual event in the quad-township area is local octogenarian Delmer Rudd's Florida dash. Delmer is retired from the Tippecanoe Pallet Factory where he operated a fork lift until a tragic accident, in which he backed off the end of the loading dock, left him a paraplegic. After a brief recovery the wheelchair bound Delmer continued to work as a clerk at the factory until his retirement. That was 17 years ago Delmer's wife Edna told 20A Today. Ever since then Delmer has wanted to move to Florida. He hates the winter and just wants to be able to sit out in the sun and feed the seagulls all day long. Edna said that she insisted that they stay in this area to be close to their children. "Delmer's been pouting ever since. Each year when the time comes that he's had enough of winter he loads up his wheelchair with blankets and snacks and heads south," said Edna. "He never made it more than a mile or so until he got his electric wheelchair 6 years ago. Since then he's been gone up to three days and made it almost to Grass Creek." Edna asks that if you see Delmer on the road or in somebody's yard charging his battery to point him north and send him home. Or else contact 20A Today and we'll arrange for someone to pick Delmer up.
Friday, February 1st, the monthly ritual of changing the oil in the fryers at the Tippecanoe General Store will take place. Harlin Hitchcock, owner of the store says he runs the specials the last week of the month to reward customers for their patronage. All fried foods- chicken, gizzards, livers, fish, shrimp, oysters and potato logs- are on specials. Harlin says the gizzard basket is his biggest seller. And he added once the new oil is in the fryers he goes back to regular prices.
Breaking News: Local police are on the scene at the Edith Masterson farm located at 18522 20A Road. Mrs. Masterson claims that 3 cows from her herd are missing. An anonymous source told this reporter that Edith thinks the cows are victims of an alien abduction. Merle further claimed that he overheard Officers Green and Bowen say that they smelled alcohol on Edith's breath and that she has no idea how many cows are in her herd.
"WARNING, Lion Sanctuary Electric Fence, Must be plugged in at all times!"
This reporter recently had the pleasure of interviewing Albert Nydig, director of the New Harmony Lion Sanctuary of 18523 20A Road. What follows are highlights of that interview:
LOST: Claude (left) and Puffy (right) were last seen close to Sage Road and 20A Road about a quarter mile east of the New Harmony Lion Sanctuary. The two are best friends and live on South Shore Drive at the south end of Lake Maxinkuckee.
New Harmony Lion Sanctuary
