By Kayla Mitchell

Big Cats have resided in Nye County peacefully and lawfully since the late 1970’s. Authority to regulate these animals is currently authorized in the new Title 6 ordinance.
The county commission rightfully granted our request to remain on our 20 acres of land after approval by animal control and Nye County zoning for land use. The RPC is a conflicted entity created to block and regulate the interest of private pet owners and people seeking the rural lifestyle. The fact that the  RPC is filled with realtors, relatives of employees of said realtors and the advocation by the past members of RPC, who now lists real estate in the area and touts past RPC membership, creates a true and actual ethical conflict. Any appearance of a conflict of interest is by nature and in itself a conflict (if it smells fishy, you should probably throw it out.)

Our sanctuary is a private shelter with powers and authorities by the State of Nevada. It has been in existence since 1996. By county ordinance, we should be EXEMPT from RPC, yet this unlawful process has been forced upon us, costing us money and anguish as we are exposed to the continued harassment by those opposed to our exercising our freedoms and Constitutional rights. None of the other wild animal owners in Pahrump have been required to get a Conditional Use Permit. None of them have a USDA license or are required to do so. To attempt to make this USDA an issue is an arbitrary application of the rules and the authority of the county.

We reside peacefully and lawfully with our tigers as therapy for my 100 percent disabled status as a veteran of Vietnam. Our food program through Las Vegas Walmart feeds hundreds of unfortunates in this valley and allows those with large pet food bills to spend money on themselves and not the animals.

In December 2012, RPC desired to remove themselves from Conditional Use Permit process, (rightfully so, as Nye County ordinance Title 6 covers wild animal issues.) In 2011, PVT ran a press release from PETA, stating we were under investigation by the feds. These same baseless, bullying allegations were made at RPC hearing by someone claiming to be an attorney for PETA.

PETA’S continued squealing like pigs caught under a gate is for certain irritating, as their urgings to the RPC are to violate our Constitutional rights and county process to satisfy carpetbaggers with no standing who are attempting to persuade RPC and county to break their own ordinances.

We will continue to service our mission, which is to rescue and adopt unwanted animals of every description. We are not open to the public for tours — we are not a zoo, but have been visited by Miss USA, three of the Spice Girls, Paris Hilton, and International wild life documentary programs, to name a few, all produced and published, showing Pahrump in a positive light. These individuals have all spent production budgets in the hotels, gas stations, and restaurants of Pahrump. The local tourism board could not afford to buy the positive international publicity that has been attracted to Pahrump because of who we are and how we live.

The bright light of positive actions attracts a few moths looking to make traction and bask in the bright positive energy. The sophomoric back-and-forth and, after the fact by RPC, has become tiring. We are in a legal and lawful location. Our animals are safe and healthy. The only risk to this community is to ignore the continued attempts by animal extremists to take away our rural lifestyle.