Destiny Big Cat Sanctuary: Our Staff

Matt Rego, the husband of Compound Manager Kelley Rego, has been volunteering at Destiny since moving down from Rhode Island to be with Kelley. He arrived in time to work inside with Isis. Basically, when you're married to the compound manager, you volunteer at the sanctuary whether you like it or not. No task has ever been too big, or too small for Matt. What ever has needed to be done, Matt has pulled up his sleeves and gotten to work.

Dutch has been a character observed around Destiny for quite a few years now. A man of mystery, he always has a penchant for calling, or stopping by just when we really need him. He's played the bar tender at fundraisers, security for private parties, has fixed just about every structure on the compound, and most importantly, he has been Zenobia's best friend. When Zenobia hears Dutch coming down our road (Dutch has a very distinct, and LOUD Harley Davidson motorcycle), Zen begins to carol (roar) until Dutch rides his motorcycle up to Zen's habitat. If Dutch arrives by car, once Zen hears Dutch's deep pitched voice on the compound, then he begins pacing impatiently until Dutch comes to visit with him.

Richard De Coste has been another of our Jack of All Trades around the compound. Of most importance, was Richard using his pool building skills to refit the habitat pools with new filters and pumps when they began having problems. Since the tigers all enjoy their cool pools, Richard has got to be their favorite guy. Richard has also done incredibly well in helping to promote the sanctuary and sell tour packages for the fundraisers that we've had. Whenever it looked like we weren't going to have enough bookings for a weekend fundraising event, Richard always seemed to call with enough tours to fill the schedule. When Richard isn't running his pool business, or helping us, he can also be found over at Native Village caring for the animals there, and performing in the traditional Indian alligator wrestling shows.

There's just not enough good things to say about Tracy Scott. If he'd actually wear one, we'd issue him a Superman cape. Tracy owns and operates a major electrical contracting business that has him covering four major counties in South Florida for Florida Power & Light. The man is always on the move. However, Tracy has always found the time to help out Destiny. Many times, it was after dark, and after a long day running his company. Tracy has fixed, upgraded, and added to our electrical system on the compound as our needs have grown. He also showed up during one of last year's tropical storms with a crew of guys, and a big bucket lift truck to help us chop up and remove a huge Ficus tree that went down in one of the habitats. Destiny owes Tracy a debt that we will never be able to repay.

LA Justice has been an incredible friend to Destiny for several years now. As a writer & photographer for the National Examiner, she has worked to get Destiny as much positive publicity as she can. She has also donated to the Sanctuary for longer than anyone else has through our support program. She raises the extra money each month that she sends to the sanctuary by taking on extra work projects or working overtime, and putting it aside for Destiny. She has always been a joy to see, and is always concerned about the well being of the cats on the compound. LA also is another of our recruiters when it comes time for our fundraising events. We can always count on her for getting at least one or two tours booked.

Colleen has been a friend of Destiny's for several years now. Anything that we have ever needed, she has tried to help. Colleen promotes the sanctuary everywhere she goes. She's raised money with donations, booked tours, helped at fundraisers, and last year, she spent hours helping us get the sanctuary ready for the two close calls that we had with hurricanes. Just recently, she was able to get the hospital that she works at to donate some supplies for the examination/ surgery room that was built for Cosmopolitan, the Bengal Tiger that passed in September of 2005. During the big fundraisers that we've had, she has always kept an eye on the comfort level of the cats, and has had no problem with asking visitors to back away and give the cats some space. She is always concerned about the cats that live here, and would do whatever she could do to protect them.

There aren't enough ways to explain just how crucial Jim Brunner has been to Destiny since late 2005. Jim owns and operates Natural Wonders Landscaping, and first came to us with an interest of volunteering his time and materials to upgrading the pools, waterfalls, and landscaping inside of the cat's habitats. Before any of the work could happen, Hurricane Katrina hit south Florida on it's way to the Gulf coast, and did some damage as it passed over Destiny. Nine very large trees went down in the category one storm, and a 50 ft. section of perimeter fence was taken down as well. Six hours after Katrina left south Florida, Jim appeared with chainsaw in hand and went to work. Jim cleared the downed trees that prevented us from getting the perimeter fence repaired...he worked until well after dark. From that point on, Jim appeared every few days to work until the compound was cleaned up. Jim taught the staff chainsaw safety, and the proper techniques in safely cutting up the large trees. The staff is positive that he saved them from many injuries with the knowledge that he shared. When Cosmopolitan became ill, Jim was there every step of the way. On the day of the examination, Jim was there with his Bobcat and moved Cosmo from his habitat up to the main house with gentleness and grace that not too many would expect from such a large piece of heavy equipment. Jim spent the previous evening doing practice runs with the Bobcat, clearing away obstacles, and filling in any holes that could have caused a bumpy ride along the way. Jim also took the blood samples taken at the beginning of Cosmo's examination to a local lab that was helping out, and waiting for the results. When Cosmo passed away, Jim led the group in a beautiful prayer that was very moving, and befitting of Cosmo. In the days following Cosmo's passing, many obstacles appeared in trying to get a cat the size of Cosmo cremated. When Destiny finally found a facility, it was hours away. Jim provided one of his company's box trucks to transport Cosmo, and towed along a Bobcat since the facility didn't have a working forklift at the time. If it wasn't for Jim, Destiny still has no idea how the logistics of that day could have been fulfilled. Not long after Cosmo's death, Hurricane Wilma battered all of South Florida. Even though Jim's home was damaged, and his company's nursery was smashed, Jim still found time to get over to Destiny and see what he could do. Right off the bat, if it wasn't for Jim, the large trees that blocked the sanctuary's bridge would have never gotten cleared. Between repairing his home, getting his nursery back up and running, and trying to meet the new demands of his business, Jim has still been squeezing in time to try and help Destiny get up and running. The man is simply amazing, and Destiny would have been lost without him these past few months.

Leslie Kastner is another one of the special people that Destiny has been graced with befriending. Leslie leads the Large Animal Rescue Team for the Town of Southwest Ranches Volunteer Fire Department. We first met Leslie right after Hurricane Katrina hit south Florida. Leslie brought her team out to see if there was anything that we needed. They ended up staying for several hours doing some serious hard work. When Cosmopolitan fell ill, Leslie brought all of her rescue gear and worked with the veterinarians to safely and comfortably secure Cosmo for his ride to the examination room, as well as secure him on the table. The veterinarians later told us how impressed they were with her knowledge and performance. It was Leslie who helped keep things going when Cosmo passed. The staff was so shaken by the day's events that Leslie stepped in and began to help make the necessary arraignments and phone calls. Once again, Leslie made sure that we were all right after Hurricane Wilma passed. Southwest Ranches is a town in south Florida that is home to many horses, livestock, and animal sanctuaries. Leslie's crew checked on all the various farms and ranches to see if help was needed, and made sure that fresh water was delivered to all of the ranches for the animals as well. Most of the area, as well as Destiny are on water wells, and without power, there's no way have running water. Between fulfilling her duties at the firehouse, and repairing her own home, Leslie has made time to help around the sanctuary, send print media our way for local exposure, and has secured donations for the rebuilding efforts as well. Leslie is another friend that Destiny would be lost without.