The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Jungle zoo has species from around the world By RICHARD THOMAS The Examiner Its really no surprise that Sam Persi should own his own zoo He has been raising selling or buying animals ever since he was teenager in his native 1talt Iy almost 25 years ago was 15 then and that was my living says the 39yearvold owner of the Elmvale Jungle Zoo on Highway 27 about 25 km north of Barrie Persi who came to Canada in 1959 now owns almost 350 animals from all over the world some of them quite rare and considered endangered species From Africa there are lions pythons chimpanzees several other species of monkeys and pair of rare eland which Persi says are the most expensive animals in the mo The female is worth about $3000 but with every animal the female is the more expene sive From South America there are rheas type of ostrich llamas exotic birds jaguar pair of coatimundi in type of raccooni patcaries or wild pigs and rare capysbara the worlds largest rodent SMOKEY IIIE BEAR Persi also has tigers leopards yaks variety of leer peacocks and cranes all from Asia wallabies from Australia an Abrabiaii camel and from North America rac coons buffalo cougars and black bears including one nam ed Smokey who wrestles twice day with one of the keepers There is also petting section in the zoo where visitors are encouraged to feed baby llamas leer and sheep Persi has several rabbits and guineapigs which he allows to run free on occasion because kids love to play with them He even takes his Burmese python out of its glassedin cage every few hours so visitors can pet that tooif they like Most of them scream or run away when take it out says Persi but they come back because they want to see what it feels like Strolling around the 25acre 700 which he bought five years ago after moving from Toronto Pcrsi stops several times to talk to the animals or give them treat Like Peggy the jaguar or the pair of coatimundi named Mork and Mindy they all have names and respond affectionately female leopard purrs as Persi scratches her ears through the wire cage Peggy rolls over on her back and two chimpanzees stick their paws outside their cage to deftly catch the fudgesicles he throws to them BUFFALO HULL At another enclosure several tons of buffalo led by bull named Billie trundle towards the fence for handouts of grass after Pcrsi whistles them over One of the finest examples of i9th century or chitecture is found in Phelpston St Patricks Catholic Church in the foreground is silver Hy BRIAN BAKER Examiner Correspondent PHELPSTDN Well versed in local Phelpstoii area history is Bill ONeill whose great grandfather llenry ONeill settled as pioneer in nearby Apto in 1845 when the area was still pretty much solid bush and his grandfather Dominic attended the first log school as boy of eight The wilderness they found was shocking change from the Cllllltl Conn 1ayotliey left in lrelaiid Even some time later when the Stone family moved in the area was still so undevelojxd that the trail in from the Old Peiietang road coming north from Barrie ended at The liiiery south of Fergusonvalc so that they had to leave their trunks and belongings at this point in the bush walk on to their new property to put up shack and then return later for their belongings Inc of the colorful early set tlers was Nathaniel Hall The assessment roll of 18 reports him as being 25 years of age living on lot of Concession With 15 of 50 acres cleared and having family of seven Livestock included six cattle eight sheep five hogs and two horses REFISEI HORSES ne of the old timers was known for the fact that be cleared and worked his land on tirely by the power of oxen and refused to have anything to do with horses throughout his life First pioneer taxpayers of Flos included John Coughliii John Coffey Dennis Gallagher Pat Marley Apto postmaster llenry ONeill Richard Long John McGinnis and Phelpstoiis namessake OJ Phelps who was farmer lumber dealer justice of the peace and reeve of Flos thei prominent local names includ ed Swan Ritchie Hayes Pat Gannon Stone Bell Crosslaiid Copeland Johnston Richard son Simpson Wanless Braseau Brown and Gillipsie good local history is given by the 19 Centenary history of Phelpston St Patricks and Elmvale Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Churches Apto was founded by pen stoned soldier named Dennis Gallagher in 1851 after the set tleiiieiit of Upper Flos Gallagher was the first teacher Malcom Stewart open ed the first post office in 1857 the first in the Township Henry ONeill as the pioneer storekceper and McLaughlin opened the first tavern John chvoy became Flos Reeve in 1869 Vigo was not settled until the 1860s with tavern keeper Ileiiry Gribbon one of its first settlers Dennis Gallagher was first storekeeper and carried mail for 20 years Forest tires swept the area in 1881 Phelpston was established in 1871 when saw mill was setup the previous year by DJ Phelps also sheriff of the coun ty iii the 1890s Robert llatt came to the area in 1860 when from the other side They come whenever call but have to give them something otherwise next time they wont be Many of the animals have been raised at the zoo says Persi and are so tame lions included can walk into the cage and pet them Although they are not train ed the animals are in big de mand by film makers and advertisers because they are so docile he says Several times year mostly in winter Persi takes them to shopping plazas for promo tional purposes In August he is taking part of the petting 200 to Orillia and will also take the Burmese python and baby cougar to Mississauga later in the month Like modern day Noah with his ark Persi tries to ensure he has at least two of everything for breeding purposes and to keep the 200 well stocked EXIENSIVE The rarer animals are becoming increasingly expen sive he says so try to raise everything now Already this year he has rais ed baby cougars rhea chicks llamas buffalo deer and yak But with some of the other animals he has not been so lucky because he cannot find mates He says he hasnt been able to find male for Peggy the jaguar or female for the two male wallabies As for the capybara the search has been fruitless cant find female and cant bring onein Few other 200 owners have animals as rare as this he says and because some of them are endangered government restrictions make it almost im possible to import them Looking after an assortment of animals such the Elmvale Jungle Zoo requires lot of care if you are to do it right Persi says Food bills are high and mon thly checks by veterinarian are standard do it to make living not to get rich he says and if you dont like the animals you cant make it go N0 PROBLEMS If love for the animals is part of the success formula for runn ing zoo then Persi should have no problems In fact he says attendance has increased every year since he bought and expanded the zoo and it has become very popular with several schools in the area Persi has three keepers to help himlookaftertheanimals but even if he had 50 its doubt ful he could ever keep away from the close contact be en joys with the zoo It is my life he says and if you come here at ten oclock at night youll find me here somewhere back in the bush LL haw monument of St Michael and the dragon erected to the memory of the late Father Gearin local pastor for almost half century Phelpston area history recalled by greatgrandson of pioneers wilderness prevailed and prid ed himslf on being the first owner of coaloil lamp in Flos and the first man to have brick chimney bunt Dr Allen was well known as the local physician Miss Patience Court ney was the first teacher in the section LAST SETTLEMENTS Henry rossland settled at the place that bears his name in the early 1870s and was con sidered one of the last pioneer ing settlements in the County The first post office was opened in 1874 Crossland was one the hardest hit places during the busy fires of 1881 and many settlers lost their homes and barnsto fire ne of the most beloved priests of the area was Father Michael Gearin who spent 45 years of his priesthood iii the area starting in 1884 at Apto His death occurred in 1929 and he is buried on the west side of St Patricks Church Phelpston which is in itself monument to him silver monument of St Michael kill ing the dragon has been erected to him record 1052 souls weri baptized by him during his llos Pastorate When Phelpston St Patricks was being built in 1892 ar chitect Thomas Kennedy plaiin ed to have the high vaulted root supported by interior posts but Pat Gannon the head carpenter insisted that he could build the roof Without centre supports Gannon went ahead and built the roof of 50foot span without any supporting pillars on the understanding that he should take full responsibility should the roof cave in The roof has stood the test of almost 80 years We Adore Thee Christ proclaims an inscription above the church entrance Highlights of the interior include paintings of the Stations of the Cross and lifeltlike models of Mary holding the body of Jeus after he was taken down from the Cross and Jesus risen OPENED The railroad really opened up the area in the 1870s when $75000 was raised to help bring it through So many years later when the highway 127 was built one of the oldtimers com mented Drat it we havent finished paying for the railroad yet As late as the 1930s Bill ONeill can remember when the steam traction engine and threshing outfit used to go up and down the 5th or Creektown Line on which he still lives threshing grain at each farm Although the professions of local people were just as honorable in the area as anywhere else the local priest when asked by big city reporter what were the main occupations in the village jok ingly answered Well there are the garages thats lubrica tion There is the school thats education There is the church that is salvation Then there is the hotel you might call that daiiiiiationl Billie the buffalo one of the many animals with names at Sam Per By TERRY FIELD The Examiner Simcoe County Board of Education trustee Bill Brown averages some 300 trips bet ween Barrie and his Orillia constituency yearly and greets with grin any sug gestion that trustees are not actively involved with the education process Board members spend tremendous amount of time at committee meetings in an attempt to establish and appraise board policy Brown told The Examiner during recent interview The trustees have to pro vide leadership and set an example of team effort bet ween the board teachers and administration he said Brown was elected trustee The increasing number of in juries in the farming industry has prompted several govern ment agencies and agricultural associations across the country to drive home to farmers the importance of safety in their operations During National Farm Safety Week which will run July 2531 farmers in Canada are being urged to make conscious ef fort to practice safe working habits with the emphasis on caution while using machinery Last year in Ontario alone the Farm Safety Association headquarters in Guelph record ed about 2300 timelost injuries on farms plus 46 fatalities These statistics make farm ing the number one industry in Ontario in terms of deaths says Ted Whitworth the associa tions safety consultant for several counties including Sim coe and there might even be more cases not officially recorded The association gets most of its figures from the Workmens Compensation Board but the 22000 farmers who report to the board as employers represent only about onethird of the total Persis natural it om of the Orillia secondary school board in 1963 and served until the county board was formed six years later Defeated in his first at tempt at winning spot with the fledgling board Brown ran again in 1971 and has been trustee ever since He served as the boards vicechairman for two years and later as chairman for twoyears My interest initially was in trying to improve the guidance counselling area in secondary schools but after few years on the board you find many other things to work at Generally suppose have an interest in young people and their education Brown said the oxamlner Tuesday July 24 1979 sis Elmvale Jungle Zoo comes whenever his owner calls pro viding there is treat awaiting him of course Examiner Photo BILL BROWN leadership needed The trustees job is to develop policy guidelines that are used by the ad ministration in the dayto day operation of the board Decisions concerning cur riculum personnel the boards $80 million budget are made by trustees Brown said Its our responsibility to see that policies are adhered to He said firsttime trustee needs at least one year two would be better before he or she is familiar enough with the board to take an active part Its not valuable in my opinion to have people on the board for short time Generally Brown added trustees become part of conr number in the country Whit worth says One of the main points the association is stressing is that human error or unsafe acts are responsible for the majority of accidents not unsafe working conditions or equipment Farmers injured while operating tractor for exam ple often say it happened because shield or guard was missing says Whitworth But thats not true the acci dent happened because 50 meone took them off The message the association hopes to get across to farmers is to recognize these hazards and shake off their complacen cy says Whitworth Familiarity with machinery breeds carelessness among farmers he says and leads to injury the 46 fatalities recorded last year 36 involved machinery and 29 were directly related to tractors probably the most familiar piece of equipment around the farm says Whitworth Most farmers think they know what is going on around them and most of the time they Sprinklers urged to improve pigs Pork producers who wish high performance from the pigs should install sprinkler system to keep them cool dur ing hot spells says swine specialist with the ministry of agriculture Temperatures exceeding 27 degrees adversely affect pig performanCe and reproduc tion says Andy Bunn Bunn says that because pigs have only one set of sweat glands underneath their snouts they have difficulty reducing body temperature and need the help of water sprinklers to stay cool Researchers with the ministry found after four years of tests involving about 450 pigs that spray cooling saved 01 kilograms of feed for every kilogram of gain says Bunn The animals were floorfed on partially slatted floors and sprayed with water for two minutes every halfhour when temperatures in the barn ex ceeded 24 degrees In the average swine barn using similar system this saving would pay for the in stallation of the spray cooling in one or two years says Bunn Researchers also found few unexpected side benefits from the spray cooling system in terms of cleanliness says Bunn Theres less work required to scrape the pens clean for floorfeeding and spraycooled pigs also seem to have better housekeeing habits These pigs also appear to have better than average dai ly gain he says do he says but they forget for just minute and then they are in trouble And there are going to be more problems as machinery gets bigger and farmers try to work more land with less help In 1978 tobacco farming was the industrys most accident prone area While this aspect of farming is no longer that com mon in Simcoe County says Whitworth dairy farming which ranked fourth in terms of accident reports is And the associations statistics show that about 50 per cent of the accidents on dairy farms involve those under 25 he says Children under 15 accounted for 17 of the 46 fatalities last year which has prompted Whitworth to take his safety awareness programs to the 4H clubs in his area Club members are shown slides depicting common errors or dangerous habits around the farm and must identify them choosing the right answer from multiple choice list Whitworth hopes these safety tips will not only sink into the young beginners but filter up to their parents or family members whose unsafe habits might be spotted by the children We want to impress the idea of safety on the entire farm family In their steps towards safety farmers should take page or two out of the book used by other industries Whitworth says Farmers who spend long hours plowing and watching furrow arent as sharp as they would be if they were to take rest and break the monotony knowyour county Mrs Cordle Easton correctly identified last weeks entry in the Know Your County contest as the Church of the Good Shepherd in Wyevale and wins two free steaks courtesy of and Super Discount in Barrie Angus or Alliston it you know the answer to this weeks entry send it along with your name address and phone number to Know Your County Contest The Examiner Box 370 Barrie HM 4T6 mittees that relate to the ex perience they have gained throughout their lives 30year veteran of the life insurance business he said his value to the board has been in matters pertain ing to finance He is chair man of the boards secondary school salary negotiating committee and sits with the insurance committee When you get 21 people trustees youre going to have different ideas and dif ferent abilities surface That Brown said is one of the systems strong points but he said the trustees have the same goal despite their varied backgrounds They want to see the children get the best educa tion possible Statistics shOw farming accidents are on the rise Industry has proven to us that they dont give man 10 minutc coffee break for nothing He comes back refreshed and productivity and quality control are increased Another aspect of farming the association is concerned about is the use of pesticides The number of accidents in this area is increasing each year Whitworth says Farming is exempt from many of the controls on other industries using chemicals governed by the Occupational Health and Safety Act known as Bill 70 Whitworth says The option to include agriculture lies with the ministry of labor But if farmers do not reduce the number of accidents with pesticides the ministry of en vironment might step in with legislation to control their use hesays