The Keepers of Cedar Park Feline Conservatory

The Staff and Keepers at Cedar Cove Feline Conservation Park Inc. are very experienced, educated and well versed in the field of Large Exotic Felines or "Big Cats". Visitors to the Park will discover that our mode of operation is considerably different than at a typical city zoo. We are adamant that all the felines at the facility will be maintained in as stress free an environment as we can provide and will never be exploited.

On a daily basis, each and every feline at the sanctuary is given one on one attention so as to enhance and enrich its life and to make the animal more comfortable.

Founder and Consultant (retired)

Having developed and opened the current facilities in 1998 with his own skills and the help of good friends, William Pottoroff founded Cedar Cove Park and devoted 20 years of his life, "24-7", to the care and husbandry of big cats. He has nearly 140,000 hours of experience in handling these kinds of animals.

Billy will tell you there is nothing else that he would rather do in his life than work with tigers and the other big cats. Everything he works for is motivated by his love for these majestic, noble, highly intelligent creatures.

They are extremely powerful animals and demand respect, but they see William as their protector and friend.They feel safe with him and it shows in the way they react when he's around them.

William will tell you that all the cats at Cedar Cove come first above all else, and that it is his and his co-workers responsibility to teach and educate all the people they can, young and old, about these awesome, beautiful and endangered creatures. William invites everyone that is interested to come out and see the cats and learn all they can about them. "That's what we're here for."

William has extensively studied zoology, nutrition, surgical management, and other needs of large cats through the years. William has been and continues to be an insightful member of the American Association of Zoo Keepers.

Having fought mounting health complications for many years, in October of 2006 William retired from active duty at the park to focus on his health and pursue other life goals that establishing such an exemplary facility has kept him from pursuing. "I've brought a dream to life and seen that it will last. I've got a lot of dreams and a lot more life. The cats and the park will always be part of it."

Though retired, William continues to be a consultant for the park, maintaining his relationship with the cats, bestowing ths wealth of knowledge on the new caretakers and staff and exemplifying the spirit of "...why we're here."

President & General Curator

Larry has been volunteering since 2003, and is the park's President. Larry has always had a fascination with predatory animals primarily wolves, bears and of course big cats. "I have the ultimate respect for these magnificent animals.

Understanding the hardships and sheer will of survival that these animals must endure in the wild makes the relationship between keeper and animal that much more exciting and fulfilling.

Larry works in all areas of park development from feeding and animal care, to assisting Steve with habitat construction, fundraising and community relations. "I have a personal goal to meet each day, and that is to do whatever I can to make Cedar Cove 1% better that the day before. We have an outstanding team here with educated and dedicated people doing outstanding work, and I'm proud to be associated with each and every one of them."

Larry works full-time as the landscape superintendent at the Sprint Nextel campus in Overland Park, Ks, and is the handler of Shayla the Sprint goose-control Border Collie. I have an animal with me literally 24 hours a day, Is this heaven or what?"

General Curator
Shelly is a professional member of the American Association of Zoo Keepers, general curator, senior keeper at Cedar Cove Park as well as corporate secretary and has been with Cedar Cove Park for six years. She donates herself and her free time nearly everyday of the week as well as working a full time job with J.C, Penny in Lenexa, KS.

With over 9,000 hours of handling and caring for "BIG" cats she loves every minute  she spends with them.   During a visit, when she got to see the big cats up close and personal she was hooked and has been with Cedar Cove ever since.  Each of the cats here at Cedar Cove are each special to her in their own way.  It took almost a year before William let her touch one.  She did a lot of cleaning, working on the enclosures, sitting, watching, studying the cats, and talking to them before the cats felt the trust was there. 

She has learned to do a lot of different things that she didn't think she could do or would ever have to do.  She learns something new everyday that she is around the cats.  Hours of reading, studying the cats, and listening to William has helped her to learn to read the cats and know what the cat is thinking before they make a move. 

"Even though we can handle the cats they are still a wild animal and we can never forget that," she says, "These animals are not pets!"

Vice President & Senior Curator
Bettie“B.J.” has been working at Cedar Cove since May of 2002. She has over 3,000 hours of experience working with these big cats. She joined the AAZK as a professional member and has also become a member of the recently founded volunteer association organized through the AZA called SWAVA. B.J. spends time at Cedar Cove doing chores and building her relationship with the cats every weekend. She works full time during the week at AMC Theaters.

B.J. has had a passion for big cats since she was little. But she never imagined that she would have the opportunity to actually care for them. She visited Cedar Cove one weekend and eagerly began to live her lifetime dream the next weekend. Billy and Shelly got her started on some painting projects keeping her a safe distance from the cats. “I was willing to do anything as long as I could just watch those cats. I was mesmerized by their beauty and determined for them to know who I was someday.”

B.J. continued to show up every weekend so eventually Shelly began letting her help with the daily chores which put her closer to the cats. “Shelly and Billy took good care of me; constantly reminding me of the dangers I was subjecting myself to and literally watching my back!”

At first it was a just a hobby, a fun thing to do on the weekends. But as her relationship with these magnificent animals developed the hobby grew into a passion. “These cats are amazing! Most of them know me now and some will even greet me as I walk out the door. I can’t imagine my life without them. I realize that it is now my responsibility to care for these animals and make sure they have a good life. The relationship I have with them fulfills me like nothing else.”

Keeper
Darla has been volunteering at Cedar Cove since August of 2002. She received her degree in Biology/Zoology from Emporia State University in 2002 but wanted to build her experience with animal handling to compliment her skillsets in her employment.

Darla works full time as a tech at a veterinary clinic in Gardner, Kansas. She truly enjoys the bonds and relationships she has formed with all of the cats at Cedar Cove and treasures her experiences at the park as something that will remain with her for the rest of her life.

Keeper
DeAnn has been volunteering at Cedar Cove since December 2004. With a degree in wildlife biology from Kansas State University, she was looking for a way to utilize her knowledge and passion.   She had heard about Cedar Cove from a friend and thought it would be a great way to gain experience working with animals and teaching about the cats and their struggle for survival in the wild.  

DeAnn has been regularly coming out on Saturdays since the first cold day in December and now is on the Board of Directors.  

"I never thought I'd be doing so much hard work and enjoying it.   There are many rewards, which make the work all worth it.   I've learned about myself and relate a lot of life experiences to what I've seen here with the cats.   It's a big part of my life and many memories and friendships have been made."

General Curator, Facilities Engineer
Steve has been volunteering at Cedar Cove since 2002 and is a member of the board of directors. Having a great admiration for large predators, Steve decied to use his broad skill set and tools to help improve the habitats for the animals as well as the visitors.

Having started his own company Steve Klein Design, www.steveklein.cc, in October 2004, his efforts have redoubled to help improve the park, secure future funding and ensure the best possible quality of liffe for the animals. Steve is also the webmaster working on the new site at www.saveoursiberians.org/coveserver . Speaking of which, he better get back to work.