BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A group that runs a large sanctuary for lions, tigers and other big cats wants to expand. Thursday, the group will ask Brevard County commissioners for permission to build animal cages in Scottsmoor.
Neighbors are worried those cages would be too close to their homes.
The cages containing the tigers and lions are supposed about a football field away from the nearest home, but, according to sketches WFTV saw, that's only about 60 feet away from the back fence of one neighbor and they have serious reservations about what may move in next door.
Harold Birkhead moved to Scottsmoor to retire in peace and quiet. The last thing he ever imagined would be moving in behind his three-acre piece of property was a big cat sanctuary.
"I said, 'No way.' No way, ain't going to happen," Birkhead said.
The Central Florida Animal Reserve currently holds 51 cats on 1.8 acres in Canaveral Groves. The animal rescue group got in a zoning dispute with the county and now has a little more than a year to find a new home. It is considering a move to 17 acres off of US-1 in Scottsmoor.
The head of the organization said they were looking for a location that had more room and would provide more security. The facility they are now planning could house as many as 80 lions, tigers, leopards and cougars.
Marjorie Henson lives next door to the tigers in Canaveral Groves and said she not only feels safe, she loves waking up to their noises.
"I love to listen to their roar. I don't know, it's a peaceful thing to me, just to sit there and hear them," Henson.
Birkhead is worried about the noise, but says, more than anything, neighbors are concerned about their safety.
"You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out if it does get loose, where's it going to go? Right over the fence," Birkhead said.
Plans have already been approved by the planning and zoning board, but residents are now taking the fight to the county commission. One commissioner is expected to ask for more time at the meeting Thursday.
One issue that could get in the way are scrub jays, which could prevent any development of the area for the sanctuary. Some neighbors find it upsetting that bureaucrats are more likely to give the little bird more say than them.
WFTV
