[ bird calling ] im jamie colby, and today, im in south west florida, driving through the marshy flatwoods outside punta gorda. You know, not every strange inheritance offers unexpected riches. Sometimes it can bring on a massive, screeching headache and a huge mess to clean up. Im lauri caron. In 2005, i inherited an exotic zootype Wildlife Sanctuary from my husband and continues to be wild every single day. [ lion roars ] [ birds chirping ] hi, lauri. Hi. Im jamie. Nice to meet you, jamie. Great to meet you, too, at this animal retirement home . Yes, its pretty much like a nursing home retirement village. Were not talking about kitty cats or puppies. I heard a roar already. Can i take a look . Absolutely. Come on. As lauri gives me a behindthescenes tour, i catch a glimpse of the 100plus creatures that currently live at the octagon Wildlife Sanctuary. [ lion growls ] clearly, the sound of feeding day. Yes. In the air. Yes, absolutely. Lauri tells me every animal here is a rescue, at one time abused or abandoned, that would otherwise be euthanized. Animals like lily, a black leopard saved from a closeddown breeding zoo, are given a second lease on life. Look at her eyes. Shes beautiful. Isnt she beautiful . [ black leopard purring ] is she purring at me . Yeah, shes purring right now. Or growling . Right now, thats a purr. And this is onyx, an abused bengal tiger lauri personally rescued five years ago. They used him as a photography baby. They were gonna euthanize him. Onyx was malnourished as a cub and continues to struggle with painful swelling and digestive issues. Hes now fed a special diet to help reduce the side effects. I just hope tv host isnt on todays menu. You want to be very safe. Watch his mouth and watch your fingers at all times. Note that i have 10 fingers starting, okay . And i still have mine after 22 years, so, you know oh, then im good. Im good. The first one ill do, kind of watch me here. Sure. Bones and all . Bones and all. Okay, my turn. Aww. And now, if you want, just start throwing the rest in there. Lauri assures me that her fences exceed state and federal codes, which is comforting when its the only thing between you and a 500pound hungry tiger. Onyx. Im youre new best friend. Hey, the way to an animals heart is through their stomach. Kind of like guys. Yeah. So, you have 100 animals like this . Yes. Absolutely, and each one of these animals has a story of what they went through. And so does lauri. 26 years old and just divorced, she relocates from illinois to southwest florida in 1993. A few weeks later, she shows up at octagon as a volunteer. When i first walked through the gates, i never looked back. Its then that lauri first takes note of the sanctuarys 54yearold, eccentric owner and founder, pete caron. Kevin shirley was petes attorney and friend for over 15 years. He was a unique character. People recognized him by his hat and by his gruff voice. We use like 26,000 lbs. Of chicken or beef every six weeks. You know, thats just the chicken and beef part. Thats not all the rest of it. He was never too busy to stop and talk about his animals. This was his life. Right here. Come right here. I need to get some love. Like lauri, pete also migrated south in search of a fresh start. Back in 1970, the former air force pilot and his retired father move here from New Hampshire and buy 10 acres of secluded, undeveloped land. As they ponder what to do with the property, fate comes knocking with big, hairy paws. He started it, basically, with a couple of bears. Florida wildlife officials come across two adult brown bears in a brokendown trailer but not just any bears. These were actors left behind after filming wrapped on the hit tv series gentle ben. The state considers euthanizing them, until pete steps in. Pete, whod worked at a Wildlife Sanctuary a few years before, now figures hell start his own. He tells state officials, ill take those bears. Within 72 hours, pete and his father have an enclosure built and lure the bears into the cage with a blueberry pie. Pete is soon licensed to handle exotic animals and becomes the goto guy in southwest florida when creatures are abandoned or removed from homes. Lenny barshinger worked as a state fish wildlife investigator for 27 years. Over that time, he brought more than 60 animals to the sanctuary. Whyd you pick here . At that time, there was no place in in Collier County that i could take the animals to. What kind of reaction did you get when youd call pete and say, i got a lion, a tiger, an elephant . It didnt matter what time of the day or night, he would be there, ready to help. I feel like im the ugliest surrogate mother in the world. But pete does not exactly have a business plan. He solicits donations and even resorts to scouring dumpsters for food. So, why did he do it . He just had a real, real care for the animals. If he ever had to put an animal down, he was genuinely upset. When you feed and care for an animal like this for six or seven years and then you lose them, you know, its its you cant describe the loss of a friend. But pete doesnt share the same love for the state and federal wildlife agents checking to see that the animals are okay and the public is protected. He quickly becomes known as a loudmouthed cowboy whos difficult to control. What was his reputation . A wild man. Was he a guy that played by the rules . Um. No. [ chuckles ] did pete have a problem with the government . He thought some of their rules were silly. So he would challenge the silly rules. Challenge is putting it lightly. When pete has had enough with the inspectors, hes known to tap his holstered gun and say, i think were done here for today. Was he a bully . He wasnt a bully, but he was very forceful. It was his way or the highway, basically. Petes abrasive attitude results in some inspectors being particularly tough on the sanctuary. We would end up in court from time to time over minor events. A water pan in a lions cage was dirty, or the food in the freezer was not raised off the floor. When you walked into court with pete, did any of the judges faces say, oh, here we go again . Well, yes. One that just shook his head and thought that the government was kept picking on pete. Whether theyre nitpicking or not, the sanctuary isnt without incident. Any animals ever escape . Back years ago, we had hippos out in our front pond, and one time, one of em decided to take a walk. After busting through the sanctuarys fencing, the hippo finds its way to a nearby swimming pool. The shocked Neighbor Calls authorities, claming a dinosaur had taken over her backyard. Pete quickly gets the animal back home before any damage is done. But as much as pete ignored and even battled government officials, they turn to him when an animals in trouble. It sounds like you and pete. Butted heads a bit. Was it worth it . Oh, absolutely. We need places like this rather than to go ahead and to euthanize them. There is someone who wants to tame pete that passionate volunteer from illinois. We were actually doing a lot of rescuing together, and it seemed to work really well, and then we decided, yeah, lets take it another step. [ laughs ] despite their 28year age difference and the fact that pete is twice divorced with three adult children, lauri and pete decide to start dating. Then a Health Crisis throws the future of this wildlife refuge into doubt. He says, my kids will sell this place, and the animals will be euthanized, and that will be it. That is, unless pete can find another heir. Was it a real marriage, or was it a marriage of convenience to save the sanctuary . [ sighs ] thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. Is it. The answer in a moment. Its easy to think that all Money Managers are pretty much the same. But while some push High Commission investment products, Fisher Investments avoids them. Some advisers have hidden and layered fees. Fisher investments never does. And while some advisers are happy to earn commissions from you whether you do well or not, Fisher Investments fees are structured so we do better when you do better. Maybe thats why most of our clients come from other Money Managers. Fisher investments. Clearly better money management. So. Its a, tigers. As many as 7,000 tigers are kept as pets in the u. S. While only 3,000 are found in the wild. For decades, pete carons octagon Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the top spots in florida for abused and neglected animals. Along with his most trusted volunteer and girlfriend, lauri, the pair take in animals that would otherwise be euthanized, like these former performance bears. The previous owner that had them was actually training them with a lead pipe. Lauri uses a gentler training tool doughnuts. One of my volunteers actually taught him some sign language. Really . And. To the point of where, if he was hungry for a sweet, he would actually let you know when hes ready for how . With this little gesture of please. Lets see if i have the magic touch, too. Oh, that was sign language for doughnut, please. Yes. I think im getting the hang of this. You are doing well. Look, i still have 10. [ laughs ] but things arent going so well for the sanctuary in the year 2000, when pete, now in his 60s, is diagnosed with coronary heart disease. The crisis forces pete to think about what will happen to his beloved sanctuary when hes gone. He says, my kids will sell this place, and the animals will be euthanized, and that will be it. While pete doesnt bother with a will, he does have a plan. He wants to make lauri his legal heir and put octagons fate in her hands. He just says, hey, you want to get married . We really have a lot in common with this place, wanting to keep the place going, and i said, absolutely. So, what did pete give you as an engagement gift an orangutan . [ laughs ] you would think. Pete and lauri marry in may 2002. Was it a real marriage, or was it a marriage of convenience to save the sanctuary . [ sighs ] i think it was more a marriage of convenience. I had the experience. I had all the licensing. There was definitely love and respect there, but we knew at that point. Anybody else would come in and try to demolish his dream and mine cause it had become mine, too. In june 2003, petes health worsens, and he undergoes triplebypass surgery. He actually was in the hospital for about a total of maybe two, three months. Lauri takes over daytoday operations of the sanctuary. Its then that she starts to sense the challenges that lie ahead. I think i always knew there was gonna be a lot of trouble when he passed just cause of the way that he would always handle things with fish and wildlife. Pete has earned a reputation with government officials as confrontational and hostile. Wildlife inspectors will even show up with police escorts. They felt that their life was in danger sometimes the inspectors. And not cause of the animals. Mnhmnh, but of pete. They cite octagon time and time again. Whether theyre being hard on him or not, lauri tells pete he isnt helping. I said, somebody else is gonna have to deal with the messes that you are deciding here, and he goes, let it be somebody elses problem. Im like, hello . [ laughs ] im like, but thats gonna be me. On may 9, 2005, pete dies in lauris arms. Hes 66 years old. Overnight, lauri becomes the leader of the octagon pack her strange inheritance. That was when the anger just hit, you know, right away. Anger . Just, i wasnt ready for him to go at that point. I think it was also fear because i knew. Okay, here comes the test. Lauri is determined to carry on petes work, but its going to be much harder than she ever thought. We were one hour away from losing octagon completely. Thats next. Heres another quiz question for you. The answer in a moment. [ birds calling ] the answer in a moment. Can i kick it . Yes you can can i kick it . Yes you can can i kick it . Yes you can well im gone when i was too busy with the kids to get a repair estimate. I just snapped a photo and got an estimate in 24 hours. My Insurance Company definitely doesnt have that. You can leave worry behind when liberty stands with you™ Liberty Mutual insurance. Better than a manual, and my hygienist says it does. But. Theyre not all the same. Turns out, theyre really. Different. Who knew . I had no idea. So, she said look for. One thats shaped like a dental tool with a round. Brush head. Go pro with oralb. Oralbs rounded brush head surrounds each tooth to. 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Money is tight, and relationships with state and federal inspectors strained. Pete didnt always make friends doing this. No, he burned a lot of bridges. Within days of petes funeral, lauri is already feeling the heat. Octagon is hit with a surprise visit from the u. S. Department of agriculture, which enforces standards of care and treatment for animals exhibited to the public. The Authorities Say that lauri must fix conditions that put the public and the animals in danger. She thinks theyre just are out for blood after years of butting heads with pete. One inspector, hes like, if you dont get your fence fixed, im closing you now. Its a fence that they had been okaying for 30 years. Lauri frantically seeks out donations so she can build a new fence. But her problems only get worse when she digs through octagons paperwork. Lauri comes across four years worth of property tax bills unpaid. He left you with a mess. He did. Yeah, he did. The amount due is 7,400 money lauri doesnt have in the bank. Im thinking, what do we do . I didnt go through everything all those years prior to that to just give up. With lauri unable to cover the taxes, octagon board member sherry pate and her husband graciously offer to cover the debt. When they arrive at the courthouse. We laid down the property taxes, and the woman said, well, thats funny. We just sent this over to the lawyer yesterday. County officials are about to put the property up for auction. But finally, a stroke of luck. They hadnt yet gotten to octagons paperwork. She just kind of shook her head and said, you realize if you would have waited another day, this property would have been gone. That would have been the end right there. We wouldve lost the whole sanctuary. Lauri also beats the clock with the fencing, thanks to some timely donations from local businesses. But even with the eleventhhour bailouts, lauri faces one more crisis when a wouldbe whistleblower drops a dime on octagon. At times, i would shake my head, and id be in tears, thinking, what am i doing . Can i do this . Thats next. My dell Small Business advisor has gotten to know our business so well that is feels like hes a part of our team. With one phone call, he sets me up with tailored products and services. And when my advisor is focused on my tech, i can focus on my Small Business. A dell advisor can help you choose the right products with powerful intel® core™ processors. Now back to strange inheritance. In 2005, lauri carons husband, pete, dies and leaves her his octagon Wildlife Sanctuary, along with a parade of problems for her to resolve. Shes already been tested by florida wildlife officials and delinquent property taxes, but the headaches of petes past just keep coming. The irs also came knocking. Yeah, they showed up and said, well, were here to do an audit. Apparently, somebody called and said that, even being a nonprofit, we werent doing anything with our nonprofit, that we absolutely had zero animals here. Lauri assumes the call came from an adversary of pete, looking to cause trouble for the sanctuary, but the irs finds no misuse of funds. Since then, lauri has made it her mission to do all the repairs needed at octagon, including to the relationships pete damaged. I really strive to show that we are trying to do the best we can and get out of that shadow. She also has to keep the wolves from octagons doorstep and her own. The animals need 700 pounds of food every day, and operating costs average 7,000 a month. And its all on lauris shoulders to bring in donations and grants, as well as entrance fees, from 30,000 annual visitors. None of the 40 sanctuary workers takes a salary, including lauri, who lives in a small trailer right on the property. Do you ever have a day where you think, im not gonna have enough food to feed these animals . Absolutely. Whats that like . Its horrifying. You think youre gonna be able to pull it off . Yeah. [ voice breaking ] you know, its, um. For you, for pete, or for the animals . The animals. You know, im not one to give up easy. [ chuckles ] its a good thing that lauri is a fighter because there will always be animals like onyx, who was once near death, that need octagon. Hows his health now . Hes doing good and very vocal. [ lion roaring ] call of the wild. Yeah. [ laughs ] wow, im so glad that he made it. What do you think petes saying right now . You know, im hoping hes proud. I never expected that pete would have passed as soon as he did, but i didnt go through everything to give up and give up on petes dream and these animals. Lauri and pete worked side by side for years here at octagon before they started dating, but is it possible the wild beasts were on to them before they were even on to themselves . Several years before lauri came on the scene, pete had taken in a baboon named max from a circus. Max instantly formed a bond with pete, then young lauri shows up, and every time max sees her working with pete, the poor guy starts acting out badly. In his jealous rage, max begins to toss, um, his droppings at lauri with impeccable aim. And lauri says that gave her pause, so to speak, to wonder if something just might