Rebel Oaks

Home Sweet Home For Well Traveled Exotics

By Hugh Jones

Entering Janelle and Paul Gourley's living room, I'm thinking we'll be alone for the interview. There are a few others--Tink, Rocky, Tia, Bulldozer, Legs, Gismo, Guinea, Monkey Girl--and they all want a say. They are, in order: a cat, three parrots, a wallaby, ferret, guinea pig and lemur.

These are just a handful of the 100 residents at Rebel Oaks Wildlife Sanctuary in Noble, Ok. Outside are seven cougars, a tiger, three bears, an ostrich, emu, two buffalo, llamas, deer, wolf hybrids, a Russian wild boar, coyotes, bobcats, deer, potbellied pig, along with an assortment of animals you'd expect to find in a typical rural setting: horses, a donkey, sheep, goat, geese, ducks, along with racoons and rabbits and...you name it.

"We take just about anything except dogs and cats," says Janelle. "We can't do it all."

Meanwhile, Tink is meowing and nudging me on the couch. To my right, Bulldozer, an African gray, is squawking, and Monkey Girl, to my left, is turning back flips like a gymnast deluxe. I comment that it can't be easy, coming up with so many names.

The Gourleys say many named themselves through their traits. Tink (Tinker belle) is small. Bulldozer lets you know when he wants out of his cage by pushing his head against the cage. Legs is, well, a wallaby.

"Our two female bears are Hornet and Doll," says Paul. "When they were young, Hornet was into everything. Wouldn't take a bottle, biting and scratching. Doll was sweet, easy going. Put a bottle in her mouth, and it was like feeding a human baby."

I ask to have a look at this menagerie outside. As we pass Tia's cage, the Mexican red head parrot is climbing up for a better look.

"She drew me to the cage one day," says Janelle. "I stuck my finger in, and she bit it hard. I yelled ow! And she laughed hysterically. I think she knows exactly what she's doing."

Just then, Tia begins to laugh--a kind of wicked little hee, hee, hee. Reliving the moment?

From the road, much of the property is hidden by trees. An abundance of trees surrounds the sanctuary. Inside the trees, an abundance of pens and enclosures surrounds the Gourley's home.

"We started with two and a half acres in Norman," says Paul as we walk. "We outgrew that place and moved out here, where we have twenty two and a half acres, room to expand."

How did this whole thing with the animals get started?

"With a couple of wolf hybrids (part wolf, part dog) in 1987," says Janelle. "At first, we thought about breeding them. Then we found out how hard it was to find homes for them."

"If you want a back yard, don't get a wolf hybrid," adds Paul. "Our hybrids grew to five. One time, they dug a den under the garage big enough for me to crawl into."

"Yep," Janelle agrees, "they can move a lot of earth. And then there was the time we came home from the store and found they had ripped the siding off the house. People should be aware; they can be quite destructive."

"That didn't discourage them?"

"As time went by, we started getting calls from people, asking if we would take animals they couldn't handle or no longer wanted," she says. "When we realized how many there were that needed a home, it just sort of evolved into this. I've always been an animal person. My name, growing up, was Ellie May (You may remember the Clampetts of Beverly Hills. Ellie May had a special affinity for animals.). I kind of pulled Paul into it. Now I think he enjoys it more than I do."

And how did they come up with that interesting name Rebel Oaks?

She chuckles. "Well, we had a lot of oak trees at the other place. And I had a cocker spaniel that was so onery we called him Rebel. So the sanctuary is named after my trees and my dog."

Making our way down a row of pens, I can see him in the distance. This is one huge ostrich. Didn't catch his name. So I shall call him Big Bird. Just as I try to take his picture, he squats down, tucks his head in and begins what looks like a vigorous aerobics routine. He raises one wing way up, then the other, back and forth, back and forth. He finally stops, straightens, and walks about. I'm waiting for the right shot. Here it comes...nope, he's doing it again.

That's a mating dance," says Paul.

I don't know why he's directing it at me; don't want to know. We continue on to a large enclosure holding a rather eclectic mix: horses, llamas, the buffalo, an emu and a pot bellied pig. The buffalo, of course, are laying down way over there. They have no intention of coming over here to my camera.

We move on toward the bears and cats. Have they ever had problems with the critters of long tooth and claw?

"Never," Paul answers. "People seem surprised by that, but they're friendlier than the birds. The biggest problem I had was with an emu."

"The emu is the one that sent him to the emergency room," says Janelle. "He was moving it into a trailer. It flipped over on its back and rammed its claw up under his lip into his nose. That was 250 stitches."

Troubles (that's her name) is a big, beautiful tiger. And that's exactly what shes giving me. She was darted recently by the vet. Now, as I put the camera to my face, she thinks I'm the vet. Off she goes to the other side of the pen. I go to that side, back she goes to the other side.

Okay, what about the bears? The females are small, almost cuddly--if you could cuddle with hyper furrballs. Tye, on the other hand, is big, really big. He decides to demonstrate this by standing on his hind legs and looking down on my mere six foot one. His paws, resting against the fence, are larger than my two hands put together. Yet, for all his heft, he seems very laid back, curious enough about this stranger to come right up and check me out. Of course, this is not good. The other animals won't come. This one won't go. If I don't want a picture of cage, I have to poke the lense through small openings in the fence. And all I'm getting is nose.

"He came to us 10 years ago," says Paul. "He was bought as a pet for a three year old. Within months of that, we get the call because he was playing too rough. My reaction was, no kidding! Tye is quite gentle, but he's certainly not a child's pet. I can play with him, but I know his personality and when it's time to back off."

"They all have their own personalities," says Janelle. "People might think a bear is a bear, but each one is different."

Next up, the cougars, all lounging, naturally, under trees in dark shade, far from us. And they're not going anywhere, except for one that runs to the fence when Paul walks up. He kneels to pet her, and she rubs against his hand like an overgrown kitty.

"Cougars are the biggest cats that purr," says Paul. "Savage, over there, was our first. We found him at an auction when he was about four months old. He had already been through three or four auctions. We found he had a collar growing into his neck. It took my wife and daughter to hold him down while I cut it off. It had gone a quarter of an inch into his neck."

"People get them, then get rid of them," says Janelle. "They get tired of them, or they get divorced or whatever. For one reason or another, they can't handle it. I mean, you don't just take a cougar to the vet and leave it in the kennel while you go on vacation. Aren't too many neighbors who are going to feed it for you. You put these animals through several moves to different homes, and they don't adjust well. People need to think about this. Is this what you want to spend most of your time doing? You're taking on a lot of responsibility for a long time. It's a serious obligation."

And it's not cheap. Imagine how much the cats alone eat. Fortunately, the Gourleys know some caring folks.

"We have some farmers and ranchers who help," says Janelle. "If they lose a calf or cow, they donate it. If the veterinarian knows of a horse that needs to be put down, he'll tell the owners about us. The Norman police and sheriff's departments call us if a deer or cow gets hit on the roadway. But then you're getting up at all times of the night to go get it. It requires some sacrifice. Paul butchers, so you have to have the stomach to do that too. But it makes a difference. If you have to take it to a butcher shop, there's no profit in that."

There's a grocery in Norman that helps, donating vegetables and the such. But I'm sure the Gourleys wouldn't turn down further offers. And they could use some volunteers willing to donate sweat.

"We need people who are willing to mow, do yard work and help build fences and enclosures," says Janelle. She smiles. "A lot of people say they want to volunteer. What they mean is they want to play with the animals. When they find out there's actual work involved, they're not as enthusiastic."

It's difficult to get help from corporations," says Paul. "Not many donate for exotics. I don't think they realize how many there are."

"That's why we're trying to get an exhibitor's license," says Janelle. "We're really not that anxious to have a lot of people out here, but people have to see what we're trying to do."

Though the sanctuary isn't officially open to the public, the couple does make exceptions.

"I was a nurse in nursing homes," she says. "And I'd like to do something for older folks, give them some tours. We had a news story a couple of years ago. Afterwards, a lady from Purcell called. She said she was taking care of an elderly lady, and she just knew it would make her week if they could come out and look around. They did. The lady was 90 something, on a walker. When they got ready to leave, she pulled a crumpled dollar bill out of her pocket and said she wanted to donate it. I didn't want to take it, but I knew how much it meant to her. And it meant a lot to us too. Things like that get to you."

After all, isn't that what it's really about, helping out fellow creatures, two and four legged?

Janelle looks around. "This is a spiritual thing for me, kind of like a little Garden of Eden."

Yes, well, this Eden has been a trying test for me. I've photographed many animals over the years for the PetGazette. Animals are always a challenge, but this is the toughest time I've ever had. I got a lot of fence, hind ends and tiny images of far off animals. But hey! I end the tour the way I began, with another bird. It's a goose, and she's not in a cage. I can get close with nothing in between. Never mind that she keeps turning away and hissing her head off. I'm going to get this one, by gosh, and, ah, I just stepped in her, uh, true opinion of me. Won't be the first time I've cleaned off shoes after an interview. Comes with the job, but it's worth it.

If you'd like to help the Gourleys in their worthwhile cause, give them a call at 405-872-8198.

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