Black Pine Animal Park Staff & Volunteers

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ABOUT US

Welcomed

Black Pine Animal Park

1426 W. 300 N.

P.O. Box 02

Albion, IN 46701

(260) 636-7383

Contact Us

"Be the change you want to see in the world."

- Ghandi

Our Staff

[ Senior Staff ] [ Interns ] [ Volunteer Staff ] [ Board of Directors ]

Karen Hoag, Founder	Karen Hoag is the founder of Black Pine Animal Park. She currently also serves as Secretary of the park's board of directors. She is pictured with Scarlet, a cougar she raised from birth and one of hundreds of animals she has given a loving home over the past two decades. Karen's life-long passion for animals is largely responsible for what Black Pine is today and she continues to contribute invaluable knowledge and inspiration to all involved in carrying out her vision and the park's mission.
Dr. Jay Kumaran, Veterinarian	Dr. Jay "Doc" Kumaran is Black Pine's staff veterinarian. Doc and his wife, Patrice, own and operate Allpet Hospital & Laser Surgery Center in Fort Wayne, a practice that began in 1972. Doc's many years of experience both in his native India, as well as a U.S. primate research center, brings to the park rare and practical skills to serve a diverse exotic population. In 2006 the Kumarans announced an extraordinary pledge to donate 100% of their services, and to build and furnish a new vet clinic on site at Black Pine to service the animals and enhance the internship program. Construction is slated to begin in an existing building once permanent animal habitats are complete, hopefully sometime in 2008. We are fortunate to have their dedicated support and unmatched professional services! To learn more about our veterinary program, click here.
Lori Gagen, Executive Director	Lori Gagen began volunteering at Black Pine in 1995 when the park first opened the gift shop. In February, 2006, she joined the paid staff as Director of Development. She became Executive Director in September 2008. Her responsibilities include overseeing the animal husbandry program, supervising volunteers and interns, managing customer relations and administration. She is also working to develop new programs and sources of funding and handles all marketing for the sanctuary. Her background is in supervision, administration, customer service, and information technology, so her varied skills help her accomplish many projects to benefit the park.
Tabitha Barbree, Lead Keeper	Tabitha Barbree completed an internship at Black Pine in 2006 and decided to stay in the area and continue volunteering at the park. In June 2008 she accepted a part-time position as lead keeper. Tabitha's background includes pharmaceuticals, veterinary assistance, wildlife field studies, and caring for domestic cats with special needs. She is employed full-time at Parkview Noble Hospital in Kendallville, IN.

To learn more about joining our staff, click here!

2008 Staff with "Jungle Jack" Hanna. Photo courtesy of Clay Myers.

On May 18, 2008, Black Pine welcomed "Jungle Jack" Hanna to visit the sanctuary and meet hundreds of local fans. Many of our dedicated and passionate staff were on hand, including, front row, from left: Lori Gagen, Jessica Price, Cris Hensley, Dianne Lengerich, Tabitha Barbree, Anne Lawson, and Amy Kreg. Middle row: Terry Reyes, Karen Lemire, Jenna Poynter, Jim Blomberg, Donna Kelly, Sara Augsburger, Jaime Magnuson, Debbie Ambrose, and Ryan Cureton. Back row: Laura Gray, Lynn Barlow, Brenda Cureton, Renee Runkle, "Jungle Jack" Hanna (guest), Allison Pepich, Carrie Martz, Paul Cureton, and Jan Uffelman.

Our volunteers...

The following volunteers logged nearly nearly 10,000 hours during 2007 in service to Black Pine's mission. Click any underlined name to visit that volunteer's personal profile page! If you are interested in volunteering, click here for an online application.

Senior Volunteer Staff:

Senior staff members are those who have a long tenure at Black Pine. They have the same levels of authority as the paid staff and therefore have access to restricted areas and can make management decisions as needed.

Cris Hensley

Dianne Lengerich

Terry Reyes

Renee Runkle

Mark Thaler

Volunteer Assistant Zookeepers:

Assistant Zookeepers are the only staff authorized to shift and work in close proximity to big cats, cougars, bears, and/or chimpanzees.

Karen Hoag

Linda Kratzat

Volunteer Junior Zookeepers:

Junior Zookeepers are authorized to shift and work with all animals except the big cats, cougars, bears, and chimpanzees. A select number of fully trained junior zookeepers are authorized to shift monkeys and small cats for cleaning purposes only.

Amy Kreg

Carrie Martz
Denise Elliott
Donna Kelly

Jamie Fisher
Jim Blomberg

Joe Pegan

LaMont Tipple
Paul Cureton

Sara Augsburger

Volunteer Staff:

Those listed below perform a variety of volunteer services, including animal husbandry for a variety of birds, reptiles, pasture animals, and small mammals. Some are in training to become Junior Zookeepers. Some are volunteering in other areas, such as helping in the gift tent, conducting guest tours, working at special events, organizing camps and educational activities, helping with maintenance and new construction, etc.

Brenda Cureton

Diana Leffel

Gail Rawles
Janet Heyman

Janet Uffelman
Jan Swaim
Jessica Johnson
Jim Kratzat

John Lengerich

John Toles

Kellie Adkins

Laura Gray
Lynn Toles
Mandi DeGregory
Marty Thomas

Ray Schuster
Ryan Cureton

Our interns excel...

Our internship program is flourishing and we are so proud of the ambitious students who hail from universities around the U.S. and local high schools. Interning at Black Pine provides students planning a career in animal science a unique opportunity to learn practical skills in a fun, interactive environment while helping really make a difference in the lives of our rescued and retired animals. Those who have completed the program have gone on to paid positions in some of the nation's finest institutions, including Shedd Aquarium, Brookfield Zoo, Washington Park Zoo, Columbian Park Zoo, Northwest Trek, Yosemite National Park, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, and the Zooquarium at Cape Cod. Read a student's project paper here. Below meet some of our most recent interns:

	Katie Blomquist graduated with a BS in Animal Sciences from the University of Illinois in 2008, and completed an internship at Black Pine that summer. She is now employed by the Dupage County Animal Care and Control as a kennel worker in Wheaton, IL. Katie completed an internship at this shelter before coming to Black Pine.
	Allison Pepich is a senior at the University of Illinois. She is pursuing a BS in animal sciences with a major in chemistry. Allison completed her internship at Black Pine in 2008.
	Bethany Ahsmann is a senior at State University of New York Oswego working towards a BS in zoology. She completed her internship at Black Pine in 2008. In her free time she volunteers at a wildlife rehabilitation center.
	Cali Layton is a sophomore at Brigham Young University in Utah studying wildlife and wildlands conservation. She completed her internship at Black Pine in 2008.
	Candace Brawner graduated from San Diego State University in 2008 with a BS in biology with emphasis on zoology. After completing an internship in 2007, Candace is now employed as a hoofstock keeper at Lee Richardson Zoo in Garden City, KS. Candace came to Black Pine's internship program in 2007 to gain new "real life" experiences that exceed her textbook knowledge so she can ultimately make a difference in the survival and lives of animals.
	Kelly Sinak is a graduate of Homestead High School in Fort Wayne, IN and a senior at Purdue University majoring in neurobiology and physiology, with a concentration in pre-veterinary studies. Her career interest lies in primarily exotic animal medicine. Following the completion of an internship at Black Pine in 2007, Kellie completed an internship at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, FL.
	Mark Johnson graduated from the University of Illinois with a BS in Animal Sciences, majoring in chemistry, and is now a graduate student at Ross University's School of Veterinary Medicine. He chose to intern at Black Pine in 2007 to expand his experiences with a variety of animals, and to take the opportunity to educate others about the animal world outside of companion animals. Mark also completed a study abroad program that took him to South Africa in 2006, and completed an internship at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago in 2008.