SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — We first met Andy Blue when he was working at Project Wildlife rehabbing an orphaned mountain lion, but his work with animals has gone far and beyond since he retired last year.
"Retirement was kind of overrated," Andy jokes.
Andy has spent his retirement and his own money helping animals all over the world. His most recent trip took him to Iraq to help a rare and endangered species of leopard, an adult male Persian Leopard. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, there are between 750 and 1,044 Persian leopards in the wild, with only two dozen in the region of Iraq, where this one is from.
Andy first heard about the leopard from a veterinarian friend who told him the feline had been caught in a steel jaw leg trap after eating the livestock of villagers. The leopard suffered tremendous injuries and his back leg had to be amputated, leaving the leopard unable to hunt and survive in the wild.
He was sent to the Duhok Zoo where he has been living in a small concrete enclosure for the past four years, hiding during the day and pacing in its 50 by 20 foot home at night.
Andy reflected on first seeing that video, "it really struck a chord, and I literally would be at night, in bed in the middle of the night thinking of that video and that cat and thinking, you know, I, can do something here."
So in February, Andy headed to Iraq, packed with supplies donated by the San Diego Humane Society and Pala-Tech Laboratories to help other animals while he was abroad.
"Just about anything that the veterinarian can use over there," he says.
The mission of the trip was to help give the leopard a better quality of life. Andy explains, "The goal is to address this leopard's enclosure. I'm gonna hire some staff over there or volunteers or whatever I can do. I'm gonna purchase the lumber, whatever it is, to build and renovate the enclosure," because just like our house cats, leopards need enrichment to thrive.
The two-week trip had its challenges, getting the building supplies and some language barriers, but after a few days, the upgrades were complete.
Andy told us, "We built these partitions so the cat could hide behind it. We built a ladder structure so he could get up high. Leopards like to be up in trees and on top of things. I'm really optimistic that, you know, he's turned a corner," Andy continues about the new enrichment and hiding places in his enclosure, "He was much calmer. He appeared not to be racing around the enclosure like he was. He was creeping around and looking at things, just like if you're a domestic cat at home when you bring something new home, they're sniffing it and, and rubbing on it."
While in Iraq, Andy was also part of the discussion with government officials about moving the leopard to a better place, ideally a large sanctuary where he could find a mate or, at the very least, a peaceful and open space.
"He deserves to go and live his life out in a sanctuary somewhere that's forested and green," Andy says.
Andy was recently in touch with the veterinarian in Iraq who tells him they want to fast-track the leopard transfer, so Andy may be heading back to Iraq sooner rather than later.
Click here to donate to Andy's Spotfund to help pay for this and future trips.
