Tippi
Hedren
The
Cat Woman
by Bill Strubbe
Fending off flocks of avian foes in Hitchcock’s
infamous The Birds was an auspicious beginning for the
classically gorgeous, regal blonde from Minnesota. Propelled
into instant stardom, Tippi Hedren soon played opposite
the dashing Sean Connery in the off-beat psychological
thriller, Marnie.
Though she always had a cat or dog while
growing up, it was while shooting the film Satan’s
Harvest, in Africa in 1969, that she began her long
love affair with wild animals. There, Tippi “met”
a mellow lion, and much of her life since then has been
devoted to big cats. Deeply involved with international
conservation groups to save wildlife, and an outspoken
voice against cruelty to animals both wild and domestic,
she serves on the boards of numerous organizations.
If Tippi were now to make another film
perhaps the most fitting title would be “The Cats,”
as her current passion is being “den mother”
to sixty-odd big cats near Acton, California, at The
Roar Foundation’s Shambala Preserve, of which she
is founder and president. The high desert game preserve
was first established as a set for the motion picture
“Roar” that Tippi co-produced and starred
in with her daughter, Melanie Griffith. After filming
was completed, it was transformed into the non-profit
center for big cat care and research.
Shambala’s feline residents include
lions, Bengali and Siberian tigers, leopards, serval,
cheetahs, snow leopards, a Florida panther, and a few
elephants; mostly cast-offs from private owners, zoos,
and circuses. They are now “living out their lives
in safety and comfort,” according to Tippi. Ms.
Hedren lives at Shambala in a cottage, where, in the
mornings she “awakens to their roars.” One
week-end a month Shambala opens its gates to the public
for educational safaris. Tippi is deeply involved in
working on Congressional Bill H.R. 1006, “The Captive
Wildlife Safety Act”, that addresses public safety
dangers posed by private ownership, illegal breeding,
selling, and inhumane treatment of wild and exotic animals.
Tippi explains that she frequently receives calls from
private owners who buy “these adorable little babies,
take them home and within a few months they’re
all over the place, taking a piece out of the furniture,
and possibly out of the owner.” Tippi feels that
laws regarding these animals must be changed. “The
public must be made aware that these dangerous animals
do not make ‘good pets’”!
At present, Tippi has five domestic
cats in her own home, and loves them madly. Some years
ago she adopted a litter of kittens and balked at giving
away even one of them. Now her kitties – Rocky,
Antonio Banderas, Rod Taylor, John Saxon, and Marlon
Brando – happily have the run of her home and office.
Shambala, The Roar Foundation, 6867 Soledad Canyon.
Acton, CA 93510, Tel: 661-268-0380. www.shambala.org
[Updated:
April, 2008]
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