VINCENTIANS CONSIDER SALE OF WESTERN PERRY COUNTY LAND

PERRYVILLE -- Vincentians religious order has some land for sale in Perry County, and it is contemplating selling it to the tigers. No, not Detroit's baseball franchise, but the endangered species.

The idea of creating a national tiger sanctuary on more than 400 acres of western Perry County has only been taken seriously for about a month, said the Rev. Arthur Trapp, who is superior of St. Mary's Seminary. "The idea was brought up a couple of months ago," Trapp said. "But now it's seriously being considered."The discussion centers on creating a habitat for as many as 100 tigers on the hilly, wooded land that is owned by the Vincentians along the Madison County border, said Robert Ray, executive director of the Perry County Industrial Development Authority."There are only about six of these sanctuaries in the world," Ray said.

The idea was brought forth by DePaul University in Chicago and Environmental Rescue, which is in Independence.

Perry County has historical links to DePaul, which was founded by the Vincentians order, Trapp said. But using religious connections to bring in big cats doesn't depend on behind-doors deals, the superior said.

This all hinges on the will of the people."If they can sell the idea to the people of Perry County, we'll sell the property," Trapp said.

The goal of a national tiger sanctuary would be to help preserve the animals through public-aimed education while providing a healthy and safe environment for the tigers."They would be in acre-sized cages," Ray said. "They wouldn't be roaming around free in the woods." If such a sanctuary were built, projections of up to 100,000 tourists coming to the county in the first year of operations would be realistic, Ray said.

Plans to develop trails, camping and lodging facilities alongside a tiger sanctuary have also been mentioned, he said.

The idea of selling several hundred acres of Vincentian lands, which the order received in large part through inheritance from parishioners, will come about regardless of the tigers, Trapp said. The Vincentians are committed to using profits from the sales to establish missions in Kenya, he said.

But regarding possible lions on the Kenyan properties, and how they might feel about tigers in Missouri, nothing has yet been discussed.