BY RUDY TAYLOR
Montgomery County Chronicle
CANEY — Tom and Allie Harvey, owners of the Safari Zoological Park in Caney, will be featured on the Animal Planet program “2008 The Year in Animals” on Saturday, Dec. 13.
An Animal Planet crew shot their video footage and interviewed the Harveys in October. Tom and Allie became overnight television celebrities when their Golden Retriever, “Isabella,” took over nursing three baby tiger cubs after their mother rejected them. Isabella, who was still lactating after recently giving birth to puppies, became the darling of shows like “NBC Today,” Fox News, “The Early Show on CBS,” and even the Oprah show.
Isabella drew additional press coverage from numerous radio stations, newspapers and magazines throughout the world, all of them prominently mentioning Caney, Kan., as the home site of Safari Zoological Park.
But the TV network which Tom and Allie really wanted to come to Caney and do a feature segment was the Animal Planet, and it happened in October, with next Saturday as the official viewing day. Tom Harvey said the show will be repeated several times over the coming weeks.
What makes the story even more significant for the Harveys is their belief that the cubs and Isabella came along in the nick of time, just before they were ready to close the gates at the park.
“We literally were praying for a miracle,” said Tom. “My wife and I said August the first if God doesn’t do something, we’re going to close her down and do something else.”
On August 1, they both were interviewed live on the NBC Today Show, and one TV satellite truck after another came to the park to do interviews.
The Harveys made a trip to New York City two months ago to appear on the television programs mentioned above.
A book deal was signed giving the Harveys sufficient funds to exist for a while longer and, hopefully, sign more contracts with media and public relation companies.
Tom Harvey said he has seen the final proofs on the book and it looks good. They are hoping to have the book printed and on the shelves of stores by next summer.
The book will feature 52 photos taken in Caney at the park, including 29 which Tom and Allie took themselves.
The program “2008: The Year In Animals” is scheduled to air at 9 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 13. The Animal Network appears on channel 67 for Cox Communications subscribers in Montgomery County (Caney, Cherryvale and Coffeyville) and on channel 48 for Cable One subscribers (Independence). The show will be rebroadcast at various times throughout the weekend.
