Jessica Soule / The Citizen

Story:

A Weedsport man with a history of keeping wild animals on his property has been charged by federal authorities for possessing two rare spotted cats.

Glenn Donnelly, the former owner of the Cayuga County Fairgrounds, is scheduled to face a federal judge on August 25 in Portland, Ore., for purchasing two ocelots.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confiscated illegal items from his Weedsport home, but the agency hasn't released the details of the search warrant, Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Joan Jewett said.

In May 2005, a 22-year-old college student was mauled after reaching into a cage containing two Chinese Himalayan bears on Donnelly's property. The woman was with a group of three people who reportedly went to Donnelly's property without permission to look at animals at what they believed to be a private "zoo." She sustained severe injuries, and her arm was later amputated below the elbow.

The U.S. District Court in Oregon charged Donnelly for allegedly buying two ocelots in April 2002, transporting them from Oregon to New York, and lying to federal authorities about how he obtained the endangered animals.

Donnelly reportedly told the federal Department of Agriculture that Portland resident Deborah Walding had given him the two oversized cats. Walding has since been convicted of illegal ocelot trafficking and sent to prison.

National law allows people to give endangered species to other parties as donations.

Donnelly said Monday he hasn't owned ocelots, which are often killed for their pelts. However, Fish and Wildlife investigators confirmed his address was the same where they served the search warrant.

Donnelly was the co-founder of DIRT Motorsports and sold the racing and entertainment firm, and the fairgrounds, for $4.3 million last year.

Donnelly's lawyer, Georgie Duckler, in Portland had no comment.

Donnelly was one of eight parties slapped with federal charges or civil fines through "Operation Cat Tale." The national investigation uncovered a multi-state effort to sell endangered animals and resulted in five criminal cases.

All but Donnelly have reached plea agreements. The fines for the individuals ranged from $10,000 to $15,000, plus probation.

Through the operation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seized five ocelots, including two that died while being transported. The animals were sold for nearly $5,000 each, investigators say.

Only 70 ocelots remain in the wild across the country, according to Fish and Wildlife data. The animals have been protected by United States and international laws for more than 30 years.