Animal sanctuary files trademark-infringement suit against Montana, Arizona charity

KEENESBURG — The Wild Animal Sanctuary, based in rural Keenesburg with satellite locations in southern Colorado and in Texas, has filed a federal trademark infringement, unfair competition, cyberpiracy, false advertising and deceptive trade practices lawsuit against a company that has a name — Wild Life Sanctuary Fund — and website the mimics the Weld County nonprofit.

The case, filed in federal court in Denver Wednesday, alleges that the Montana and Arizona-based Wild Life Sanctuary Fund has usurped since at least 2019 the Colorado company’s trademarks and has confused donors with its fundraising efforts.

The Keenesburg sanctuary was founded and continues to be run by Pat Craig, who has rescued hundreds of wild animals from zoos and private collections. Thousands of visitors walk the elevated walkway at Keenesburg to see lions, bears, wolves and other rescued wildlife. 

The lawsuit alleges that the sanctuary fund organization is registered as a nonprofit in Montana but operates from a residential address in Peoria, Arizona, by Lon Taylor and Elizabeth Taylor. The Taylors also run numerous other charities from the same address and using the same phone numbers. Those other charities include, according to the suit, Wild Animal Preservation Fund, Feeding Hungry Children Inc., Puppies Kittens Rescue Fund, Diabetes Aid Prevention Fund, Anti-Animal Cruelty Campaign, Save the Animals, Cancer Aid Prevention Fund, Feeding America’s Children, Feed My Children, Cancer Prevention and Aid Institute, Feeding America’s Hungry Children, Cancer Prevention Research Fund and American Diabetes Aid and Prevention Institute.

Lon Taylor is listed as the executive director of the Don Stewart Association, a televangelist religious organization that was the subject of an Arizona Republic investigation in 2009. The Don Stewart Association is not rated with the BBB because it failed to respond to inquiries. Charity Watch gave it a rating of “?” because it would not disclose financial information. The Republic called the association a multi-million dollar ministry.

Lon Taylor is also listed as the founder of The 3000 Club, an organization that works with food banks to reduce food waste.

A call to one of the numbers listed for the sanctuary fund delivered an automated message that said “the called party is temporarily unavailable.” A call to another number listed for the fund delivered an automated message from a man who identified himself as Lon Taylor of Charities America. A message left was not returned.

Kent Drotar, public relations director for the Keenesburg sanctuary, said that founder Craig had been investigating the other organization since 2019 when he stumbled on it doing a Google search. Drotar said they have since heard from patrons who have been confused by the other organization and donated money in a manner they didn’t intend.

Craig, who was out of state this week on an animal-rescue mission, wrote about what he found in a newsletter article in 2020. 

The sanctuary fund organization “was for a theoretical wildlife sanctuary with the web address www.WildAnimalSanctuaryfund.org. Notice the word ‘fund’ that was added to our long-standing URL. Of course, this would be easy to miss when clicking on the web site address. …” 

Craig said he found paid Google ads for the other entity. He then found websites for other charities apparently operated by the same people that talked about feeding children and helping cure cancer. Craig searched for information about nonprofits and found more than he anticipated.

“They [the other nonprofits] each had the same executive director and the same mailing address listed on their IRS 990 form — so it was pretty easy to see they were totally related. … I cross referenced names of directors, board members, accountants and money paid directly to other charities. I began to see a network of 30+ charities that were connected. … I began to get pretty nervous, especially when the money amounts began to run in the millions!” Craig wrote in his newsletter.

Craig’s lawsuit asks the court to award triple damages and the other entity’s donations attributable to the trademark infringement. The suit also seeks an injunction on the organization and all parties involved with it.

“The Wild Animal Sanctuary is hopeful, and looks forward to an end to the trademark infringement, cyberpiracy and false advertising that is taking place by the fraudulent organization named in the filing,” Drotar wrote in an email to BizWest.  “It is appalling that there are people and entities taking advantage of the generosity and philanthropy of everyday, average people by fooling them, and at the same time causing harm to legitimate non-profit organizations.”

© 2021 BizWest Media LLC

on Facebook on LinkedIn