Charlie Sammut : Heart of a Lion
by Crystal Han
WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU A LION , MAKE A ZOO
When Charlie Sammut arrested a suspect in 1983 , he had no idea it would set him on the path to opening a zoo . Back then , he was just a police officer in Seaside who also happened to love animals . He already cared for dogs , cats , horses , pythons , parrots , skunks , and many other animals , so when the suspect told him he had a pet mountain lion that needed a new home , adopting it was a no-brainer .
“ That was back in the day when it was legal to do something that foolish ,” Sammut clarified . He recognizes that owning a wild animal requires experience , proper facilities , and the financial means to provide adequate care , and years later he would sit on the Fish and Game Advisory Committee to make owning wild animals as pets illegal . But at the time there were no laws in place to prevent him from adopting the mountain lion , who he named Samson .
When Sammut discovered how much he loved caring for Samson , he decided to adopt a baby African lion as well . He named the lion Josef and the two formed a strong bond . “ He was a very special mind in the body of an African lion . He was very calm and he had an extremely safe temperament ,” Sammut said . Sammut founded the company “ Wild Things ,” where he trained and handled exotic animals for the entertainment industry , and Josef ’ s easy going temperament made him the star of the show . He was featured in many commercials , shows , and movies , including as a live model for the artists of the original “ Lion King ” movie .
The longer Sammut was in the entertainment industry , however , the more he became bothered by the treatment of the animals . “ I wasn ’ t particularly fond of how the animals were received and how they were treated afterwards ,” he explained , “ It just wasn ’ t a place for the animals after the film was made , and that didn ’ t sit right with me .” When it became clear that the industry wasn ’ t going to change its treatment of the animals , Sammut left and began exploring the idea of turning Vision Quest Ranch — the home for all of his animals — into an actual zoo .
Vision Quest Ranch is also the home of Vision Quest Safari Bed & Breakfast , where guests can stay in an African tent style bungalow with lions and tigers roaring just yards away , enjoy continental breakfast , and meet and great the " Wild Things ."
The road to making the zoo wasn ’ t easy , but Sammut was fortunate to have the support of the Monterey and Salinas communities , who made generous donations and also contributed their time , labor , and materials for the animal exhibits . In February 2020 , the Monterey Zoo officially celebrated its grand opening .
Sammut describes the completion of his zoo as bittersweet , not only because it opened just in time for Covid lockdowns , but because they were immediately attacked by extremist groups . He has battled with an onslaught of misinformation and accusations over social media , and because validating information on social media is often difficult it has become a bit of a full-time job correcting erroneous claims . “ The extremists that are attacking us have never been here or seen the zoo . They ’ re attacking the word ‘ zoo ’,” Sammut said .
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