Doug Spink 1971-2020

[ZeMenDepo]

So did he actually pass away?

He did, because of his politically charged presence both domestically and internationally and previous threats to his mom, she and I decided that posting an obituary was inviting further death threats to her doorstep. I wanted to do an obituary for dignity sake, however I wanted his mom to feel safe and secure in her home.

I sat there and held his hand and professed my love to him and he returned such as he took his last breaths.

That may not be enough proof to some, but know that every minute of every day I wish that he was still next to me, still holding my hand, and that I would never jinx or otherwise put that karma of faking a death into the universe.

And while I do have a copy of his death certificate, it remains unpublished online for reasons of security for his mom.

I've debated writing into Reed, as we were supposed to attend the reunion, he updated them last year and they published in the alumni periodical.

 

[Jessica Benjamin]

He did, because of his politically charged presence both domestically and internationally and previous threats to his mom, she and I decided that posting an obituary was inviting further death threats to her doorstep. I wanted to do an obituary for dignity sake, however I wanted his mom to feel safe and secure in her home.

I sat there and held his hand and professed my love to him and he returned such as he took his last breaths.

That may not be enough proof to some, but know that every minute of every day I wish that he was still next to me, still holding my hand, and that I would never jinx or otherwise put that karma of faking a death into the universe.

And while I do have a copy of his death certificate, it remains unpublished online for reasons of security for his mom.

I've debated writing into Reed, as we were supposed to attend the reunion, he updated them last year and they published in the alumni periodical.

If you write to the Reed Alumni magazine, the editor is Chris Lydgate. Send proof.

 

[TogglesHappyZoo]

If you write to the Reed Alumni magazine, the editor is Chris Lydgate. Send proof.

This is probably not really my place to ask, but I gotta wonder why someone who went to school with him came to ZooVille looking for proof that he died. I just find it a little weird We're on twitter and stuff, ya know x3

 

[TogglesHappyZoo]

Hence, there's no use to focus that much on the German or Dutch cases because it's just winning on formalities details of the laws, but get caught fucking an animal and they'll inevitably find a way or another to make your life a mess and your animals taken away.

Worth checking out the result of the little back and forth: someone claimed the prize.

https://www.zooville.org/threads/germany-law-debate-100-dollars-cash-price-inside-claimed.9921/post-179543

 

[pupperdepup]

RIP Fausty, as European zoo I won't get into the discussion of what he did right or wrong but at least he had the right morals and stuck with them.

See you over the rainbow bridge

 

[Jasperwolfsky]

I cant belive he is dead....he was a amazing guy who helped me really understand who i am, i will forever be greatful for the time i knew him RIP FAUSTY

 

[Horst Trapper]

There are so many people out there that do a lot more good than he did, yet receives not even one hundredth of the attention FAUSTY gets. RIP anyway, sure...

 

[Daisy Azuras]

Douglas Bryan LeConte-Spink passed away Thursday morning at his home in Harmony, Pennsylvania. Those of us who knew and collaborated with Doug are deeply pained by his loss. I certainly am. I only knew Doug in the final year of his life after reading Uniquely Dangerous, but in that short time I found him to be an amazing individual - caring and deeply compassionate, uncompromising and steadfast, courageous, generous with his support and encouragement, brilliant and hilariously funny. He spent his final year initiating and fostering the first zoo podcast in the world, working tirelessly to open an avenue for zoos to speak for and of ourselves in our own voices, and was not stopped by the pain and impairments of the aggressive cancer he was fighting. He fought it with everything he had, as was his way. He was defiant to the very end.

I only had the opportunity to meet him once in person, but it was an honor to do so, and I'm proud to call him my friend. We will continue your work, Doug, in gratitude, and carrying your spirit with us. Rest well, friend. You've earned it.

Namaste.

I remember talking to him back in the 90’s. I didn’t think he’d live the life he did. I wish I could have caught up with him before he passed.

 

[Lonewolf]

Shit. There is a whole lotta kool-aid being drank here. Fausty was a sociopath that destroyed most everything he came in contact with. Maybe y'all are basing your opinions on the story he tried to fabricate for himself in the years he knew he was dying, but I have dealt with him for nearly 30 years.
He was a thief, a liar, and a drug smuggler. Want a good dose of reality? Put the name doug spink into google. Most everything you'll find is all factual other than the "bestiality farm" thing. Bestiality farm is any place that has animals and more than 1 person buggering them..
But yeah, any zoophile that was deep into the online world knew to steer well clear of this guy. Either from personal experience or well-earned reputation.

 

[ScreamingTrees]

I'm really torn on the moral lessons here, too. I mean, he was (obviously if you read between the lines of his behavior during his arrests, or if you have outright asked him about it) a substance abuser who was probably an addict. Now, these days that is considered a medical condition, and enough bad shit had happened in his life that you'd think a shitty coping mechanism would be totally understandable...

Yet most of the shitty things that happened (arrests, etc) were BECAUSE of the substance abuse, so what came first? Did living as a zoo in a world where being zoo was seen as so disgusting too much to cope with? Is there any personal responsibility for this "medical condition" or do we choose to take drugs? I am not a psych or med person, so I don't know what current thinking is on this choice thing, like, can a person choose to not put a needle in your arm, or is it just a treatable condition that requires outside intervention? MAYBE some of us older people who knew him thru the decades of being a dick would have a better opinion of him if he wasn't constantly being a random, literally psychotic paranoid asshole. It appears he was clean after his last stint in jail (what was that, like three or four times he went in?) so maybe that's why so many people think he's such a wonderful role model.

One example of his shittiness was when he was fighting that Fjord guy for control of the zoo tracker. Fausty (briefly) posted the actual names of him and his girlfriend (Mare or something?) on the tracker briefly to make some stupid point, and a couple of us were like, "Man, that's not cool. Take that shit down." and he did like within an hour or two, but that's the sort of random asshole shit that probably "wasn't like him" that he was definitely doing (I just checked and I still happen to have a copy of Fjord's RL linkedin profile here that Fausty gave me for some reason, maybe hoping that I would out him myself.)

Of course, no-one is pure evil, and he did try to help his current friends (old friends are always seen as enemies for some reason) with FANATICAL DEVOTION. Like he'd probably literally jump in front of a bus to save someone on his current "friends" list.

I just realized that he reminds me of the Tiger King guy. Very much. Self-aggrandizing narcissist, but had a vision, had passion, started doing good work but ingested too much Bad Shit and started to think everyone was after him, started doing stupid paranoid "I'm better than that asshole" shit both among allies and actual enemies, which basically caused everyone to notice him, and then they actually indeed DID go after him.

Seems he found some peace and some good friends at the end, just wish (for the sake of some of us who he fucked over pretty good) that he found it sooner.

Mostly my takeaway is don't do drugs, or if you are addicted, get help before you also lose your family.

 

[Sun&Seed]

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
― Theodore Roosevelt

 

[ZETA_256]

An interesting speech from Douglas Spink:


It has been some time since I had last watched this video, but it is worth watching, as some of the stuff discussed is interesting.