Mystery firing at WSPA, too

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 1997:

Named special projects director by
the World Society for the Protection of
Animals in June, after 12 years in similar
roles with the American SPCA, Kathi
Travers immediately won headlines with
high-profile rescues of pets from the volcano-wracked
Caribbean island of
Montserrat, but was fired August 20, appare-
ntly – –ANIMAL PEOPLE understood
then––due to conflict with other WSPA staff.

The Montserrat evacuations continued.
ANIMAL PEOPLE p r o b a b l y
would not have reported further on the matter,
but on September 18 Travers forwarded
to us a leaked copy of an August 21 memo
from WSPA chief executive Andrew
Dickson, addressing WSPA executives,
American directors, and officers, in which
Dickson stated, “I have dismissed Kathi
Travers for professional misconduct, dishonesty
and bringing WSPA’s name into disrepute,”
and said he would “brief the executive
committee in greater detail at our meeting
in November.”
The memo, which Travers and
ANIMAL PEOPLE received as a barely
legible multigeneration fax, had evidently
circulated for some time among personnel of
other organizations before Travers got it.
Dickson’s allegations have no parallel
known to ANIMAL PEOPLE in connection
with Travers’ previous work, did not surface
when ANIMAL PEOPLE earlier asked
WSPA executives about Travers’ departure,
and ANIMAL PEOPLE had no indication
that WSPA’s name was in disrepute with
anyone.
ANIMAL PEOPLE t h e r e f o r e
asked Dickson what he was talking about.
Responded Dickson, “Any public
statement could be very damaging to Kathi,
and I have no wish to do that,” apparently
disregarding that a clandestinely circulated
unsubstantiated allegation could be even
more damaging, by denying the subject of
the allegation the opportunity to respond.