America's Big Cat Ownership Policy (Kately)

4/15/2020

Because the pandemic has kept many people at home, many turn to Netflix as a source of entertainment. A show called Tiger King has risen in popularity, mostly due to its unusual cast. Joe Exotic is a man of questionable morals, and Carole Baskin is a women accused of murdering her husband. Both are bitter rivals in a cutthroat industry of conservationists and collectors. Regardless if you have seen it or not, it has brought up a question that is very important. Should people be able to privately own big cats and other large predators? Many private big cat owners claim that it is no different than the 5th amendment, The series has shown several violations and scandals that several tiger tycoons have committed. In Zanesville, Ohio, private zoo owner Terry Thompson released 18 tigers, 17 lions, 8 bears, 3 cougars, 2 wolves, 1 baboon, and a Macaque (small primate) on the town before committing suicide. It was a miracle that no one was killed, but local police were forced to kill 49 predators. Many speculate that the expenses of taking care of so many demanding animals became financially overbearing for the man.

A common form of financial income in this industry comes from cub petting events, where the public goes to take pictures, bottle feed, and play with baby tigers. The cubs are killed when they become too big for these events.

There are no Federal Laws that prohibit private ownership of these animals, though there is a bill in Congress as of now

More information here: https://aldf.org/project/big-cat-public-safety-act-federal/

Have any of you watched Tiger King? What laws should be in place? What can be done about the over-saturated population in captivity, while its numbers continue to dwindle in the wild?

30 Comments

Erykah Foss

4/17/2020 02:05:33 pm

I have not watched 'Tiger King', but I watched a YouTube video about the show that explained some of the odd, real-life characters who star in it. I think it is crazy how many exotic animals someone can keep in the United States. It is unhealthy for these animals to live in cages and not their natural habitat. Selfish animal keepers, like Joe Exotic and Carol Baskin, only own exotic animals to exploit them for money or popularity. I think zoos, for the most part, do a better job of taking care of animals and teaching people about them.

To keep more animals from getting hurt, there should be laws about how many one person can have on their property. There should also be an annual or biannual inspection that ensures the safety and care of the animals. Although these laws could help, there will still be tens of thousands of animals in cages. Humans will continue to capture and keep them out of amusement or money without considering the endangerment they cause. As more animals grow weaker under human captivity, fewer animals will be able to thrive where they were meant to live.

Faith

4/17/2020 08:26:21 pm

I agree that it is unhealthy for these animals and that there should be some form of regulations to keep them from being harmed.

Paige

4/19/2020 08:57:02 am

Having an inspection would be a good way to help these animals to stay safe and unharmed. I also believe these large cats are better off in zoos than with people who exploit them for personal gain.

Tori Weir

4/19/2020 03:34:09 pm

I liked that you mentioned there will still be thousands of animals in cages and how people will still continue to use them for their own enjoyment. Like other national and worldwide problems there will always be something that we cannot control completely.

Faith

4/17/2020 08:33:05 pm

A few days after Tiger King came out, I felt that I should watch it to see what all the online hype was about. After watching the whole series, I found that it was a very odd documentary, but was also very interesting. It made me realize how many tigers are really kept in captivity while the ones in the wild are slowly becoming a smaller and smaller population. Personally, I don’t think people should not be allowed to own a big cat, but that the law should enforce specific regulations and guidelines to meet. Some that come to mind are the amount of tigers that can be held in captivity at a time. Another is that killing tigers (under the accept ion that they are injured with no way to heal or dying of old age and suffering) should be illegal, it is inhuman to kill an animal with no good reason to. To aid to the growing issue of tigers in captivity, I think that stronger laws should be enforced, as well as making it more complicated to obtain a tiger.

Paige

4/19/2020 08:54:49 am

I like your insight on the tigers and how stronger laws should be enforced to ensure the cat's safety. I also think it is inhumane to kill animals without probable cause.

Brax Kauffman

4/19/2020 10:38:00 am

I think you’re right when you say that stinger laws should be required in owning them. That way it is more ensured that they are in a safer place than they would have been.

Sabrina

4/19/2020 04:07:43 pm

Would you recommend watching the documentary now that you've seen it? Was it educational at all?

Madicyn

4/23/2020 12:19:12 pm

You said that you think it should be illegal to kill an animal with no good reason, what's your opinion on trophy hunting and professional hunters killing big game animals, and not using it for something resourceful?

Paige Hilton

4/19/2020 08:52:41 am

I have not watched Tiger King. I do not feel that people should own large cats and other animals in similarity due to their aggressive nature. I do not think it is fair to the animal or the owner to have such an animal.
I do not know what the best way to help these endangered cats live is. I see that there are many people that do bad things that are not in accordance with the law and through this the cats are hunted and abused. If there was some sort of animal sanctuary for these large cats than I'm sure that would help with their population and keep them from extinction.

Brax Kauffman

4/19/2020 10:36:24 am

I think the idea of an animal sanctuary would be a good solution. At least for the animals who are in the most danger due to area or injury.

Andy Gebhardt

4/19/2020 12:42:40 pm

An animal sanctuary is a good idea but I think it could also open up other ideas for people to acquire more big cats to sell. Many tigers get taken from the wild when they are young and an animal sanctuary might cause more of they. What do you think?

Brax Kauffman

4/19/2020 10:35:21 am

I have not seen tiger king and do not really have a good idea of what it is actually about. However I do not think that there should be private ownership of big cats. The main reason for this is that there are much better options as to where they should live. The first one is obviously in the wild where they are the most suitable to live. They require a large amount of roaming space and that seems to be the only realistic solution to how the get it. The other option for those born in captivity or that have had problems such as injury could be brought to a protective habitat. I think these would be the better options rather than having people be able to own these animals while not actually having the proper facilities for them.

Andy Gebhardt

4/19/2020 12:41:14 pm

I agree that people just aren’t suited to own them because of a few conditions. Also, if they escape that is another problem in itself. Do you think that zoos should be able to keep big cats? Oftentimes the conditions are not good there either.

Tori Weir

4/19/2020 03:28:34 pm

Its interesting how many people want to have a big cat as their pet and knowing that they are dangerous and not fitted to be a pet. I like that you mentioned placing them into a protective habitat and leaving them in the wild. If we were to place them in a protective habitat, where do you think is the best place for them?

Andy Gebhardt

4/19/2020 11:35:12 am

I have heard of the show Tiger King but I have never seen it myself. However, it seems like people get more interested in how weird or strange the people act than they care about the animals themselves. This is unfortunate but it is part of why the show is so popular. My view on people and situations like this are that there should be certain regulations on what exotic animals can be kept, the number of them, and what people are allowed to have them.
As far as tigers go, it is not a good thing that they are being kept in captivity because they are not meant to be inside houses as pets. These animals are coming from somewhere and this may mean some tigers are being taken from the wild where their numbers are low anyways.
This situation reminds me of a scene that is taking place I the Florida Everglades. Over the years Burmese pythons and other snakes have escaped or been set free into the wild by their owners and now they are taking over the forest. People are having to do hunts to lower the numbers because of the terrible impact they are having on the environment. Overall, it is people that cause the issues that are affecting animals.

Faith

4/19/2020 01:28:04 pm

You make a good point when you say that tigers are not meant to be kept as house pets. They are meant to be free in the wild but over the years their freedom has definitely been taken from them.

Erykah

4/19/2020 02:07:24 pm

There are few regulations set for people who own wild animals, which has led to animal abuse. Do you think owners should go through training before they gain the responsibility of a wild animal?

Madicyn

4/23/2020 12:17:04 pm

I think it would be a start of something better if people had to take classes or have some sort of training before they were able to have these animals that aren't meant for cages and "pet" life.

Aiden

4/19/2020 03:35:14 pm

Humans are certainly complicating things on the environment releasing pets and taking wild animals in for domestication. These cause most the problems we have with extinctions and food chain changes.

Tori Weir

4/19/2020 03:24:18 pm

I have never heard of this show or watched it. I do know that only certain states allow ownership to exotic creatures such as these and in a few states, there are certain requirements for them. However, I do not know much about this subject and would have to research more on them. Personally, I do not think people should be owning these large cats because of their temperament and having the risk that involves them. If people are going to have big cats then there should be more laws enforced such as making sure the owners are qualified for taking care of them, having a certain number, and requiring a permit or license for them. There are no federal laws because it depends on each state’s decision if there should be ownership to big cats. If anything, the state laws need to be more specific and reinforced according to their situation. These laws, regulations, and daily check-ups can help with the growing population of big cats in captivity.

Aiden

4/19/2020 03:32:26 pm

I did not know about State governments having different laws on these animals that is very interesting.

Erykah

4/19/2020 03:35:19 pm

I agree that states should have more specific laws. I think this would help ensure the safety of exotic animals. Do you think 'Tiger King' has made states recognize the cruelty of some wild animal owners?

Alyssa Farnworth

4/19/2020 05:29:47 pm

When writing my post I really only considered the safety of the animal so I liked that you brought up their temperament. I also agree more specific laws are needed.

Aiden

4/19/2020 03:31:10 pm

I have not seen “Tiger King” and am not familiar with the private owning of large cats and predators. I haven’t heard too much about this as a problem at least on the National scale so I’m inclined to not see a need to construct the ownership rules in place. I don’t know enough. I do think however that we should not be taking these animals from the wild anymore than we already have and just leave the species be to keep them alive and in good number. Cats born into captivity I don’t see a problem of owning them in the right conditions.

Sabrina

4/19/2020 04:09:25 pm

Who will be able to own the cats that are born in captivity? Where will they stay? I agree that we should not take any more from the wild.

Sabrina

4/19/2020 04:06:50 pm

I have not watched "Tiger King" although I have seen enough memes about it to have an idea of what it is about. Owning large cats and other exotic animals can be very dangerous and potentially harmful to the animal. I don't think it should be illegal to do so though. There are certain things that these animals need and if someone can prove that they can provide those needs, I don't see the problem with it. It takes money and knowledge to do this so not many will be able to. The intentions with the animals is important as well, and while we can't foresee and control those perfectly, we can trust that there are ways around the law to capture and own these animals anyway.

Alyssa Farnworth

4/19/2020 05:27:50 pm

With the amount of media attention the show is getting, for people like me and you who have never seen it to know about it in some regard, do you think the care of these exotic animals will be improved?

Alyssa Farnworth

4/19/2020 05:25:14 pm

I have not watched ‘Tiger King’ but I have heard a little bit about it. I do not think anyone should be able to own big cats. The animals need certain amounts of space to live. Some of the only ways these needs can be met is if they are in the wild. The only other alternative I would suggest are animal sanctuaries. Finally if it is going to remain legal for people to own these animals there should be legal requirements about the amount of space they get and the level of care they receive. If there needs can be met I don’t see a problem. They also should not be allowed to kill the animal due to size. The owner knows what they are getting themselves into when they obtain a big cat.

Madicyn

4/23/2020 12:15:13 pm

I've watched the first episode of Tiger King, but that's all. I've heard a lot of different opinions and reviews on it.
For the big cats, and game that are kept privately, I think there should be more laws and regulations to ensure these animals are kept safe. I think it's wrong for them to be injured or killed for ridiculous reasons. As tigers are on the endangered species list, I think humans should be doing their best to ensure these animals don't go extinct, and helping them survive in the wild, not in cages for our own amusement. I saw a post on social media comparing how well Americans have taken the lockdown, and how we have not enjoyed being "locked up" in our homes, to all of these miserable animals of all sorts locked in cages, zoos, and other small spaces where they are not meant to be. It was pretty interesting, and rather disheartening to look at. I don't think humans should be able to have these animals, that are meant to be fierce, wild animals, in their own private property. It can be dangerous, and it is genuinely unfair.

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