In a land where millions of dogs and cats go unwanted every year, some people choose instead to care for a tiger that can weigh hundreds of pounds, live for 25 years and eat 15 to 20 pounds of meat a day.
"We estimate there are 5,000 tigers living as pets in the United States, and that is a conservative figure, it could be as high as 15,000 or three times the number of tigers in the wild worldwide," Steve Olson, government relations director for The American Zoo and Aquarium Association in Washington, D.C., told United Press International.
Not just tigers are being kept as household pets, but pythons that can grow 20 feet long, as well as raccoons, skunks, wallabies, monkeys, lizards and other reptiles are being kept in private homes.
In fact, almost any wild animal can be purchased via the Internet. At present, only 19 states severely restrict or ban private possession of big cats and bears: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Wyoming.
"Last year, a 3-year-old boy in Texas was killed by his stepfather's 'pet' tiger, a pet lion bit a woman trying to feed peaches to some captive bears and a pet bear bit a 31-year-old man on the arm in Leavenworth County, Kansas," Wayne Pacelle, vice president of the Humane Society of the United States in Washington, told UPI.
"Many states do not restrict private ownership of dangerous exotics and the result is a patchwork of laws, and a thriving commercial trade in dangerous exotic animals," Pacelle said.
A few weeks ago, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., introduced H.R. 5226, the "Captive Wildlife Safety Act," a bill to address public safety threats posed by private ownership of dangerous animals and to combat the inhumane treatment of these animals. In particular, the legislation amends the Lacey Act to ban the interstate movement of lions, tigers, cougars, leopards, cheetahs and bears for private use.
"Animal advocates have to deal with a huge number of issues, and there isn't enough time to handle all of them, but the exotic pet trade has gotten so out of hand that a response was warranted and overdue," Pacelle said.
The bill does not affect the interstate movement of big cats and bears for use in zoos, circuses or other operations licensed and inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But some wild animal owners are fighting the federal initiative because, they argue, if they care for their animals properly, the government should not interfere.
According to National Alternative Pet Association of Burnet, Texas, discrimination based on the choice of a pet still is discrimination and exotic pet species have been bred successfully in captivity for a long time. Banning exotics would be no more effective than banning guns, drugs, explosives or anything else, NAPA's Web site argues, because some people are willing to break the law.
Although some states such as Ohio and Arkansas have few or no exotic pet regulations, others such as California and Florida have enacted extensive licensing and registration programs.
"Traditionally, Florida has been a home base for exotic animal brokers and circuses and Miami is a major point of entry for all kinds of animals from overseas," Lt. Linda Harrison, of the Florida Wildlife Commission, told UPI. "We have about 3,000 permits for commercial exhibitors with more than 10 large animals and about 4,200 are granted licenses to keep small, wild animals as pets."
Lions, tigers and bears are classified as Class I animals in Florida. They can be kept only by commercial handlers who must have at least one year of experience in handling the animal and two letters of reference. Stringent cage and facility requirements apply and the state tries to inspect each handler's facilities annually.
Class II animals are considered a potential threat and include midsize primates, cougars, wolves and ocelots. The handlers must have one year's experience, pass a wildlife exam and have at least two acres for the animal.
Class III animals such as reptiles, raccoons, wallabies, ferrets and monkeys can be owned by licensed individuals after they complete a questionnaire about their animal.
"The questionnaire asks about the diet of the animal, social needs, physical needs and things that anyone having that animal should know," the Florida Wildlife Commission's Harrison said. "Despite a highly publicized tiger attack on a woman in Loxahatchee, there have been relatively few animal attacks and most are the result of keeper error."
Harrison said most keepers never drop their guard with a wild animal, but sometimes a gate is not properly closed or a person enters an area not knowing the animal is there and an attack can occur, which can be deadly.
"We really hate to see exotic pets in homes, because they don't belong there and in reality even in those states that have regulations, the enforcement can be inadequate," Laura Simon, urban wildlife director for The Fund for Animals in New Haven, Conn., told UPI.
"For example, prairie dogs need the entire run of the house, they have a natural instinct to shred things like curtains to create a nest and they live in a colony so they are unhappy when they are alone."
Often when people tire of a wild animal, they release it into the wild where it may not survive after growing accustomed to being fed by humans, or it can wander into someone's home or garage where it can pose a danger.
"The trouble is, many don't think about what a commitment it is to care for a wild animal when they see a very small tiger cub and it's hard for them to believe the animal can grow to up to 400 pounds, very quickly," AZAA's Olsen said.
Cheryl Morgan, founder of Exotic Pet Co., with locations in in Louisiana and Texas, who has 115 different animals on 600 acres, has been around the exotic animal business for 15 years as an exhibitor, breeder and broker, said she screens people before she sells to them.
"I sell tiger cubs at $2,000 so that deters a lot of people right off the bat, but if they are still interested I ask a lot of questions to make sure they know what they are getting into," Morgan told UPI. "All animals make a mess when they eat, they poop and need attention or companionship every day; in addition, all animals can bite, and no child should ever be around a large wild animal."
People who seek out wild animals as pets want to be different, Morgan said. A person with a tiger will also be known as "that person with the tiger."
