
The scary problem of the Houston tiger
CNN
Private ownership and breeding of big cats is a Texas-sized problem in the United States, writes John Goodrich. There is no doubt that a thinly regulated patchwork of laws governing private ownership and exploitation of tigers in the United States has created a public safety, animal welfare, and law enforcement nightmare.
Cuddly tiger cubs purchased from the exotic pet market, online and elsewhere, grow quickly into large and dangerous animals that few people are equipped to handle. Some are kept in cramped and insecure facilities posing a constant threat to their owners and the general public, while others may end up as body parts sold on the black market, thereby fueling the illegal wildlife trade that is driving the decline of wild tigers. Tigers in the wild have a territory of at least seven and up to 580 square miles; to confine them to a cage, home or backyard is indisputably cruel.More Related News