Attraction Pleas for Ban on Tigers and Lions as Pets

Alex, a male tiger rescued in 2008 (also pictured below), is one of 100 cats that reside at Big Cat Rescue in Tampa. Guests to the 55-acre sanctuary must be escorted around.
BILL DEVORE | LEDGER CORRESPONDENT PHOTOS

 

By Lenore Devore
THE LEDGER

Published: Sunday, September 22, 2013

The bigger the better, right?

Not exactly, say those who volunteer at Big Cat Rescue in Tampa.

People like the thought of owning such cuddly cuties as lion and tiger cubs, but when cats start growing beyond a manageable size, many owners have no idea what to do with them. That's how many end up at Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, the largest accredited nonprofit educational sanctuary in the United States.

As much as Big Cat Rescue and its volunteers love their inhabitants, they're more passionate about putting themselves out of business, as they say. To that end, they are supporting — and pushing on anyone who will listen – a petition that would ban big cats as pets.

Specifically, the Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act (HR 1998 and S 1381), "would end the abusive practice of breeding big cats like lions and tigers to be used as photo props, petting displays and would finally put a stop to the most egregious of these abuses, which is to shove small cubs into water over their heads so that they will cling to the paying guests to keep from drowning."

They're also urging people to write or call the U.S. Department of Agriculture to comment on using cubs in photo opportunities and at petting events — what they call "Pay-to-Play props."

Jeff Kremer, Big Cat Rescue's director of Donor Appreciation, said the organization has evolved since it was founded by Carole Baskin nearly 21 years ago. "We've come to realize … rescuing is not a solution," he said. That's why they're working with a coalition of organizations and agencies in other states to get legislation passed nationally.

"It's been re-introduced in the House and Senate and it has some momentum," Kremer said. "Our core mission vision is that private individuals should not own exotic cats. There might be a handful who know what they're doing and can take care of big cats, but the vast majority have no idea what they're getting into."

Kremer said he wouldn't be working at Big Cat Rescue six and seven days each week if he didn't think the legislation had a chance of passing. "This is all about solving a problem, making a difference. Just because you have a right to do something doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. Animals will suffer; humans can pay with their lives."

U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, said he does not plan to co-sponsor the bill at this time, but he's keeping an open mind on it. "It's one of those issues we haven't had a chance to research and get into," he said.

"I am against animal cruelty. I don't think breeding these beasts that will ultimately cause public harm or danger" is wise, he said. But he also has to balance such action with the Endangered Species Act and other laws, he said.

Before Big Cat Rescue agrees to take a cat in, it makes the owner sign an agreement forcing him to give up his exotic pet license and agree never to own an exotic cat as a pet again. Failure to follow the signed agreement can result in hefty fines, according to organization's Spring 2013 newsletter.

Baskin started Big Cat Rescue after she went to an auction to buy a llama to help keep her yard in order. When a bobcat named Rain Dance was about to be sold to a taxidermist, she stepped in and bought it instead, wanting to "rescue" it from its fate.

Then, wanting Rain Dance to have a companion, she went to an animal farm to buy a second one. Finding out the farm was actually a "fur farm," she bought 56 bobcat kittens so none would be slaughtered for their fur. She gave some away, but each one was returned. Soon, volunteers built pens, all beyond Florida size requirements, to house the newfound animals.

Now, more than 100 cats call Big Cat Rescue home, down from 200 inhabitants years ago, Kremer said. They are cats like:

Moses, a bobcat who was dropped off there in 2001, about three weeks old and close to death.

Reno, a golden spotted leopard raised in captivity who did not even know how to climb a tree. Born in 1995 and left at Big Cat Rescue seven years later, he's now an "Animal Planet" star.

Nikita, a female African lioness saved during a drug raid in Tennessee. Not even a year old at the time, she was sent to a zoo in late 2001, but owners there decided she couldn't live with their lions because she had been declawed. Big Cat Rescue adopted her, and she still plays and entertains visitors.

Alex, an energetic male tiger born in 1996 and rescued in 2008.

In July, Big Cat Rescue opened its 2.5-acre Vacation Rotation Enclosure, an area where cats can visit for a week or two at a time. The $200,000 enclosure allows the large animals more room to roam and explore than their average cages. For some cats, a tour guide said, it's the first time they can look up and not see a cage.

You can visit the cats daily, except Thursdays, but because this is a sanctuary, not a zoo, you cannot roam the facility unescorted. Tours last 60 to 90 minutes, depending on how many cats are out; some relax in their cages or under trees during the hottest hours of the day.

If you plan to visit the 55-acre sanctuary, wear old sneakers or shoes; trekking through dirt paths can get a bit messy. But you do a close-up view of the cats, along with information on each one from your tour guide. And don't worry about not being able to hear — each visitor gets a headset so volume is not a problem.

Kremer said the biggest challenge Big Cat Rescue faces is remaining fiscally prudent, especially because it does not want to compromise the welfare of the animals. The cats have a better diet than those in most zoos, he said.

But the focus is on advocacy and education, he said. "People can do a lot of good things by doing nothing — not going to the circus, not buying a fur coat, …" he said.

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