- including a 700lb Siberian tiger - and lets them cuddle in his bed

Carl Bovard lives with 14 big cats including two lions, six tigers and a lynx
He lets them all live in his Florida home before they go into outside enclosure
The half-blind sanctuary owner has been bitten on the nose by a leopard
He wrestles with the big cats and carries their meat straight to them

By Jenny Awford for MailOnline

Published: 27 October 2014

He has been bitten on the nose by a leopard and had his shoulder separated after wrestling with a full-grown Bengal tiger. But Carl Bovard, who is blind in one eye, believes living with 14 big cats including two lions, six tigers and a desert lynx, is a risk worth taking to raise awareness about endangered species.

They all spend time living in his Florida home before moving into the outside enclosure and are seen clambering over the pool table and cuddling up in his bed.

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Carl Bovard, who is blind in one eye, believes living with 14 big cats including two lions, six tigers and a desert lynx, is a risk worth taking

Playing pool with Tyson an eight-month-old African Caracal at his home in Melrose, Florida

That's GRRREAT! Half-blind sanctuary owner has 14 big cats!

After an accident left him blind around 13 years ago, Mr Bovard realised the main thing he missed was seeing animals – so when he regained sight in one eye he adopted his first two tiger cubs.

The 43-year-old set up Single Vision – his educational, non-profit company – nine years ago and welcomes tours to his house and 274-acre garden in Melrose where his animals live with him.

'There are many dangers that come with keeping these animals and you've just got to take all the precautions you can to stay safe,' said Mr Bovard. 'There's no doubt about the fact that death would be the worst outcome from this. I know I'm dicing with death.

Mr Bovard set up Single Vision his educational, non-profit company nine years ago and welcomes tours to his house and garden where his wild animals live with him

Sanctuary owner knows he is dicing with death every time he cuddles Sampson a five-year-old Siberian tiger

He enjoys playing and wrestling with Sampson in his back yard, even though he weighs more than 700lbs

'Instinctively they just know to go straight for the vitals – when I'm with them I never give them a free shot at my neck.'

Mr Bovard plays rough with the tigers, allowing them to recreate the honing of the natural hunting talents they would develop in the wild – but that does not come

without its drawbacks.

'I've had a leopard bite me on the nose and I had to get that sewed back together. I've also had my shoulder separated, he added. 'I was playing with a few of the cats and another decided to join the fun. He ran at me and they can get up to around 50 miles per hour in a couple of strides – that hurt. But when they're growing up they play really rough together in the wild. It's how they hone their natural instincts – I can't deny them that.'

Every Sunday, Mr Bovard treks to the local Walmart, where he picks up about 1,500lbs of meat for the week as his big cats can get through 200lbs in a single sitting. This is around $400 for food per cat. He then stores the meat in six freezers in a shed by the alligator cage.

Every Sunday, Mr Bovard treks to the local Walmart, where he picks up about 1,500lbs of meat for the week

The big cat enthusiast with Mayham a three-year old Cougar, who lived in his home before moving to the outside enclosure

Playing 14-month-old lion Leo and 13-month-old Siberian tigress Summer in his backyard in Florida

His biggest tiger is a Siberian named Samson – he weighs more than 700lbs and is over nine and a half feet tall when he stands on his back legs. Despite the fact that Samson could tear him in two with one swipe of his massive paw Carl still carries his food right to him.

He added: 'Some people use a guillotine system to feed their tigers but I walk the food right in. I have a great relationship with the animals but it changes when I have food in my hands. They become very territorial. I like to keep my distance from them – I don't want to push it, they snarl and growl when you go anywhere near them but that's their natural instincts.'

He currently has two lions, two bobcats, three cougars, two Bengal tigers, two Siberian tigers and an Asian black leopard in his backyard. The future of his facility and others like it across the USA is being challenged by a petition seeking a federal ban on licensees who allow the public to have direct or physical contact with big cats.

Despite the fact that Samson could tear him in two with one swipe of his massive paw Carl still carries his food right to him

The future of his facility and others like it across the USA is being challenged by a petition seeking a federal ban on licensees who allow the public to have direct or physical contact with big cats

Despite the controversy that comes with keeping and breeding big cats in captivity, Mr Bovard believes his organisation is helping tigers and lions.

'Having these cats in captivity and being able to show them off gives people a chance to get a passion for them,' he said. It is essential that we keep them in captivity to create that passion in people and make them want to help these beautiful animals. People say to me – they belong in the wild but my question to them is – what wild? There are seven billion people on this planet and we are destroying the habitat of these animals. Pretty soon the only tigers left are going to be those in captivity and they may need to be used to repopulate the wild. I do what I can to give these guys the best lives possible and I want to work to ensure more tigers and lions in captivity are better treated.'

With Sita a six-year old Asian Black Leopard, one of the animals he believes his organisation is helping

The sanctuary owner lets the big cats live in his home, but says they will never be domesticated

He currently has two lions, two bobcats, three cougars, two Bengal tigers, two Siberian tigers and an Asian black leopard in his backyard

Before they go out into the enclosure in Carl's back garden all of his animals live in his modest Florida home. He added: 'Your furniture pays the price as they're very destructive but it's important that they are socialised before going into the yard.

'We've got to get them used to being around people and other animals so inside the home is the best place for them. But as much as they are socialised they are still wild animals with wild instincts – these big cats will never be domesticated. But we have tigers and lions living together now – they would never encounter each other in the wild and I don't think they would get along if they did.'