Ban Close Encounters with Baby Tigers at Wildlife Center in Indiana

Please sign and share this petition in an effort to ban such close encounters with baby wild large cats like those at the Wildlife in Need’s facility in rural Charlestown, Indiana. Although it is hard to resist cuddling and bottle feeding a baby animal that grows into a wild predator, such encounters are problematic for the well-being of the public and those sweet but well-known predators with already remarkable strength and inner instincts. These types of encounters are not natural and healthy for anyone involved and your help is imperative in saving these animals from such exploitation and abnormal care.

How exciting would it seem to hold and cuddle the baby of one of man’s biggest and strongest predators?! Such encounters occur on a regular basis at the Wildlife in Need’s Tiger Baby Playtime exhibit in Charlestown, Indiana. Most people are lured by the idea of rough-housing and snuggling with the baby version of one of man’s wildest predators like tigers and lions because of the mixture of danger and lethal cuteness in those little powerhouses. Such practices however raise many questions and concerns regarding keeping such wild animals in captivity.

A Ms. Donithan of the International Fund for Animal Welfare is highly concerned about this problematic situation because of the temptations of interacting with a cute and cuddly baby animal. She states that “I think most people love animals. And they see them, and they want to get close.”   Such encounters are so irresistible but “It turned strange when it was time to pose with them.” Guests are given bottles of milk to feed the babies until they fall asleep within minutes, at which time an additional fee grants a pose with the cubs.

These baby playtime encounters occur at county fairs and flea markets where they make it legal to do so. The only driving force for these encounters is the almighty dollar. Wildlife in Need jumped from profit of $54,000 to more than $184,000 in just a few short months to a year. The well-being of the animals and the guests was not even a consideration. As profits soared, so did the opportunities to mingle also with baby lemurs, otters, monkeys and even a brown bear. This is clearly exploitation of these animals with only one thing in mind, to make money at their expense.

PETA is clearly against these types of encounters with allegations of mistreatment, making statements that “If they are treating the tigers in a way not accepted as standard, acceptable, then yes, it does bother me and I wouldn't support them again. But I'd want to know all the facts first, because I think if done correctly, there is a place for this sort of stuff. But again, if done in a humane manner.” The full story surrounding the pros and cons of such encounters can be read at http://kycir.org/2014/11/13/troubled-tiger-playtime-hard-to-pass-up-for-animal-lovers/.    

We need to your help and support in protecting these animals from such personal encounters with humans. It may fulfill a desire to hold, touch and cuddle baby animals that could turn on you in a flash as they age through natural instincts. Such animals need to be protected and not mingle with any humans. It is not healthy and in the best interest of those natural born worn creatures of the wild. Please sign and share this petition on all your media sites in an effort to stop the exploitation of these young, captive baby wild animals.