Free exotic cats from exploitation in captivity

There is no reason to breed exotic cats for life in a cage. There is not one program today in which exotic cats are being bred for release back to the wild. Displaying big cats in un natural situations, such as in circus acts, on leashes or in un natural cages does not educate the public about the plight of the cat and does nothing to conserve habitat for them in the wild.

People who make their living by dragging big cats around in circus wagons call themselves educators and tell the public that they are breeding and exhibiting big cats to save them from extinction. They claim to be educating people about the animals and often set themselves up as non profits so that they don't have to pay tax on the money they solicit from the people that they deceive.

 

There is no reason to breed exotic cats for life in a cage. There is not one program today in which exotic cats are being bred for release back to the wild. Displaying big cats in un natural situations, such as in circus acts, on leashes or in un natural cages does not educate the public about the plight of the cat and does nothing to conserve habitat for them in the wild.

 

Every six months the cute little cubs that are used outgrow their usefulness, so they are discarded and more are bred. The cats are often sold to canned hunts, private owners who breed and sell more. We need better laws that would ban the practice of breeding, selling and exploiting exotic cats.  It is bad for the cats and dangerous for the community.

 

Just in the state of Florida there are 8000 people with permits to own wild animals. Of that number 408 facilities are permitted to own tigers, gorillas and other Class I dangerous animals, and another 15 have "small" cats, but only 21 are accredited zoos and only 3 are accredited sanctuaries. The State of Florida does not consider a 250 pound cougar to be a "big" cat.

 

Even though Florida has an outright ban on possessing tigers as personal pets, the state now has 1,455 registered tigers, a 50 percent increase in 15 months and second only to Texas in the nation. There are more tiger breeders in Florida than anywhere else. Florida also has 262 USDA exhibitors with big cats, more than any other state.

 

As recently as January 2005 tigers have been found wandering loose in neighborhoods where children play when they were no longer wanted by their owners. This has to stop!

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