The backyard tiger is an abomination. It is disrespectful of the world’s most impressive and well-known animal. People who keep tigers in their backyard are being self-indulgent idiots. Sorry if that is rude. I have to be rude because I am frustrated and fed up with reading about the misery that stupid people bring upon the mighty tiger which is brought to its knees and made vulnerable by humankind. I am referring here to America where there are thousands of ‘pet tigers’ languishing in crappy conditions and fed the wrong food.

UPDATE JULY 30TH, 2022: Please cosponsor HR263/S1210 the Big Cat Public Safety Act to end big cat abuse! This is a law which Carole Baskin of Big Cat Rescue wants introduced into America to stop the abuse of big cats in backyards by self-indulgent, ignorant pet owners who think they can convert a big cat into a pet in a cage. It is disgusting. Further Update: Carole says that “The Big Cat Public Safety Act passed the House today (278-134) on International Tiger Day in the Year of the Tiger!” Hurray. Well-done Carole.
RELATED: Carole Baskin is campaigning for the Big Cat Public Safety Act
Good night Big Cat Rescue Friends! 🌙
Simba Tiger is so excited!
The Big Cat Public Safety Act passed the House today (278-134) on International Tiger Day in the Year of the Tiger!#GoodNight #BigCatRescue #BigCatPublicSafetyAct #BigCatAct #HR263 #Tiger @carole_baskin pic.twitter.com/Zs8CIWJnv2— Big Cat Rescue (@BigCatRescue) July 30, 2022
Note: This is an embedded tweet. Sometimes they are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.
A lot of casual tiger consumerism is by individuals who haven’t the faintest idea what they are getting into and it starts with something like..
“Oh, isn’t that tiger cub cute…”
Yes, he is very cute dear. Tiger cubs are extremely cute. Then they grow up. Then the problems start. Then the thoughtless person who “owns” the tiger can’t afford the $6,000 per year to maintain the monster in the backyard. Then the tiger becomes ill….and so on. One more neglected and unwanted tiger needs a decent home and is there one around? Probably not because there are too many idiots satisfying their self-indulgent hedonistic ways. And they have tigers to get rid off. There is not enough tiger sanctuary space left to accommodate this madness.
Unwanted tigers are shunted around America in the back of trailers looking for a home. When they are found a home, it seems only to be temporary. Wildlife sanctuaries are struggling to survive in the current dire economic climate in the USA. There are signs of improvement but let’s just say the picture ain’t that good.
How many tigers are there in Texas? We don’t have a clue because there are no records although permits are required. There is no federal system and there is no law regulating this human condition that treats tigers as if they were cars. It is almost certain that there are far more generic tigers (tigers of no breed or cross-bred) in backyards than there are in the wild. That is a frequently quoted “fact” but it is worth quoting because it shows up what we are doing with respect to wildlife. We are being disrespectful of it and using it up unsustainably.
Law
What can we do about it? Nothing really. There is a bill going through the America legislature. It is the Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act. It amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981. The objective, I am told is to “prevent private big cat ownership across the United States” (The New York Times). Great. Well intentioned and about time, I say. I have been ranting on about this for ages. I wrote an article on my blog site a long time ago.
The big problem with new legislation (new law in the form of a bill) is that it does not become law in the USA. I am told by the gov.track.us website that:
“Just 3% of all Senate bills in 2009–2010 were enacted..”
In layperson’s language it means that of all the new law proposed by senators etc. only 3 in 100 attempts to create new law were successful. Shocking? Or am I missing something? The problem of a paralyzed Congress split down the middle is well documented. The fiscal cliff is a case in point.
The current law on individuals keeping tigers (and big cats) in the USA varies tremendously from state to state as it is made at a state level.

Price of Tiger Cubs
The price of tiger cubs is indicative of the number of them in America. You can buy one for less than the price of a Maine Coon cat.
Tiger Parts
With such an excess of generic tigers sloshing around Middle America is it not conceivable that some of these tigers are killed to supply the tiger body part market in China? There is no evidence of it as far as I am aware but I feel confident that it happens. Irresponsible tiger ownership in the United States feeds an irresponsible attitude towards the tiger in other parts of the world.
Yeah it passed the house but the damn republicans will filibuster it like they do everything. And come January 3rd 2023 it will die with all the other 200 bills passed by the house. Look what they just did to veterans sick from burn pits and when they voted it down and they won the fist bumped each other!
I wouldn’t hold my breath Mike for this big cat bill to even get a vote.
I do agree that guns are Bad to have around or should not be readily available to people who are not mentally stable. But if people want to kill there are , bombs , kitchen knives , axes ,razors , cross bow , swords , vehicles ,planes and more weapons they can use . To do the unthinkable . I think all the things above are ; all things that have been used as weapons .I agree that we need tight controls on schools . There has been to many innocent kids and teachers killed over the past years . I think no one needs to have ak-47’s or sub-machine guns . Having 50 to 100 magazines for any person is crazy !!!! I have antique guns passed down to me , and will pass them on to my two kids . These all have 1 to 3 shots you can take . Sporting guns , not assault guns . The people who have these assault weapons should not be able to have them . All they are asking for is trouble down the road if they are not properly locked up , away from children and mentally unstable people .
Most kids need to learn to control their tempers , I think a good start would be mandatory coping skills classes . Getting rid of these video games that is all killing and destruction . I think this has alot to do with programming their minds that killing is OK . Most of the violets on tv and movies also add to the problems. Years ago tv and movies was not all this violets . Where are the values respect and morals gone ?
I do respect your views and I do respect the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America which is the right to bear arms. And I do agree that a gun is simply an inanimate object. It does nothing on the table. It requires a person to pull the trigger. However, when guns are sold over-the-counter anywhere in America without tight regulations then, as you imply, the wrong person will acquire a gun and they will use it to shoot children at a school just because they hate the world and I want to get back. That cannot be right. People looking in to America from outside in places such as Europe will often see the American gun lobby as a bunch of fanatics who simply don’t care enough about the lives of people and particularly children because it’s so often happens that children are slaughtered en masse at schools by some crazy gunman.
The point is, you cannot trust people with guns. Even good people can lose their temper and if there’s no gun in the room they may hit somebody with their fist or fight that person with their hands but if there is a gun in the room they may pick it up and fire it because the temptation is there. Guns are a temptation and people are weak.
In the Constitution of The United States of America , 2nd Amendment: We have a right to bare arms . I am a Law bidding citizen , respect the laws of the land . I know that you and I may not see eye to eye on this . I still say that a loaded gun on the table will not hurt anyone , unless someone picks it up , aims , and pulls the trigger. That does not mean that I can not understand you . I respect your opinion and I hope you can respect mine. I understand that too many senseless shootings a cure . We need to come up with a way to take the guns and other weapons away from the criminals and not the law bidding citizen . If the law bidding citizens give up their guns , only Criminals will have guns . I will ask you a question : If you were a criminal and knew That a person maybe armed , are you more likely to pass on doing something to them ? Chances are you would pass on that person , because it is a good Deterrent , no one wants to mess with an armed person unless you are crazy!
I do want to thanks you for opening my eyes on the big cat problem in the United States , I do not think anyone should be able to keep animals that are dangerous to other people around them . It is not fair to the people or the animals .
Thanks for sharing. For me, as an outsider, both backyard tigers and freely available guns over the counter are wrong. The rate of killings of people by gun in the USA is very high just behind one of the South American countries. Too high. The only time tigers are shot is when they escape private zoos!
The Congress wants to regulate gun ownership , But my crazy neighbor can own a man eating big cat . Makes sense to me ; NOT!!!!!!! What the hell kind of sense does this make ? I live in Wisconsin and will knot give up my guns , because , YOU DO NOT NEED A PERMIT TO OWN A BIG CAT HERE , and I MAY HAVE TO SHOOT ONE SOMETIME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I feel the same way about Letting untrained people own them in their home and it gets loose ; someone gets hurt or killed . We should just except this ? I own guns and if I were to go out and shot someone , (Which I would never do ! ) I would be held accountable for my actions!
Some one leaves a gun on a table ; somebody must pick it up and pull the trigger for someone to be harmed. Forget to close and lock a cage and someone will be harmed!!!!
That is the difference !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!