After exotic pets are rescued, what next?

After exotic pets are rescued, what next?

HOUSTON – Ivan is a playful, 7-year-old cat – a “sweet boy,” according to the Houston SPCA. He desperately needed a home, but he was never featured on the animal-protection agency’s “pick of the litter” Web page.

That’s because the nearly 400-pound mixed-breed tiger is too big to roam around a private house or backyard – just the situation he was rescued from this spring.

Recently, Ivan was given refuge at a Florida animal sanctuary after months of temporary shelter at the Houston Zoo. He is one of a large group of exotic animals confiscated from a ranch in Gonzales County, Texas, and one of the few so far to have found a permanent home.

The plight of these animals highlights the increasing problem of private citizens keeping wild animals as pets – and the even larger problem of what to do with them after authorities seize them.