When will people learn that owning a big wild cat as a pet is so very wrong? These cats do not belong in anyone's home. They are not house cats; they are beautiful animals that belong in their natural habitat. Many of these cats are endangered or threatened species. What quality of life can they have when they are not permitted the freedom to live the lives they are meant to live? They need to be in the wild so that they can live normal lives, breed and raise offspring.

It is a tragedy waiting to happen if one of these animals harms a human. It is the cat that has to pay the ultimate price of its life, and that is so unfair. They did not ask to live in captivity. We need to pass laws that limit the owning of any wild animal to certified zoos with regulated breeding programs only.

I am a big cat lover. I have an adopted cougar from Big Cat Rescue in Tampa. He is part mine for a year. I can go and visit him and call him mine and know that the adoption fee is going to help him and others have a better life. Hal, by the way, was found at an animal auction where people drop off unwanted animals like him. He, too, was someone's pet.

If people really love these big cats, they need to advocate for their benefit and welfare, not keep them in captivity.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-brmail3231pnjan30,0,7234444.story