Re: Tiger breeder eyes Idaho
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2008/02/20/news/regional/7d839a54d7e53fed872573f40077e463.txt
My comments were posted along with those of the founder of Big Cat Rescue:
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Comments to this story.
Carole B wrote on Feb 21, 2008 7:38 AM:
” Greg Ledbetter and the Idaho Department of Agriculture are to be commended for doing their homework better than the reporter did. Everyone knows that there isn’t one purebred Bengal tiger in the U.S.; not in zoos and certainly not in the hands of these backyard breeders. The reason is that all of the bloodlines in the U.S. have been tainted by the public’s ignorant obsession to see white tigers, which only occur in severely inbred animals. As all of the Bengal tigers were inbred to create the defective gene that causes the white coat, they began hybridizing them with Siberian tigers so that they didn’t all die out. As a result, there isn’t a pure line of Bengal tigers in the U.S. and Ron Tilson, head of the AZA run Tiger Species Survival Plan can attest to that or you can get the quote at BigCatRescue.org/cats/wild/white_tigers.htm
None of the leopards in Peter Renzo’s menagerie can be traced back to the wild either and thus there is NO reason for him to be breeding any of his cats. They are not involved in any Leopard Species Survival Plan. All of his cats, like the 7,500 – 10,000 other big cats kept as pets in this country, are zoo cast offs from an era when that was more commonly done (now they are killed) and then traded at flea markets, livestock auctions and in publications such as the Animal Finder’s Guide. None of these animal’s pedigrees are known and the only reason they are bred is that people will pay to see or touch a baby big cat.
Haley’s Act is a bill that is currently pending in the House (HR 1947) that would ban such contact in an effort to curb the out-of-control breeding and discarding of lions, tigers, leopards and cougars. Big Cat Rescue has to turn away more than 100 big cats every year because when the babies are too big for photo ops they are given to the unsuspecting public as pets, who soon find they are not capable of handling an animal that can grow to over 1000 pounds and who is, pound for pound, 12 times stronger than a man.
Instead of reading about this sort of abuse and shaking your head and saying, “that’s too bad,” you can do something about it at CatLaws.com
Carole B, Founder of Big Cat Rescue “
SAVE THE TIGERS wrote on Feb 21, 2008 8:32 AM:
” The Siberian or Amur Tiger is endangered, but to breed them for a life in captivity, and to have them perform in live shows is wrong. A true sanctuary does not breed or exploit its animals.
The Siberian Tiger is bred within the Survival Species Plan and there is no reason why this animal should be bred by sanctuaries or be bred and kept by private owners.
“The captive program for Amur tigers is the largest and longest managed program for any of the subspecies. The Amur tiger served as one of the models for the creation of scientifically managed programs for species in captivity in zoos and aquariums worldwide. According to the 1997 International Tiger Studbook there are about 501 Amur tigers managed in zoos. This captive population is descended from 83 wild-caught founders. For the most part, the Amur tiger is considered secure in captivity, with a large, genetically diverse and stable population.”
“The Amur tiger global captive population is divided primarily into two well-managed regional populations, the North American Species Survival Plan population of about 150 tigers and the European Breeding Program population of about 225 tigers. Another 90 or so Amur tigers are maintained in zoos in Japan, but the level of captive management of this population is undetermined. Tigers are exchanged between the North American Species Survival Plan population and the European Breeding Program to maximize gene diversity in the two populations.”
Source: http://www.savethetigerfund.org/Content/NavigationMenu2/Community/TigerSubspecies/AurSiberianTigers/default.htm
As to the white tigers referred to in this article, they are the result of severe inbreeding, that is, mother to son, father to daughter and sister to brother. Most of the cubs produced are born with profound birth defects, such as immune deficiency, scoliosis of the spine (distorted spine), cleft palates, mental impairments and grotesquely crossed eyes.
Please visit this link for more information about white tigers: http://bigcatrescue.org/cats/wild/white_tigers.htm
There are reputable sanctuaries that care for unwanted, neglected and abused big cats. They do not breed them to bring more cats into a life of captivity or exploit them in shows; they provide the care, safety and respect these cats deserve. Unfortunately there are also the “so-called” sanctuaries and organizations that try to pass themselves off as reputable ? if they breed and show their animals, they do not have the cats’ well-being at heart.
For The TIGER
Dee
http://savethetigers62.blogspot.com/
http://360.yahoo.com/tigerlady.1962
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/savethetigers/
http://www.myspace.com/friendsoftatiana
http://www.myspace.com/savethetigers1962
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2008/02/20/news/regional/7d839a54d7e53fed872573f40077e463.txt
Dee
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