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This Woman Keeps Two Pet Tigers In Her Backyard – And They’re As Loving And Playful As Kittens
Tigers are fearsome jungle cats that are near-universal symbols of ferocity, strength, and courage, but 57-year-old Janice Haley of Orlando, Florida has a different perspective on the matter. To her, these dangerous animals are also cuddly kitties. When you see her play with her two exotic pets, 400-pound Bengal tiger Janda and 600-pound white Bengal tiger Saber, you’ll understand why – they’re about as loving and playful as their tiny domesticated cousins.
“As far as they’re concerned, I am mommy,” explains Haley. “These adorable cats rub me in the face, they’ll let me kiss them on the nose.” The two pet tigers live in an enclosure in her backyard and are fed by hand 3 times a day.
It all began in 1995 when Haley decided to quit her boring desk job and, at her husband’s advice, begin working with exotic cats. She has had quite a few different big cats since then, and plenty of volunteers to help take care of them and play with them as well.
“People who consider it cruel to keep them in captivity have a point, to a point,” conceded Haley. “It is not the ideal place for a wild animal to be, in a cage. But at this point, in the wild, there isn’t a lot hope out there for them anymore, and if there aren’t some of them left in cages there aren’t going to be any left at all in a couple of years from now… They are provided for and loved here. In my opinion, I wouldn’t mind being a tiger in my backyard.”
Source: Barcroft TV | dailymail
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Here’s a video of Haley with her two fuzzy friends:
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What do you think ?
moey345 10 years ago
tigers are not meant to be pets, it is sweet that she spends so much time with them that they trust her, but they should be wild.
Aimee S 2 years ago (edited)
They should be wild, but sadly the wild is going away and they are hunted. She takes in cats that are spare from breeding programs. She buys them, but that money is what zoos use to further their conservation efforts. Sadly the last time we had enough genetics to save the tiger between wild and US populations (500 unique genetic individuals) was early 2010s. SSP is good for 10 generations and then they become inbred. The small private owner under USDA regulation used to act as a place holder for genetics, but they have gone away as the tide has changed. For example the white tiger you see in this article had a brother in the breeding program. The brother died, but due to pressure the white tiger you see here was neutered... so dead end genetically. Right now there are just above 1500 tigers in the US. They will be gone soon and while India is doing OK with raising populations the genetics are being lost... gone are the days of even the re-wilding project and other good efforts
Load More Replies... moey345 10 years ago
tigers are not meant to be pets, it is sweet that she spends so much time with them that they trust her, but they should be wild.
Aimee S 2 years ago (edited)
They should be wild, but sadly the wild is going away and they are hunted. She takes in cats that are spare from breeding programs. She buys them, but that money is what zoos use to further their conservation efforts. Sadly the last time we had enough genetics to save the tiger between wild and US populations (500 unique genetic individuals) was early 2010s. SSP is good for 10 generations and then they become inbred. The small private owner under USDA regulation used to act as a place holder for genetics, but they have gone away as the tide has changed. For example the white tiger you see in this article had a brother in the breeding program. The brother died, but due to pressure the white tiger you see here was neutered... so dead end genetically. Right now there are just above 1500 tigers in the US. They will be gone soon and while India is doing OK with raising populations the genetics are being lost... gone are the days of even the re-wilding project and other good efforts
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