So Sad

[tequila girl]

I don't suppose you in the US will be able to see this.....

Louis Theroux: America's Most Dangerous Pets
The World Wildlife Fund claims there are now more tigers in captivity in America than there are living wild in the rest of the world. Armed with this statistic, Louis Theroux travels stateside to meet people who give house space to animals normally found in Africa and Asia, including big cats and dangerous primates. Among the owners he meets is Joe Exotic, a policeman-turned-animal rescuer who has bred and collected more than 150 tigers, and Connie Casey, who shares her home with her `family' of 20 chimpanzees
Category Documentary
Director Jamie Pickup
Executive Producer Nick Mirsky
Producer Jamie Pickup

I just caught the last 20 mins or so and it was so sad - I cried
What are we doing to this world we live in? I even question my 'ownership' of Charlie!
Very thought provoking!

[Prettymaid]

Aw TG, I'm right there with you! What really make me mad is when you hear stories of supposed "rescues" of exotics only for the purpose of owning one and becoming "famous" for it. Laws need to be passed that do not allow this kind of thing. But don't beat yourself up because you have Charlie. It's not quite the same thing.

[TimothyBFan]

I agree with PM. Charlie is a whole different level from tigers, chimps, lions, bears, etc..... It's pretty obvious that Charlie is loving his home and is being well taken care of because you LOVE him not just want to own something to be talked about.

[tequila girl]

Thanks guys, I get where you're coming from and I Do love Charlie to bits and look after him properly and spend a fortune on him, and I wouldn't have it any other way........but the fact remains Charlie is an Exotic WILD animal. I know he was bred in captivity from a long line of 'tamed' parrots - but wouldn't it have been so much better if he and his kind were left to live their lives as nature intended?

[Prettymaid]

In a perfect world Carole, yes. But for now let's start with lions and tigers and bears.

[Troubadour]

I saw that documentary too, and found it incredibly sad and disturbing. A lot of these people just seem to be in denial about the fact that these animals really are wild and often dangerous. It's horrible to see them locked up in small cages. After the recent tragedy in Ohio, animal safety laws urgently need to be reassessed.

[Glennsallnighter]

Yeah! I didn't actually see the programme but I agree that the keeping of any animal should be regulated both nationally and internationally. many people provode comfortable and loving homes for their pets, but there has to be sanctions for those who don't, or who compromise animals safety and comfort purely for profit or to brag about what they have.

[StephUK]

I read somewhere that there are more tigers kept as 'pets' in the US than there are in the wild.
I fully support breeding of endangered animals in specialist centres who don't treat them as domesticated animals and release them into the wild when the animal is ready, but I don't think people should breed wild animals for money or fame. These people are not animal lovers, they;re 'users' It's cruel to the animals and there should be regulation to stop it.

I even get cross about dog & cat breeders who do the same, because they do cruel things to the animals just so they can win shows or get onto the TV etc, Animals are not a commodity; they are living creatures.