Focus on Arts and Ecology

May 28, 2021

The Texas tiger that was wandering a residential neighborhood recently in Houston has been safely caught and is at a new home, Black Beauty Ranch, Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) reports.

Houston authorities tracked the tiger, India, and ensured his safety. India was taken from his home and is now resting comfortably. India is approximately 9 months old and will quarantine for 30 days for safety.

Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said, “We’re relieved India is safe. We cannot have dangerous wild animals roaming neighborhoods or living in people’s homes.

Forcing these animals to live under such conditions, confined and treated as a ‘pet’ is inhumane and a serious public safety risk—no matter how ‘cute’ or ‘tame’ the animal may seem.

Big cats like India express natural, unpredictable behaviors that can occur at any moment. Situations like this are why we are working to pass federal legislation. The Big Cat Public Safety Act would prohibit keeping big cats as pets.”

Black Beauty has taken in a few cats recently, three months ago the sanctuary took in the tiger, Elsa.

“Houston authorities did a remarkable job over the past several days to locate India and to ensure the safety of the public and the animal,” Almrud said. “Black Beauty Ranch will provide safe sanctuary for him and give him a proper diet, enrichment, an expansive naturally wooded habitat where he can safely roam and will provide everything else he needs to be the healthy wild tiger he deserves to be,” shared Noelle Almrud, senior director of Black Beauty.

Big cats are known to do exceptionally poorly in captivity. Cubs used for photo ops are often taken from their mothers at an early age and also suffer psychologically as a result.

Responsible facilities that house these animals must provide extensive enrichment, species-appropriate habitat, acreage of roaming space, and most importantly, high-security containment to protect both animal and human lives.

The general public simply cannot provide this level of care in a household, which is why big cat “pet” stories nearly always end in disaster.

The growing public disapproval of big cat zoos has prompted renewed calls to pass the Big Cat Public Safety Act.

Please sign this petition to support the Big Cat Public Safety Act!

This article was first published by OneGreenPlanet on 20 May 2021. Lead Image Source: yarayanastia/ Shutterstock.com.

What you can do

Support ‘Fighting for Wildlife’ by donating as little as $1 – It only takes a minute. Thank you.