Jill Howard Church,
Animal and
Society Institute
November 2009
Seeing the very real results of human selfishness and ignorance, in the form of purpose-bred lions, tigers, leopards, mountain lions and the Seussian "liger" (lion-tiger hybrid), is a powerful reminder that we need to work harder to stop the kind of suffering that is made worse because it is so needless and preventable. There is simply no good reason for these animals to have been brought into a world where their suffering is a foregone conclusion.
Last weekend I had the opportunity to tour the Shambala Preserve wildlife
sanctuary in Acton, California. It is operated by the Roar Foundation,
founded by actress Tippi Hedren in 1983. The woman perhaps most famous for
the movie "The Birds" has dedicated her life to the cats and other exotic
animals she literally shares her home with in the rugged mountains above Los
Angeles.
From her experiences in the entertainment industry, Tippi became aware of
the plight of lions, tigers, leopards and other animals who had been bought
as pets or kept in zoos and were later discarded, most often because (duh)
they aren't meant to live in a living room.
Shambala is a Sanskrit word that means a "place of peace, tranquility and
happiness," and in this case describes a facility dedicated to helping
animals "who have suffered from gross mistreatment and neglect...regain
their physical and mental health and live out their lives in dignity." The
sanctuary is home to more than 60 big cats ranging from lynx to lions.
The cats live in large enclosures, some singly and others in pairs or trios,
depending on their species and temperament. They have shelter, trees for
shade and climbing, and balls and other things to play with. A pool and
stream provide cooling water, something tigers especially love.
Janice Payne, Shambala's director of docents, led the tour and described
each cat's sad history. Some were only a few months old when they were
abandoned by their owners, while others were a bit older. Michael Jackson's
tigers, Thriller and Sabu, are among them. All were born in captivity and
will never know freedom as nature intended. Short tours are allowed only one
weekend a month, so the animals are spared the constant stress of human
presence.
Because it was midday and nearly 90 degrees, most of the cats were dozing,
just as my orange tabby does at home in the summer. I watched one tiger
methodically wash her face just as a housecat does, while a black leopard
named Boo rolled on his back in the grass as smoothly as any Siamese. But
Janice and the other staff made it clear that even animals who were raised
by human beings are quite capable of attacking anyone who comes too close;
just a few years ago, a Shambala handler was nearly killed.
But the cat who caught my attention most was a leopard named Savannah.
She was born in January 1997 and came to Shambala in 2003 after being
confiscated from a place called Tiger Rescue, which was shut down in 2003
after its owner was found guilty of gross negligence and abuse. Whatever she
endured there seems to have remained with her.
Unlike many of the lions and tigers who slept or barely noticed as we walked
past, Savannah watched her human visitors intently. Perched on a platform
just above our eye level, she crouched motionless but followed us with her
piercing amber eyes. We were warned that she was not fond of people, but the
expression I saw in her face was more than ambivalence: she seemed angry. I
know it's impossible to know exactly what she was thinking, but despite our
benign intentions, she sure didn't look at us like we were her saviors.
And I admired her honesty. She knows darn well she has no business being in
this situation. She has every right to be roaring mad, to lash out at anyone
who reminds her that they can come and go and she cannot. No matter how much
they care for and about her, she must remain a caged animal for the rest of
her life, and she seems to rebel against that - as should we all.
Seeing the very real results of human selfishness and ignorance, in the form
of purpose-bred lions, tigers, leopards, mountain lions and the Seussian
"liger" (lion-tiger hybrid), is a powerful reminder that we need to work
harder to stop the kind of suffering that is made worse because it is so
needless and preventable. There is simply no good reason for these animals
to have been brought into a world where their suffering is a foregone
conclusion. They have no natural family, no natural habitat, and no natural
life. There ought to be a federal law to prevent what they've been subjected
to, but despite the earnest efforts of Tippi Hedren and other advocates,
that goal is still not realized.
The Captive Wildlife Safety Act, passed in 2003, makes it illegal to
transport exotic cats across state lines for sale as pets, but does not
prevent in-state sales. Only 19 states currently ban the sale of exotic cats
as pets, and it is estimated that there are more privately owned tigers in
United States than exist in the wild in the rest of the world.
It's hard to fathom how any halfway intelligent person could ever think
buying a lion or tiger cub was a good idea, and harder to imagine why doing
so is still legal in 31 states. But if you want to see how and why the
private ownership of big cats continues, watch a documentary called "The
Tiger Next Door" by Camilla Calamandrei. It clearly illustrates how public
apathy must be rectified by public policy that will prevent inevitable
tragedies for animals and people.
We owe it to Savannah and the thousands of other animals, who should have
been born free but who will die caged, to put an end to the exotic cat
trade.
Jill Howard Church is an Atlanta-based freelance writer and editor who specializes in animal issues. She is currently Managing Editor of AV Magazine for the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) and the President of GAveg, The Vegetarian Society of Georgia.
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