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What Are "Intellectual Enrichment Activities" for a Tiger?

By Eric Muller

Next time you are on the market for a pet, keep in mind this sage advice from eHow.com:

"Consider the practical aspects of having a pet tiger. You will need to find a veterinarian who will treat your big cat, have access to large quantities of raw meat, have a cage and space large enough for your tiger and be able to provide physical and intellectual enrichment activities. Plan ahead for these aspects of owning a pet tiger before buying one."

Yes, you read right. This is advice on owning a pet tiger. Did you know it's legal in some states to own a pet tiger? I did not until my visit this weekend to the Carnivore Preservation Trust outside of Pittsboro, North Carolina. North Carolina is one of the states where tiger ownership remains legal. Many of the cats at the Carnivore Preservation Trust are animals rescued from irresponsible people who started out thinking it'd be nifty to have a two-ton wild cat in their backyard. Perhaps there is a persuasive libertarian case to be made for permitting private residential ownership of tigers, but I haven't yet heard it. The risks to neighbors, the owners themselves, and of course to the cats, are mind-boggling. If, perchance, a legislator in the State of North Carolina is reading this, I have a question for you: Why has the state not yet outlawed the private residential ownership of big cats? UPDATE: Here's an example of what I'm talking about.

Full post as published by Is That Legal on March 31, 2008 (boomark / email).