Tiger in public bar highlights the epidemic of wild animals as pets on World Wildlife Day

Today- World Wildlife Day -Born Free USA will be tackling the epidemic of wild animals as pets across the nation.

On February 16th, John Basile took his pet tiger for a walk and into a bar in Lockport, Illinois. The tiger was leashed but had no muzzle. He has been charged with misdemeanor charges including reckless conduct and possession of a dangerous animal. Basille has not been arrested, according to his website. The grainy photo shows the tiger in question on the streets February 16th.

Allegedly this wasn’t the first time Basille took his pet tiger out in public. This past December, the same tiger bit a woman in the same bar but wasn’t reported.

Born Free USA wants to shed a bright light on this ever-growing phenomenon of purchasing wild animals online or in person for as little as $300, according to Adam Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA.  “There are more tigers kept as ‘pets’ in the U.S. — between 5,000 and 7,000 — than there are in the wild, where fewer than 4,000 remain.  There were 100,000 tigers in the early 1900s.  This has to stop.”

Roberts says wild animals as “pets” emphasizes that  this is not just inhumane for the animal, but also a public safety and an environmental issue.

Roberts said, “Being someone’s pet is immeasurably cruel to wild animals. These so-called ‘pets,’ endure miserable conditions in captivity – they are usually locked up in cages in a home or backyard, isolated, and deprived of the ability to express their natural behaviors.  Some private owners often extract their teeth and fingernails, among other barbaric practices, in an attempt to ‘tame’ them.  Wild animals belong in the wild and can never be tamed. They are ticking time bombs and should not be confined as a pet.”

Exotic animals have proven they can attack at any moment with no probably cause. They have been known to attack their human caretaker. Unfortunately, this is happening at an alarming rate every day in this country as these wild animals are kept as pets, according to Roberts.

 With World Wildlife Day today, we need to highlight these continuous inhumane acts and the safety and conservation risks they are posing, and stop the keeping of wild animals as pets once and for all.”

Facts about wild animals:

• The U.S. is the world’s largest importer of African lion trophies and parts, one of the main reasons why fewer than 40,000 lions remain in the wild. Between 1999 and 2008, 7,090 lion specimens, reported as being from a wild source, were traded internationally for recreational trophy hunting purposes, representing a minimum of 5,663 lions.

• A tiger in the U.S. can be purchased online or in person for as little as $300 — less than the cost of a purebred dog. There are more tigers kept as “pets” in the U.S. (between 5,000 and 7,000) than there are in the wild, where fewer than 4,000 remain.

• By the beginning of 2014, only 5,000 black rhinos are left in the wild. Over 1,000 rhinos were poached in South Africa alone in 2013.

• Five states still allow bears to be killed solely for their gallbladders to create traditional Asian medicines and toiletries like shampoos and hemorrhoid creams. On the black market, bear gallbladder and bile can fetch prices higher by weight than gold or cocaine. In one instance, a bear gallbladder sold for $10,000 in South Korea.

• At least 73 million sharks — many of which are endangered – – are killed worldwide to supply a demand for shark fin soup.

• Over 40% of the 234 primate species are now threatened with extinction.

• An estimated 13 million reptiles are kept as pets in the U.S.  Most were captured in the wild or are the offspring of wild-caught parents. Tens of thousands of Burmese pythons – – formerly kept as pets – – have been let loose in the Florida swamps.

• More than 60% of the recorded primate incidents in the U.S. (bites or worse injuries to humans) in the past 10 years involved “pet” primates. More than 90 children and adults were injured in incidents occurring in 49 different states.