[FEL-L] Florida: Cuddly pet or wild animal?

[Gary Breuckman]

Cuddly pet or wild animal?
A North Florida lobbyist makes no apologies for owning two cougars and a 
tiger. But some say it's a bad idea.


HAVANA - Gloria Johnson's love for cats of all sizes has raised some 
eyebrows in North Florida.

The part-time lobbyist lives on 18 acres in a wooden house, where four house 
cats lounge inside on tiger-striped couches and rub their faces against 
leopard print curtains.

Outside, some larger cousins - two cougars and a Siberian tiger - have found 
a home in Johnson's back yard. And though some animal advocates want to 
outlaw her exotic pets, Johnson has vowed to battle, well, tooth and claw.

"I will fight it to the death," she said. When she's not at the Capitol in 
nearby Tallahassee, Johnson is in her back yard, feeding, playing with and 
swimming with Ashukalee and Lakota, her 130-pound cougars, and Casanova, her 
200-pound tiger.

Johnson is not the only Floridian with a taste for unusual pets. Florida's 
sunny climate makes it an attractive home for many exotic species, said 
Linda Harrison, a captain with the state's wildlife commission.

Florida's 150 big-animal owners, who sell and exhibit beasts such as bears, 
lions and tigers, have to complete 1,000 hours of training.

Another 400 are licensed for medium-sized animals, like cougars, bobcats and 
wolves, and 3,000 Floridians own exotic pets like chinchillas and ferrets.

Johnson said she trusts her big cats. Last month, friends and neighbors 
joined Johnson for Casanova's birthday party, complete with liver cake and 
ice cream.

Johnson stayed in the tiger's balloon-covered cage, clapping and cheering 
him on as he ripped at wrapped gifts, tearing into a new blue football, 
puncturing it within minutes.

"I'm not worried at all," said Elizabeth Draper, a friend who brought her 
9-year-old son, Chris, to the party. "I feel totally safe. As long as she 
knows what she's doing and she's licensed, as long as she takes care of 
them, it's no problem."

Chris spent the party a few feet away from the cage's outer wall. He said he 
might want a tiger of his own one day.

"He's kind of fun to watch," he said.

But not all big-cat owners have been as lucky as Johnson.

Two years ago, a 600-pound tiger named Bobo was shot and killed after he 
escaped from his South Florida owner, an actor who once played Tarzan.

The same year, another 350-pounder injured his handler after being startled 
by a boy at a Jacksonville fair.

When these cats make news, it begs the question: Why own an animal that can 
eat you?

Johnson explained: "They give you something that people can't - they give 
you unconditional love. The bonding with a wild animal is something you 
can't explain. It's like a religious experience."

But other animal advocates say Johnson's behavior - for example, cuddling 
and sometimes sleeping with big cats in their cages - sends the wrong 
message that wild animals make good pets.

"When people see an image of somebody stroking a big cat or walking a big 
cat on a leash, their immediate reaction is 'I want to do that,' " said 
Carole Baskin, who runs the Big Cat Rescue sanctuary in Tampa.

"They're not thinking about the fact that they could lose the arm or that 
the animal is living in captivity," Baskin said. "They're thinking about 
what they want, they're thinking about that connection."

Baskin tried during this year's legislative session to introduce a ban on 
keeping big cats as pets, but failed.

Now, backed by the Humane Society, she's promised to try again next year.

So far, 23 states - including Maryland this year - have banned private pet 
owners from keeping big cats.

"We're trying to stop the perpetuation of breeding cats for life in cages," 
Baskin said.

She described a harmful cycle: Floridians buy big cats and abandon them when 
they grow too large or wild.

When exhibitors and pet owners show those cats, others want a similar 
experience and encourage more breeding and selling.

Baskin, a former breeder herself, said she saw the light when her clients 
couldn't handle their cats and started abandoning them. Right now, 150 
felines live in her sanctuary.

"It's very sad for the cats, because in almost every case they've been 
bottle-raised by a human, that's the only person they've bonded to," she 
said. "They're ripped out of that situation once that person can't handle 
them anymore and having to live in a cage for the next 20 years."

Baskin said cage life can harm the cats, causing them to pace frantically or 
neurotically groom themselves so frequently that they lick off all their 
fur.

But Johnson said she's made a lifetime commitment to her cats, caring for 
them as she would her own children. She expects them to live 20 years and 
said she is ready to spend whatever is necessary to keep all three.

Johnson also said her cats help her teach Floridians about wildlife and the 
environment. Her relationship with Ashukalee, Lakota and Casanova won't 
change any time soon - and that's her prerogative.

"If you're an adult, and you want to do something risky like sky-dive or 
bungee jump ... that's ridiculously dangerous to me," she said, "but I don't 
ban your right to do it."