Pet Confiscation
A Cocke County man had his pet lion cub taken from him by authorities. It’s illegal to own such animals without a permit.
Now, I don’t know much about lions because I don’t like cats. As with other animals, I’m sure they can be appropriately socialized. However, domesticated dogs and cats have been domesticated for thousands of years and some of that social behavior is ingrained in them. I don’t know if that is the case for a lion (or any other sort of animal).
So long as the animal is appropriately restrained and can’t wonder the streets, I really have no problem with the concept of owning big cats. However, I don’t want one.
April 1st, 2004 at 9:44 am
What really burns me up is the secondary issue that has arisen from Mr. Pulley’s exotic pet…it appears the officials/agents involved may have overstepped their authority in coming on to his property before.
April 1st, 2004 at 9:59 am
Lions are, I believe, a social animal, in that they live in a group (a “pride of lions”), unlike tigers, for example, which are solitary. I have no idea, however, if this means they are more domesticable.
It seems to me that any animal bigger than you are can hurt you without meaning to, though.
April 1st, 2004 at 11:46 am
The animal might not be as domesticated as the owner thinks it is. There certainly have been cases of dogs that aren’t as domesticated as the owner thought who have ended up killing people. I’m still undecided on the issue though.