All over America there are big cats living in captivity.  Some live in zoos, some are owned by private collectors and some are raised by breeders.  Although it may seem exciting to have a big cat as a pet, many people buy them without realizing how expensive and time-consuming,   not to mention dangerous, they really are.  

Sometimes the animals are abused and neglected,  either maliciously or just because the owners don’t have the knowledge to properly take care of them. Zoos prefer to keep only the best specimens so when an animal is  

old or has outgrown it’s cage they must have somewhere to take them.

There are a few brave souls who have dedicated their lives to solving these problems, creating sanctuary and rescue facilities for these animals, all of which would never survive if set loose in the wild. There is just such a place in Tennessee, called Tiger Haven.  

Tiger Haven is much like an animal shelter for big cats, except that they never kill the animals.  They keep the cats long after their circus and zoo days are over, letting them fade away with old age.  Tiger Haven has all ages of cats, however, and has even rescued a pregnant tiger and helped raise her two newborn cubs.  

Tiger Haven houses 289 great cats of every species excluding cheetahs, and receives no federal or state funding to do so.  They rely 100 percent on money donated from the public.  With over 2,000 pounds of meat eaten every day, the money is crucial to keeping these cats in good condition with an ample supply of food.  

Along with food, Tiger Haven incurs heavy operating costs, from cages and repairs to the expenses of vaccinations and nursing the sometimes abused and neglected animals back to health.  

One of the most common problems seen in the facility is poorly executed de-clawing procedures.  People will declaw the animals believing it makes them safer to keep as pets, when in all actuality they usually kill with a suffocating bite to the neck of their prey.  

The declawing procedure cripples the animals, even paralyzing their legs in certain cases.  Even when the procedure is done well it drastically shortens their life span because of the arthritis they develop later as a result of the procedure.  

Tiger Haven has made it a major part of their mission to educate the public about these big cats and the problems facing them.  They have an excellent website, http://www.tigerhaven.org,  with pictures of all the cats and a wealth of information about them. 

Unfortunately the high operating costs of these facilities are causing them to shut down left and right in this economy.  People are feeling that they simply cannot spare extra money for charitable organizations right now.  

Fortunately, Tiger Haven has made it remarkably easy to make a real difference. For only $53 dollars a year, you can “adopt” a cat. When you adopt a cat they send you an 8x10 photo of your cat, a biography, and a certificate of adoption. 

There are very few options available to these animals. Sanctuaries like Tiger Haven are crucial to providing the only humane homes for old and unwanted great cats. It’s important that we never forget that we are the stewards of the earth, charged with the care and protection of its animals.  As Tiger Haven’s own motto says, ““if we have the ability to help any animal in need, then we are morally obligated to do so.”