Their Hypocrisy Knows No Bounds

7/9/2018

In a article published just a bit over a week ago by The Dodo, Susan Bass, Director of Public Relations for Big Cat Rescue, went on to address a viral video in which a tiger stalked two men standing on the opposite side of it’s enclosure. The article contained an exaggerated description of what actually transpired, but that’s par for the course when it comes to The Dodo’s reporting.

We could already tell the direction in which the writer was taking their article from the get-go. Not a difficult feat to accomplish considering that they claim the tiger had smashed itself against the enclosure wall. They even say the tiger had a look of defeat after the ordeal. It’s always odd when a random person thinks they know how a animal is feeling just by looking at its face.

In the center of the manufactured controversy is Mike VII, a nearly 2-year old male tiger that resides at the Louisiana State University (LSU) as a living mascot. LSU makes it clear that the tiger was donated to them just like their previous tigers because they want to avoid contributing to the problems tigers in the United States face (emphasis added):

Mike VII, who has both Siberian and Bengal characteristics, was donated to LSU from a sanctuary in Okeechobee, Fla., called “Wild at Heart Wildlife Center.” Mikes IV, V and VI were also donated to LSU from rescue facilities. LSU has not purchased a tiger since Mike III in 1958, and LSU does not support the for-profit breeding of tigers. By providing a home for a tiger that needs one, LSU hopes to raise awareness about the problem of irresponsible breeding and the plight of tigers kept illegally and/or inappropriately in captivity in the U.S.

So they’re against the inappropriate captive settings many tigers in the U.S. are supposedly kept? That’s quite ironic since many people consider a college campus to be an inappropriate setting for a tiger.

Anyway, the video featured below shows Mike VII stalking and pawing from behind its enclosure wall to get at two individuals:

In a statement provided to The Dodo, Susan Bass says, “Mike is displaying his natural instinct to attack ‘prey’ from behind and obviously does not know the barrier is there. He could hurt himself when he flings [himself] full-force against these plexiglass-type walls.”

Do you agree with her assessment? We wonder how she arrived at the conclusion that Mike VII was oblivious to the barrier that he was pawing at. Zoos must be in a hurry to rid themselves of their plexiglass observation areas due to the epidemic of big cats running head first into them like a bird flying into a screen door.

All jokes aside, Susan Bass just rehashed the same argument from an earlier article she provided a statement for (see Animal Rights Sanctuaries Outraged At Viral Video).

Just like last time, we will point out how hypocritical they are. Where was the same worry Susan Bass currently has for Mike VII back when her employer released a video called “Never Turn Your Back On BIG CATS!?” In that YouTube video, Big Cat Rescue had Chris Poole, their former cameraman, do the same thing displayed in the video they’re currently criticizing.

Is it impossible for big cats to injure themselves on metal caging? Why would a smooth plexiglass wall be more dangerous than Big Cat Rescue's cattle panel cages? One would think that the metal wires would increase the chances of a tiger getting hurt since their teeth could chip by getting caught in the 4x4 openings.

Does the tiger in the clip below not notice that it's in a metal cage? Why else would it be ramming its body against it? Who are we kidding, the tiger "obviously does not know the barrier is there."

If Big Cat Rescue is truly against people provoking reactions out of big cats shouldn’t they delete the video we mentioned above? Doesn’t their video encourage others to try replicating the actions of Chris Poole? After all, Big Cat Rescue likes to claim that professionals engaging in hands-on interactions with big cats only serves to encourage members of the public to participate in activities involving the exploitation of exotic cats that are offered by facilities they routinely vilify. The video has amassed more than 20-million views on YouTube alone so they’re likely not going to delete it.

The writer of the article continues their one-sided reporting by bringing up a past incident in which Mike IV, a past mascot in LSU’s long tradition of living tiger mascots, was ILLEGALLY set loose by pranksters. The LSU Tiger Athletic Foundation website provides more information surrounding the events of that highly dangerous "prank" (emphasis added):

In 1981, pranksters cut the chain to the outer door and the lock to the inner cage door of the enclosure, releasing Mike. LSU police called Dr. Bivin around 1 a.m. to tell him that Mike was in the middle of North Stadium Drive. He wandered into the Bernie Moore Track Stadium, where Dr. Bivin shot him with a tranquilizer pistol (it took three shots to sedate him). He was safely returned to his enclosure.

Why did The Dodo writer feel it was necessary to cite a 37 year old incident as though it’s currently a cause for concern? If that’s worth bringing up as a “safety concern” then why not bring up the history of the organization that’s providing them with a statement?

Back in 1996, two cougars escaped from their enclosures at Big Cat Rescue which was operating under the name of Wildlife On Easy Street at the time. According to a report by Tampa Bay Times, one of the escaped cougars was caught within an hour while the second cougar was captured more than 12 hours later outside the perimeter fences of the roadside zoo (emphasis added):

The South American cougars became the subject of a search after they escaped from their pens around 7:30 a.m. Monday. One of the animals was captured within an hour. But officials searched more than 12 hours for the second, 80-pound cat before it was eventually sighted about 11 p.m. Monday in the area where it escaped. Don and Carole Lewis house more than 100 cats, including lions and tigers, at the state-permitted facility, said Lt. Rip Stalvey, public information officer for the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission. . . . Stalvey said the second cougar was discovered outside the Lewises' fenced, 40acre compound. It escaped from a 40-by-80-foot pen. Both cats were returned to Lewis scared but uninjured, Stalvey said.

We wonder which facility poses as a more serious “safety concern,” a facility whose tiger was illegally set loose by a group of troublemakers or a facility that had cougars escape from their enclosures? It’s unlikely that the Dodo is ever going to bring up that piece of information when referencing Big Cat Rescue in their future articles.

Followers of Big Cat Rescue have been leaving comments saying how Mike VII should live at their facility. There is a stark contrast between what Big Cat Rescue and the Louisiana State University offer in terms of the quality of the habitats they provide for their cats:

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