Some time last week, I was scrolling through some reels and I came across a particular one that caught my interest. Basically, it was just random people trying to get pictures with an incredibly huge tiger. They would sit on the grass, and the tiger was made to rest on their shoulders while being distracted with a feeding bottle so it wouldn’t look down to see a random person. I couldn’t even picture myself coming face to face with a tiger, not to talk of sitting down and letting it rest on my shoulder. The people feeding it were professionals, of course. Maybe they have taken years to train it and tame it to some extent, but I still found the entire exercise somewhat off. A lot of things can go wrong in a split second, and what was originally meant to be a fun photoshoot could easily turn into a tragic headline.
That wasn’t my first time seeing something like that. I’ve seen people in reels try to raise giant snakes as pets. Some even discover years later that the pet they found stray and decided to take into their homes to take care of was actually a black panther and not a dog. Admittedly, they try to take care of these animals, providing all they could possibly need, and it seems everything is going well. But I’ve also seen some disastrous ones where the animals turn against their owners and attack them.
Personally, I have nothing against people who think it’s okay to own these animals as pets. I am really fascinated by wildlife, especially when I watch NatGeo Wild. Having people go to such lengths to study animals, their behaviours, and everything about them is very commendable. But I think wildlife will always remain wildlife. You can’t own it, no matter how many years you think you’ve studied them enough to bring them into your home. Nature can’t be cheated. That tiger might suddenly realise one day that tearing flesh is actually better than feeding from a bottle, and that’s where it all goes south.
It doesn’t matter how intentional people who keep them as pets think they are. It is simply dangerous. Even the domestic pets we manage to keep sometimes show us why they are animals. When something is being described as “wild,” it’s already a deviation from normal to think it can be controlled or restricted for so long just for humans to be comfortable around it. Animals can adapt to situations according to their basic natural behaviour, but they may not do so for long.
The reason zoos and other nature reserves thrive is that they are handled by professionals. These professionals undergo years of study to understand the needs of animals and how best to cater for them in ways that someone who simply has the resources cannot. Most times, people who think they have enough resources to provide for an exotic pet just want to brag about owning a python or a lion, without any genuine sense of understanding the dynamics of those animals.
Taking a wild animal to be domesticated under AC and fan is like asking a human being to go and live in a thick forest. Adaptation can play its role, but just because we can do something doesn’t mean we have to. For our own safety, we should know where to draw the line. Professionals who can handle them better should be left to take care of them, if it is very necessary at all.