You've got an excellent point there. The media can be notoriously unscrupulous like that.
That's a definite possibility, Sue. I was diagnosed with leukemia at age 10, and my "double" cousin (two months younger) with Hodgkin's lymphoma 8 months later. The first thing well-meaning relatives and family friends advised was getting rid of all pets, since we both had to undergo chemotherapy. Luckily, the doctors simply advised against any exposure to pets' excretions, or allowing them to sleep with either of us. The pets remained, and both of us are alive and kicking 38 years later, and my cousin has 3 kids. We both have always had pets.
This is true in most areas, even where I live. Since bobcats are native here, I need a license from the state to own the bobcats and also have a copy of the USDA license from the breeder, to prove that the animal was not taken out of the wild. However, to rescue wildlife, you would need to get a rehabilitators license from your state. I do agree with this, you do not want just anyone picking up an orphaned bobcat and lynx kitten or cougar cub and try to care for it. Since these animals were born in the wild, you would need to know what you are doing. All of my exotics have been born and raised in captivity by breeders, with constant human contact. Many times, people will see one of these cubs or kittens out wandering alone, thinking it was orphaned. Most of the time, they are not. The mother may be out hunting and had the kittens or cub out with her, to teach them their hunting skills. A licensed rehabilitator would know how to care for the animal, so that it could be released back into the wild. However these cats, when born and rasied in captivity and cared for responsibly, make wonderful companions and should not be banned from ownership. I do believe in fair regulations however. Good fair regulations help promote responsible ownership and protect the welfare of the animal and the safety of the public. An example of fair regulations would be something like this: Lets say you wanted to own a cougar. Fair regulations would require you to have proof that you have had 2 years experience working with cougars or experience working with some of the smaller exotics for 2 years. It would require you to have the proper secure enclosure, with a double door entry system and a perimeter fence around the enclosure. And you would need to have a vet that is able and willing to care for your animal.( I have all of these that I listed here ) I also believe that anyone with a history of felonious criminal activty, should not be able to own an exotic. They are not responsible in society, so they would not be responsible with an exotic cat. Leaving a cougar tied up in your back yard on a leash, like a dog, would NOT be the responsible thing to do either. These regulations make sense, however our law makers are too lazy to make such rules. To do a blanket ban is so much easier for them. Bans are more costly for tax payers to enforce. With regulations, the cost could be passed on to the animal owner with licensing fees, as long as it wasn't rediculous.
