Ditto that!
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Would you want a pet Cheetah?
- Thread starter cobra
- Start Date
No way! Oscar is wild enough for me
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2005
- Messages
- 27,231
- Purraise
- 38
I would consider it when I live my life the way I plan ... Ie lots of land and running a refuge or like place ... but in my sub rural home my ferals are the wild I can handle
Originally Posted by Mom of Franz
Imagine the size of those "scoops" in the litterbox..you'd need a forklift to remove em...flushable, I think not!
I would never own a wild cat,but I can see that some species that are on the brink of extinction might be 'a good candidate' for taming,just because the un/successful breeding in the wild is not going to be enough to ensure their survival
It used to be legal in the uk to own wild cats,although I'm not sure what species,but when it was outlawed I heard people let their animals loose rather than put them in a zoo(if there was a place for it) or pts.
I know a family friend had a tiger cub and he said if it comes to it he would let it go,I was quite young at the time so I don't know what happened to the cub
No way, I've watched a documentary on people having wild animals as pets - and it never turns out good. I'd never own one, or pet one! I'll stick to the 2 wild ones I have now!
In short...
Um, no.
Um, no.
It would be awesome to share by life with a Cheetah. I spent some up and very close time with Cheetahs this summer, at a convention that I attended. They are wonderful cats that are so amazing to see in person.
Are we talking next week? Or in fantasy land? Cause in reality, there's no way I could afford to feed a wild cat, after reading some of John's costs with his bobcats, I'd be broke in a few weeks!
Also, I don't have the time to dedicate to a cheetah, Louie is difficult enough! But, if we're talking fantasy land, when I hit the lottery that I don't play, and buy homes everywhere in the world, yeah...I'd love to own one, with someone to clean up the habitat, so all I'd have to do is love it and play with it.
Definately. I think it would be incredible to have a cheetah if I have the supplies and money so I could take care of it properly.
No! My two boys are wild enough for me!
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2005
- Messages
- 2,155
- Purraise
- 2
If I had the money and my husband agreed I would seriously think about it.
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2016
- Messages
- 1
- Purraise
- 2
I know this was posted years ago, but coincidentally, I found it during my research on the illegal pet trade and it caught my interest.
I was very pleased to see some of the replies to your posts. Wild animals are not meant to be pets. And technically, an animal cannot be considered domesticated until is is routinely bred, something that has not yet happened with cheetahs.
I have worked with cheetahs at the Cheetah Conservation Fund for 15 years. Today, my main responsibility is dealing with illegal cheetah trafficking.
Have cheetahs ever attacked humans? Not in the wild, but in captivity, yes, many times, and one even killed a woman at a Belgian zoo when the woman broke into its enclosure at night because she was one that cheetah's adopters and wanted to be close to him. The majority of attacks have happened at places where people can pet and have their picture taken with cheetahs, or when someone inexperienced enters a cheetah enclosure. The cheetah, much like any cat, can be playful, but playing with a cheetah can result in bad bites or scratches. Unless... the cheetah's teeth are filed down and it is declawed, which is a common practice by people who have cheetahs as pets, and there are many, especially in the Arab countries and Asia.
What is even more important, is that cheetahs are listed as Appendix I under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species. Appendix I are animals that cannot be traded except for some very limited exceptions. As such, most of the pet cheetahs kept as pets around the world were illegally obtained.
The worst part about this is that the cheetahs are stolen from the wild as cubs, entire litters, and the majority, about 5 in 6, end up dying in the hands of their poachers or smugglers due to inadequate care and nutrition. The few that make it to "the market" are not so lucky either. The majority of pet cheetahs die before they reach 3 months of age. Why? Cheetahs are extremely difficult to care for. They require huge spaces, a very specialized diet, and very specific veterinary care. Many pet cheetahs die due to diseases like FIV or FPL, even in expert hands.
Some people claim that by keeping cheetahs in captivity they are contributing to saving the species because, "anyway, most of the cubs end up dying in the wild." This is not true. Yes, in the wild somewhere between 75% to 90% of cubs end up dying, but the ones that are left alive have kept the species going for thousands of years. If 100% of the cubs are removed from the wild, as it is happening in northeast Africa for the pet trade, there will be no cubs to grow and reproduce.
What is worse, is that even when we have succeeded in confiscating cheetah cubs, they cannot return to the wild. Cheetahs spend up to 2 years with their mothers in order to learn survival skills. Without these, orphaned cubs will certainly died if returned to the wild.
The illegal pet trade is one of the major threats to cheetah conservation , along with loss of habitat and conflict with humans. In the early 20th century there were about 100,0000 cheetahs in the wild across more than 40 African countries and some Asian countries. Today, less than 7,000 exist in 23 African countries and Iran.
So, do you still want a pet cheetah? If you love cheetahs, please help us promote NOT wanting cheetahs as pets.
I was very pleased to see some of the replies to your posts. Wild animals are not meant to be pets. And technically, an animal cannot be considered domesticated until is is routinely bred, something that has not yet happened with cheetahs.
I have worked with cheetahs at the Cheetah Conservation Fund for 15 years. Today, my main responsibility is dealing with illegal cheetah trafficking.
Have cheetahs ever attacked humans? Not in the wild, but in captivity, yes, many times, and one even killed a woman at a Belgian zoo when the woman broke into its enclosure at night because she was one that cheetah's adopters and wanted to be close to him. The majority of attacks have happened at places where people can pet and have their picture taken with cheetahs, or when someone inexperienced enters a cheetah enclosure. The cheetah, much like any cat, can be playful, but playing with a cheetah can result in bad bites or scratches. Unless... the cheetah's teeth are filed down and it is declawed, which is a common practice by people who have cheetahs as pets, and there are many, especially in the Arab countries and Asia.
What is even more important, is that cheetahs are listed as Appendix I under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species. Appendix I are animals that cannot be traded except for some very limited exceptions. As such, most of the pet cheetahs kept as pets around the world were illegally obtained.
The worst part about this is that the cheetahs are stolen from the wild as cubs, entire litters, and the majority, about 5 in 6, end up dying in the hands of their poachers or smugglers due to inadequate care and nutrition. The few that make it to "the market" are not so lucky either. The majority of pet cheetahs die before they reach 3 months of age. Why? Cheetahs are extremely difficult to care for. They require huge spaces, a very specialized diet, and very specific veterinary care. Many pet cheetahs die due to diseases like FIV or FPL, even in expert hands.
Some people claim that by keeping cheetahs in captivity they are contributing to saving the species because, "anyway, most of the cubs end up dying in the wild." This is not true. Yes, in the wild somewhere between 75% to 90% of cubs end up dying, but the ones that are left alive have kept the species going for thousands of years. If 100% of the cubs are removed from the wild, as it is happening in northeast Africa for the pet trade, there will be no cubs to grow and reproduce.
What is worse, is that even when we have succeeded in confiscating cheetah cubs, they cannot return to the wild. Cheetahs spend up to 2 years with their mothers in order to learn survival skills. Without these, orphaned cubs will certainly died if returned to the wild.
The illegal pet trade is one of the major threats to cheetah conservation , along with loss of habitat and conflict with humans. In the early 20th century there were about 100,0000 cheetahs in the wild across more than 40 African countries and some Asian countries. Today, less than 7,000 exist in 23 African countries and Iran.
So, do you still want a pet cheetah? If you love cheetahs, please help us promote NOT wanting cheetahs as pets.
Ooh, I really don't believe in having a wild cat as a pet. They need a large area to roam around in, and man, I would hate to have to be the one to clean that littler box! Probably be as big as softballs! Maybe bowling balls! Plus you're screwed if he gets really mad at you. Cheetah vs human? No contest, cheetah wins.
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2015
- Messages
- 1,874
- Purraise
- 5,725
Patricia, Do you know of any organizations that go to the breeders of exotic cats, buy the kittens, teach them to live in the wild, and then release them into the wild when they are ready?
Last edited:
