Given my blog nom-de-plume it's not a far stretch to imagine I might like Tigers. So I smuggled three Siberian cubs in across the border and raised them from small cat size to, well, tiger size.
Now, my back yard is a full traditional quarter acre. Even so, it's hardly 400 square miles of jungle territory. These guys are going to roam. Furthermore, my fence is only 1.8M high, and it isn't going to keep Hobbes, Tigger and Panteris contained.
Now, I have trained them and they are very good. Very docile (unless aroused) and give them a scratch under the chin and they are putty.
The neighbours on one side of my house are pretty relaxed about the whole thing. In fact, I think they feed Panteris on the side. I'm sure they had more goats last week. Anyway, the neighbours two door down on the other side are pretty uptight about the whole deal. They keep claiming their 2 year old 'babies' are at risk. Two Staffordshire bull terriers called Saint and Sinner. I've been scoffing at the notion - Hobbes wouldn't hurt a fly.
But recently, their two terriers turned up dead on the roof of number 34. I'm sure it wasn't any thing to do with Hobbes and Panteris. But Tigger is pretty good at bouncing.
So the question is, dear readers, should I keep my little cubs or release them into the Tararua Ranges before the Council comes down on me? Surely I should be allowed my pets if I'm careful? Besides, number 45 have two Cobras called Mork and Mindy.
Actually, this problem is an interesting one, because like the Maori, some animal species are disproportionately represented in the stats, but you look at their background and you can see why.
ReplyDeleteNot socialised.
But it doesn't really mean we can tar the entire breed with the same brush, does it? Although we do of course. And we go out and shoot the problem ones.
Is the real problem that we need to license the owners, not register the animals?
No point licensing owners when reprobate people tend to own the vicious animals. Get the human-eating breeds out of NZ.
ReplyDelete"So the question is, dear readers, should I keep my little cubs or release them into the Tararua Ranges before the Council comes down on me?"
ReplyDeleteThink you could train them to live off possums? Then I'd be all for letting them out at Otaki Forks...
Seriously though, are people really that daft to let their dogs roam free? We never let our dog off a leash outside of our place - it's simple. Dogs hunt small animals. Small animals make high pitched squealing sounds. Dogs associate high-pitched squealing sounds with food. Little children make squealing sounds. Dog sees squealing little children and sees food.
You can help with training and temperament. But in the end, only so far.
Hobbes rocks.
ReplyDeleteKeep the cats, it'll keep the neighbors on their toes.
ReplyDeleteCute kitties.I want one. Or two.
ReplyDeleteYou should be able to keep them if you are being careful.
ReplyDeleteThe question is, how do you define careful? Careful to me is ensuring that your fencing is adaquate to ensure your pets are contained.
You acknowledge your fencing does not meet this function.
So are you being careful?
:-)
In the most recent case it seems that the dog escaped from a fully fenced property and the owners were trying to be careful responsible owners.
Hey, don't blame me about my fence height. I wanted it to be 18 metres high, but the Council is limiting me to 1.8m. Some kind of RMA nonsense, several forms to fill out and so forth.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with you keeping your tigers.
ReplyDeleteJust get them microchipped.
Then they'll be safe.
I asked the Council if they needed micro-chipping.
ReplyDeleteThey said yes. Doug arrived, and I told them they were out back. He got to within 10m and they started growling. He froze for maybe 10 minutes then said:
"They're not dogs" and he ran for his truck. Haven't seen him since.
Didn't get around to saying they were only purring.
So now I'm worried that if any other Tigers attack people in my neighbourhood, they'll suspect my ones. Maybe the micro-chip is the alibi I need?
ReplyDeleteNot your tigers, Zen. Nossir.
ReplyDeleteYours are Quaker vegetarian tigers, in accordance with council Directive 1274/b subsection a/213 "Pet tiger diets with a view to the amelioration of urban tiger attacks".
That'd be my defence, anyway.