When most people consider keeping pets, they envision cute and cuddly animals like cats and dogs. However, one woman in Florida has taken pet ownership to a new level by keeping two tigers in her backyard. Surprisingly, these et tigers are just as loving and playful as kittens.
Janda And Saber Are Very Much A Part Of The Family!
Tigers are ꜰᴇᴀʀsᴏᴍᴇ jungle cats that are near-universal symbols of ꜰᴇʀᴏᴄɪᴛʏ, strength, and courage, but 57-year-old Janice Haley of Orlando, Florida, has a different perspective.
To her, these ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴏᴜs animals are also cuddly kitties.
When you see her play with her two exotic pets, 400-pound Bengal tiger Janda and 600-pound white Bengal tiger Saber, you’ll understand why – they’re about as loving and playful as their tiny domesticated cousins.
“As far as they’re concerned, I am mommy,” explains Haley. “These adorable cats rub me in the face; they’ll let me kiss them on the ɴᴏsᴇ.”
The two pet tigers live in an enclosure in her backyard and are fed by hand thrice daily.
It all began in 1995 when Haley quit her tedious desk job and began working with exotic cats at her husband’s advice.
She has had quite a few different big cats since then and plenty of volunteers to help care for them and play with them.
Care Tigers Is Not Without Its ᴄʜᴀʟʟᴇɴɢᴇs!
While some might view Haley’s decision to keep tigers as ɪʀʀᴇsᴘᴏɴsɪʙʟᴇ or ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴏᴜs, she insists that her pets are no different from any other animal.
She treats them with the same care and affection as a cat or dog, and they respond kindly.
Janda and Saber are so loving that they often cuddle with Maria and play with her like kittens.
“People who consider it ᴄʀᴜᴇʟ to keep them in ᴄᴀᴘᴛɪᴠɪᴛʏ have a point, to a point,” conceded Haley. “It is not the ideal place for a wild animal in a ᴄᴀɢᴇ.
But at this point, in the wild, there isn’t a lot of hope out there for them anymore, and if there aren’t some of them left in ᴄᴀɢᴇs there aren’t going to be any left at all in a couple of years from now… They are provided for and loved here.
Despite these ᴄʜᴀʟʟᴇɴɢᴇs, Maria is determined to keep tigers and show the world that these animals are not the ᴠɪᴄɪᴏᴜs beasts they are often portrayed as.
She hopes that her example will encourage others to see tigers in a more positive light.
