Please do not import exotic animals for zoo
Kudos to John Burnett of the Hawaii Tribune Herald for his excellent article on the zoo’s attempt to obtain more Bengal tigers,
I am 100 percent in agreement with the information Inga Gibson of the Humane Society of the United States provides about adding captive Bengal tigers to our little zoo. We should not try our luck a second time on maintaining these special creatures. Even if the breeder in question had a spotless record on breeding big cats, I think we as a county cannot adequately care for such an exotic creature. If we must have captive animals for educational purposes, they should be animals endemic to the islands and especially the rain forest, illustrating what is at risk in every microclimate here, how animals evolved to different climates and elevations. We have a rare opportunity to teach real lessons, informed by the animals with which we share this island home.
The previous tiger, Namaste, was used extensively for fundraising and tourist publicity. The zoo’s poster child, used to taut the zoo, died without the care of a specialist and under unclear circumstances. We should learn from this lesson, not repeat the same mistake.
I remind readers of West Hawaii Today of the phenomenal help we received through Gibson and the HSUS in solving the problem of auto accidents with donkeys. Her efforts were instrumental in securing funding to fly hundreds of donkeys to real sanctuary on the mainland. Based on her intelligence and caring, we solved a problem that even the county could not solve: keeping donkeys off county roads. Gibson shows the level of detail she has studied to come to her conclusions is deep and broad.
Please, no more tigers or other rare animals at the zoo. Our island veterinarians are among the best, but they are not trained in the care of every kind of exotic animal.
Anika Glass
Waikoloa