Following the discovery of two tigers that are kept as pets in a residential property in Impala Park, the Boksburg North SAPS have since received complaints from concerned members of the public.
According to Boksburg North spokesperson Const Justice Ramaube, community members have raised their grievances about their safety.
“The police can’t do anything because there isn’t any element of crime involved in this case,” said Ramaube.
The tigers made the rounds on social media in recent weeks after staff members of a local crèche just behind the property spotted one of the tigers.
Local authorities have indicated that although the practice may be upsetting to many, they are not able to act against people keeping wild animals at home as it is not against the law.
Weighing in on the topic, the Advertiser recently spoke to Dr Kelly Marnewick, a nature conservation lecturer at the Tshwane University of Technology.
“There is no legal requirement for any type of qualification to show that you are competent to handle the animals or look after their nutritional needs. Their diets need to be carefully managed to ensure that they remain healthy and grow optimally. The legal fencing requirement for big cats is a fence of 2.1m, with an overhang and electrified. The photos I have seen of the tigers in question do not have a fence of sufficient standard to contain the tigers.”
Marnewick said tigers are not indigenous to Africa and there is no conservation benefit to keeping them in captivity, especially not as pets.
“A wild cat should not be kept in captivity, they should be appreciated in the wild where there are not any welfare concerns. Tigers are wild animals and remain as such,” said Marnewick.
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