Tiger cub kept as a pet in Pietermaritzburg yard is confiscated, moved to Pretoria Zoo
A tiger cub that was found in a Pietermaritzburg home where it was kept as a pet in a makeshift wire enclosure, has been moved to the Pretoria Zoo.
The cub was held at a property in Northern Park, Chase Valley, Ezemvelo spokesperson Musa Mntambo said.
He said that Ezemvelo’s Pietermaritzburg honorary officers visited the property to investigate the matter after they received reports of a tiger being spotted in the yard of a residential home.
“In collaboration with the South African Police Service (SAPS) Stock Theft Unit and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Ezemvelo Wildlife officials visited the property to investigate. Upon arrival, they found a male tiger, estimated to be between four to six-months-old. The animal was immediately confiscated,” he said.
Mntambo said that the tiger was taken to the Free Me Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre for temporary care and rehabilitation before being transported to Pretoria.
Free Me Wildlife said the cub weighed just over 17 kilograms. It was placed under infrared light upon arrival, and given “good food” and a bed of hay.
Mntambo said that after securing the required permits, the cub was transported to the Pretoria Zoo on Thursday, September 19, “where it will receive specialised care and long-term accommodation”.
“A case of illegal possession of the tiger has been opened at Townhill SAPS. The charges fall under sections 79, 80, and 81 of the KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Ordinance, as well as section 65 (clauses 1 and 2) of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEMBA),” he said.
Mntambo said that Ezemvelo was committed to the enforcement of wildlife regulations and continued to work with other law enforcement agencies to ensure that such incidents were addressed swiftly and effectively.
According to Free Me Wildlife, the cub is under the direct protection of the highest conservation body in the country, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, and is being kept at the highest security facility under their control, the Pretoria Zoological Gardens.
“While this cub remains evidence in an ongoing court case, it must remain in the custody of the DFFE and cannot, for its own safety, be released to a private sanctuary. The future of the cub will only be decided once the outcome of the court case is final.”
Free Me Wildlife added that it would not support the rescue of an animal from the illegal wildlife trade only to see it become part of it again.
In February last year, surveillance footage captured a young female tiger roaming the driveway of an office complex in Edenvale, Ekurhuleni.
A month prior, another female tiger, Sheba, escaped from her enclosure on a smallholding in Walkerville, Johannesburg. She severely mauled a man, William Mokoena, and killed two dogs and a pig, before she was shot dead. The tigers were privately owned pets that escaped.
The keeping of non-indigenous species and generally keeping animals as pets is regulated by provinces and by-laws, where they exist.
The Mail & Guardian previously reported that according to Douglas Wolhuter, manager of the NSPCA’s wildlife protection unit, in its last inspection listing in 2021, the unit located at least 16 premises in residential areas that housed tigers.
On average, there are five to six complaints about tigers annually, “however these are on the rise as people become more aware of the tiger problem,” said Wolhuter.
Kelly Marnewick, a senior lecturer in the department of nature conservation at the Tshwane University of Technology, said: “Tigers are exotic. You don’t need any permits to keep them, the same as you wouldn’t need any permits to keep a goldfish or an African grey parrot. Anyone can own a tiger … It’s problematic because not only is it a human safety risk, particularly in urban areas, but it also becomes a welfare risk to the animals.”
A version of this article was first published by The Witness.