PetSmart is for pets, and wild animals are not pets!
October 18th, 2010 by admin
Last month, the Tampa Tribune ran a story about a visit by a 9-week-old tiger to the PetSmart store in Wesley Chapel. Photographs from the event show PetSmart employees posing with the tiger. The tiger cub was brought into the store by Kathy Stearns, who runs a small zoo in Dade City called Wild Things.
From a quick look at their website it appears that Wild Things’ main business is selling “hands-on encounters” with exotic animals. Their website features photograph after photograph of children holding tigers, monkeys and other animals.
According to Kathy Stearns, the tiger who was brought to PetSmart was born at the G.W. Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma. This park has been criticized for its reckless breeding of tigers and other big cats.
After the article appeared, ARFF wrote to PetSmart urging the company-in consideration of public safety and animal welfare-to develop a policy discouraging wild and exotic animals from entering their stores. PetSmart is for pets, and tigers should never be pets.
This week we were thrilled to receive a letter from Bob Moran, PetSmart’s President and CEO, in which he wrote that he was disappointed at PetSmart’s involvement in the tiger cub’s visit. Mr. Moran wrote that management at PetSmart stores nationwide have been reminded that, “for the safety of our associates, our Pet Parents and their pets-exotic pets are not permitted on our store premises.”
Thank you PetSmart!