Staff Writer

Pictures of a captive tiger in a backyard behind a nursery school in Impala Park, Boksburg, have gone viral, with the public expressing shock and dismay. The SPCA have noted the incident, but has stated that it requires assistance from the City of Ekurhuleni municipality to enforce bi-laws preventing such.

Meanwhile, children in the school are being stopped from playing outside during breaks, for fear of an incident with the big cat.

Speaking to Radio Islam International, Viona Miles, a director at the animal rights advocacy group, ‘Four Paws’, noted that the tigers are not even supposed to be in South Africa, in captivity: “it’s a problem because tigers are wild animals. They don’t belong under human control…they are not indigenous to South Africa and belong in the wild and the native countries.”

Miles also noted that South Africa is home to around 1500 tigers, over 25% of the world’s total population. Further, almost all are in captivity, especially since they’re not indigenous to the land. Significantly, their lack of indigeneity means that they are not afforded the rights provided to other protected animals in the country, including lions. This is despite the fact that tigers are listed as an endangered species.

Four Paws have lobbied for tigers to be afforded the same protections as other big cats, and Miles reiterated that the South African government has been making big strides in affording protections to big cats. However much more needs to be done, with Miles noting that the lack of indigeneity of such animals mean that even in breeding conservatories, specific diets needed to be followed.