Ary Borges and his family live in southern Brazil like most families the Borges' love animals and have an array of cats living in their home. The only difference between the cats owned by the Borges family and the cat that is cuddled up on your lap as you read this is the Borges' cats weigh over 700 pounds and could kill you just as soon as look at you. The Borges family shares their home with nine tigers, two lionesses, a chimp and a Chihuahua.
The family is now in a heated battle with the Brazilian government over whether or not they can be allowed to keep their big cats. The big cats share a home with the Borges in an industrial neighborhood where many residents believe it is only a matter of time before someone is fatally injured by one of the family's pets. Federal wildlife officials in Brazil are fighting to take the cats away saying Ary Borges. The officials say Borges illegally bred the animals and by doing so created "a public danger."
Borges began collecting and breeding big cats in 2005 when he rescued two abused tigers from a travelling circus. Borges says he has the right to breed and care for these animals and believes there is no better home from them than with his family. "Sadly there are so many animals dying in zoos that have no oversight. My animals are treated extremely well ... we're preserving and conserving the species," Borges said to the Associated Press. "We have a great team of veterinarians. We give them only the best, but we're being persecuted."
The federal officials are looking to get an order forcing Borges to have his two male tigers neutered so they can no longer reproduce. The wildlife officials are also looking to revoke Borges' caretaker license, which would mean the removal of the animals from his home. Borges' two daughters also spoke to the Associated Press saying their family loves the animals and say they are no threat to people. The tigers would sleep with the girls until they became too big for their beds.
Experts believe that people that house big cats in their homes as pets are playing with fire. Patty finch the executive director of the Washington Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries told AP "It's a very dangerous situation, especially if there are young children around, they easily trigger a tiger's hunting instinct." The Borges family plans to keep fighting for their animals. "My father would die or kill himself if these tigers are taken away," Borges' daughter Uyara said to AP. "They're everything to us, they're my brothers. We've lived with them day and night for eight years."
To see pictures of the Borges family and their tigers follow the link to MercuaryNews.com.
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