Blogger Lays Out Case for Tigers Near Malibu

Neighbors near a home that plans to bring up to five white tigers into their backyard have nothing to fear, a blogger wrote this week.

Mary Cummins, an animal advocate who says she is familiar with the tigers and their owner Irena Hauser, wrote: 

"The white tigers that want to move to Malibu are clients of one of my vets. They are not declawed or defanged. I have photos of the tigers in my page as I've visited them. Residents of Malibu and sheep owners have more to fear from wild mountain lions, coyotes than tigers in enclosures. If the tigers escaped, they would not eat a person or animal."

According to Cummins, the tigers were rescued from a breeder, and one was going to be euthanized, explaining "The owners have a lot of money and just love tigers. Their move to Malibu is akin to the PAWS ARK 2000 elephant sanctuary in California. They are not circus or movie people by any means."

She says that the tigers are not wild, but domestically bred and have never escaped. Hauser, who has applied for a conditional use permit to bring the tigers into her backyard, is co-President of ISIS White Tigers.

Hauser bought the home on Deer Creek Road because it was zoned for wild and exotic animals, according to Cummins. 

"I personally know they get the best care, tons of enrichment and are in a huge enclosure many times larger than the legal requirements," Cummins wrote. "I've met Irena Hauser and her sister Sophia Kryszek. They are true animals lovers and wonderful people. They just want to move their facility to a bigger, better place."

Neighbors have opposed the plans, saying it will pose a threat to the safety of the neighborhood. A petition has popped up to fight the plans and has gotten nearly 500 signatures.