WATCH: Bengal Tigers freed from Boksburg home after 2 years in captivity
Dr Peter Caldwell of Old Chapel Veterinary Clinic was part of a team who, together with the NSPCA, rescued two White Bengal Tigers from a cage in a Boksburg home.
Lester Kiewit speaks to Dr Peter Caldwell of the Old Chapel Veterinary Clinic.
The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) and the Boksburg SPCA have achieved a significant milestone in the ongoing battle against the confinement of exotic wild species in South Africa.
On 20 February, two White Bengal tigers, held in captivity for more than two years in a residential property in Boksburg in Gauteng, were finally set free.
Caldwell says people may keep animals such as Bengal Tigers as pets in South Africa because they are classified as "exotic animals."
"Tigers are exotic animals and they are animals people don't need permits to keep in South Africa which is something that needs to change for the good of the species. In South Africa, you need a nature conservation permit if you want to keep a lion as a pet or any other animal that is indigenous to South Africa. For tigers, exotic pets or any other non-indigenous species to South Africa, you don't need a permit."
- Dr Peter Caldwell, Old Chapel Veterinary Clinic
Owners can declaw tigers, but they remain dangerous and will kill if they escape.
Tiger owners rarely know how to feed the animals a balanced nutritional diet to maintain their health and immunity or take them for regular check-ups to ensure they are healthy, laments Caldwell.
He urges neighbours to speak up and call a vet or the SPCA if they know of people housing tigers next to them.
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.