America’s Most Dangerous Pets
What do you get when you cross a lion with a tiger?
It’s not the set up to a joke. It’s reality!! Tigers and lions are breeding in relatively large numbers at a zoo in Oklahoma owned by a unique individual named Joe Exotic. The answer, by the way, is a liger. Ligers are also breeding with tigers and producing a new even rarer creature called ti-liger.
It’s part of a plan to re-create a sabre-tooth tiger at Joe’s zoo. I’d go into more detail but a) I don’t want to bore you and b) I don’t want to preempt the show I have coming up on Sunday night (Oct 30).
Entitled “America’s Most Dangerous Pets”, it’s a romp through the strange world of exotic animals and the Americans who keep them.
I was promoting it on Day Break this morning. You can see that here (probably only for a limited time): http://www.itv.com/daybreak/entertainment/tv/louix-theroux/
I also wrote a short article about my experiences: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15475636
Hope you enjoy the programme!
Jeepers! Talk about timely…
Well, I’ve got to say Louis, I didn’t enjoy the programme. Nothing to do with you (apart from your idea for the prog obviously!), and everything to do with the persons having control over these animals. Scarier than any horror film I ever saw. Like putting the less famous characters from “Deliverance” in charge of lions, tigers, chimps etc. Even though the animals appeared to be well looked after, the “keepers/owners” seemed suspect to say the least. Matey boy teeing off on his Lynx? GW owner, his two hubbies and the cast of Deliverance, ready to euthanase the lot if he dies? Gentle chimp puts in a window? Rednecks behind bars with Tigers in charge? Much more sensible.
Hi Louis,
do you know if/when we are getting this in Western Australia? Or any of the new episodes on your Odd, Bad, Godly dvd? We seem to be way behind here. Another thing to miss along with badgers, primroses and clotted cream!
Love your work,
Moira
just goes to show
lax animal laws+ mental illness + money = animal cruelty in USA
Hey Louis!
Loved the program as usual!
But at the same time I was so angry…..when will people understand these animals are not pets esp due to recent news events.
I love all animals and think all the animals in your program are beautiful…..its the humans in it that are not – obv not including you
)
Cant wait for another one of your shows!
Even though I love Louis and all his docs are of a consistently high standard this one left me a little non plussed.
We didnt really learn anything new about the pet trade and most of those involved seemed to be decent people and perhaps not the cruel animal haters that perhaps would have made better telly.
I have reviewd the programme in full on my blog:
http://neonmessiah.blogspot.com/2011/11/tv-review-louis-theroux-americas-most.html
Perhaps Louis has run out of intersting subcultures to talk about.
Louis, good programme but appalled at the ‘chimp place’. The cages looked awful and the chimps/monkeys were all aggressive and unhappy. Can’t anything be done to make their lives better i.e. move them somewhere else!!!
I am absolutly shocked about your program last night…very bizarre, disgusting…!!!! the people in USA are free to torture, slave, get money using animals !!! whats coward, cruel, ignorant! poor animals!! in cages very sad very estress ….they r not keeper they r psychopaths, medieval CRIMINALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THERES NO ANIMALS RIGHT IN AMERICA??
I love Louis and his programmes but this one was lacking, I believe.
Should we be shocked about how a small group of people keep and treat animals such as the ones in the documentary? Absolutely not. As a result, this episode wasn’t a surprise and it never really seemed to go anywhere.
Idea for a future documentary, Louis:
film and interview the people of Christiania in Copenhagen.
Joe is a 2 bit magician who thinks hes an accredited zookeeper! Hes a laugh!
hello from england well louis good show from youreself but as for the mindless careless danger driven owners even the woman at the roadshow refused to comment on if the pacing bear were happy it were clearly not who on earth allow these people to run these places even a kangaroo in a pushchair shocking i saw no passion the gw owner would rather euthinase the whole lot yeah right that makes sense stupid comment there and what i certainly dont get the breeding programme just to keep them in captivity and as for the man slapping the wild cat about that iscertainly gonna backfire should be done for keeping animals fullstop shown no respect for any of the animals hes certainly is living on borrowed time disaster waiting to happen more like whether its him or his visitors being mauled very shocked
This episode was on a very serious matter. As many here I was shocked to see the conditions these animals have to endure in order for people to fill their emotional void.
endin
Absolutely adore animals, really enjoyed your blog, I work with exotic animals and it is very rewarding
I haven’t seen this episode but it must have been crazy.
Absolutely adore animals, really enjoyed your blog, I work with exotic animals and it is very rewarding
Just watched this one last night, must say, I am sad, why in the modern world this is allowed to happen is beyond me.
I get these people love their animals, but there is a big difference in loving someone and doing what is right for them.
They are just as bad as people who keep brain damaged people alive on machines for years. At least they don’t know whats happening, these poor creatures are very aware. I am an animal lover, but sadly I think the right thing to do would be euthanize the lot, including the so called owners, that is of course after making them live in the same cage no bigger than a parking space for 15 years.
These animals are alive, but at what cost, when an animal paces, it isn’t happy! Stock piling creatures in cages, so future generations can poke at them and get a picture taken. It would be better to let them go extinct than that.