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Interview With Ellen Whitehouse

Aired October 06, 2003 - 14:31   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: So just how and why does someone raise a tiger as a pet and in New York City of all places? The discovery of that full-grown tiger in a Harlem apartment has made a lot of people take notice of the trade in exotic pets. For instance, we learned that it is a very big business, worth $15 billion a year according to the Humane Society. It's also the No. 2 moneymaker on the black market behind drugs and weapons.
With us by phone to help get a handle on the trade. Ellen Whitehouse. She's with the animal rescue group, Noah's Ark. They're located in Berlin, Ohio. She's also the new keeper of that New York City tiger. Ellen, thanks for being with us. Ellen, can you hear us all right?

ELLEN WHITEHOUSE, NOAH'S LOST ARK: Yes, I can hear you.

PHILLIPS: Good, we appreciate you being with us. I know you're quite a busy person, have your hands full right now. I want to ask you just about this case and why people even have these exotic pets in their homes. It's such a risk.

WHITEHOUSE: Honestly I don't understand the whole concept of it. Exotic animals do not make good pets, like tigers and lions. There are people that take good care of theirs.

However, some people put everyone at risk, including the animal. And Noah's Lost Ark we just basically don't ask anything of these guys except to be what they are, and we don't try to interact with them like other people do. We feed them and take care of them and let them be tigers.

PHILLIPS: And these animals cannot be tamed, correct?

WHITEHOUSE: Right. They're wild animals, they will always be wild animals. If people want to have a pet, they should save a cat or dog from an animal shelter and not think they can tame a wild animal like a tiger.

PHILLIPS: Is captivity ever justified?

WHITEHOUSE: I look at it this way -- these guys did not ask to be born, they should not be euthanized and suffer because somebody wanted one as a pet.

In the perfect world they would be in the wild. But we don't live in a perfect world and we can only offer them what we can here in captivity.

PHILLIPS: You know what amazes me is that I was reading the illegal trade in exotics and their parts often described as the No. 2 moneymaker on the black market behind drugs and weapons. What does that mean?

WHITEHOUSE: Yes. My take on that is that basically these animals, they breed them and sell them to people as pets. Sometimes people shoot them on hunting reserves and things like that. And their skins are worth a lot more off them than on of them.

And it's a sad thing that's happening in the United States, and we need to get some type of handle on it to where there are people who take care of their exotic animals and shouldn't object to be licensed and having inspections done. Here at our sanctuary, we get spot- checked all the time. They do random inspections and check to see that we're take care of the animals. And anyone that has an exotic shouldn't object to that.

PHILLIPS: Ellen, I was reading a federal bill that prohibits the interstate trade of big cats for pets is making its way through Congress right now. What's the status of that?

WHITEHOUSE: There is a lot of opposition to it because there is so much money behind the exotic animals. I'm not sure exactly if it will pass or not. And we need something in place to protect these guys. We really do. There's more tigers and lions in captivity than out in the wild right now.

PHILLIPS: I've just got to ask you Ellen, quickly before we let you go, Roy Horn, of course, mauled by this tiger during his show, Siegfried and Roy. What's your feeling about that?

WHITEHOUSE: It just proves that, you know, they're always wild. And someone as experienced and well-meaning as him got hurt with the tigers. And I wish him well, and I hope that he gets a speedy recovery. But it just backs up the point they're always wild. So the general public should not have the animals as pets.

PHILLIPS: Ellen Whitehouse, we appreciate your perspective, with the animal rescue group Noah's Ark located in Berlin, Ohio. Thanks for your time, Ellen.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired October 6, 2003 - 14:31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: So just how and why does someone raise a tiger as a pet and in New York City of all places? The discovery of that full-grown tiger in a Harlem apartment has made a lot of people take notice of the trade in exotic pets. For instance, we learned that it is a very big business, worth $15 billion a year according to the Humane Society. It's also the No. 2 moneymaker on the black market behind drugs and weapons.
With us by phone to help get a handle on the trade. Ellen Whitehouse. She's with the animal rescue group, Noah's Ark. They're located in Berlin, Ohio. She's also the new keeper of that New York City tiger. Ellen, thanks for being with us. Ellen, can you hear us all right?

ELLEN WHITEHOUSE, NOAH'S LOST ARK: Yes, I can hear you.

PHILLIPS: Good, we appreciate you being with us. I know you're quite a busy person, have your hands full right now. I want to ask you just about this case and why people even have these exotic pets in their homes. It's such a risk.

WHITEHOUSE: Honestly I don't understand the whole concept of it. Exotic animals do not make good pets, like tigers and lions. There are people that take good care of theirs.

However, some people put everyone at risk, including the animal. And Noah's Lost Ark we just basically don't ask anything of these guys except to be what they are, and we don't try to interact with them like other people do. We feed them and take care of them and let them be tigers.

PHILLIPS: And these animals cannot be tamed, correct?

WHITEHOUSE: Right. They're wild animals, they will always be wild animals. If people want to have a pet, they should save a cat or dog from an animal shelter and not think they can tame a wild animal like a tiger.

PHILLIPS: Is captivity ever justified?

WHITEHOUSE: I look at it this way -- these guys did not ask to be born, they should not be euthanized and suffer because somebody wanted one as a pet.

In the perfect world they would be in the wild. But we don't live in a perfect world and we can only offer them what we can here in captivity.

PHILLIPS: You know what amazes me is that I was reading the illegal trade in exotics and their parts often described as the No. 2 moneymaker on the black market behind drugs and weapons. What does that mean?

WHITEHOUSE: Yes. My take on that is that basically these animals, they breed them and sell them to people as pets. Sometimes people shoot them on hunting reserves and things like that. And their skins are worth a lot more off them than on of them.

And it's a sad thing that's happening in the United States, and we need to get some type of handle on it to where there are people who take care of their exotic animals and shouldn't object to be licensed and having inspections done. Here at our sanctuary, we get spot- checked all the time. They do random inspections and check to see that we're take care of the animals. And anyone that has an exotic shouldn't object to that.

PHILLIPS: Ellen, I was reading a federal bill that prohibits the interstate trade of big cats for pets is making its way through Congress right now. What's the status of that?

WHITEHOUSE: There is a lot of opposition to it because there is so much money behind the exotic animals. I'm not sure exactly if it will pass or not. And we need something in place to protect these guys. We really do. There's more tigers and lions in captivity than out in the wild right now.

PHILLIPS: I've just got to ask you Ellen, quickly before we let you go, Roy Horn, of course, mauled by this tiger during his show, Siegfried and Roy. What's your feeling about that?

WHITEHOUSE: It just proves that, you know, they're always wild. And someone as experienced and well-meaning as him got hurt with the tigers. And I wish him well, and I hope that he gets a speedy recovery. But it just backs up the point they're always wild. So the general public should not have the animals as pets.

PHILLIPS: Ellen Whitehouse, we appreciate your perspective, with the animal rescue group Noah's Ark located in Berlin, Ohio. Thanks for your time, Ellen.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com