U.S. urged to regulate 'backyard tigers' - CNN.com

U.S. urged to regulate 'backyard tigers' - CNN.com: "Rising numbers of captive tigers in the United States are putting citizens at risk and could be fueling illegal trade in animal parts, which threatens their survival in the wild, conservationists have warned.
'Tigers Among US,' published by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network estimates that there are more than 5,000 tigers in captivity in the U.S. compared with around 3,200 that remain wild across Asia.
While some tigers are housed in zoos, many more are privately owned, often free to roam backyards, urban apartments and are generally kept in 'deplorable conditions,' the report says.
Leigh Henry, WWF senior policy officer for Species Conservation told CNN: 'We've seen photos and there's a video on our website showing tigers walking around muddy wet cages.'
But its the size of the enclosures that is most distressing, Henry says, 'when you know tigers are supposed to be ranging over hundreds and hundreds of acres.'
Current U.S. regulation on tiger ownership is 'a patchwork of federal laws' full of 'exceptions, exemptions and loopholes,' the report says.
A majority of U.S. states (28) don't allow citizens to keep tigers as pets, while 17 have laws which regulate their ownership."

nuisance animal problems