- A resident of Johannesburg almost had his pet white tiger cubs taken by the SPCA.
- He has since built a permanent water container and jungle gym, meaning he can keep them for now.
- The SPCA said it would pursue the cubs' release to an approved sanctuary.
A Johannesburg resident almost had to surrender two white tiger cubs kept as pets, following an inspection from the Sandton SPCA.
The animal welfare organisation said in a statement that its inspectors had been alerted to property in Houghton where two white tiger cubs were being kept in an enclosed area on the premises.
"These young predators appeared to be in fairly good physical condition, but the enclosure did not have filled water bowls and the environment lacked enrichment. A warning was issued and the owners were educated around the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962. Our inspectors requested that the cubs be surrendered to an approved sanctuary where they can live in an environment as close as possible to their natural habitat with minimal human intervention," the statement read.
The owners were subsequently advised that tiger cubs were not domesticated animals and should not be kept as companion animals, nor in captivity.
At a follow-up visit to the property, it was found that the owner had complied with the written warning with regards to water provision and enrichment.
The owner had built a water container into the ground so that the tiger cubs could not tip it over and a variety of enrichment equipment was installed.
"It must be noted that the Sandton SPCA is opposed to wild animals being kept in captivity and are working with the environmental health department to ensure that these animals are released to a suitable environment where all their needs can be catered for.
"We will continue to work on this case until the cubs' release to an approved sanctuary," the SPCA added.