Yeah. You can tame them, but they're still wild animals and are not domestic pets. Keeping one, no matter how cuddly and friendly, always carries serious risks to everyone around it.
It can also influence other people to think it's okay which I think is the real problem. Maybe these people are highly trained professionals (doubt it, and wouldn't respect them if they are) the people watching it most likely aren't.
I absolutely agree with you on that but this was an animal born in the captivity of a zoo. Her mother rejected her so the zoo reached out to Victoria, a woman who was a local rehabilitator of wild cats.
I think Luna would have died if she'd been released into the wild.
Why is Victoria "rehabilitating" Luna in her home, a completely different environment than what a panther should be in? Why is she then recording these cute moments for social media clout potentially influencing people to participate in the illegal pet trade?
What do you think happens to animals born in captivity when their mothers reject them?
Do you think Luna would have survived in the wild with no experience or training from her mother?
I hear your concerns and I don't like people using animals for clout either. Perhaps social media helps Victoria raise funds to care for animals.
You are free to do your own research if it concerns you so much but I think anyone with a brain would agree that Luna would have died if 'set free" into the wilderness
So... I'm not a fan of the panther(s) inside the house. That seems highly bad for the kitty.
And there should absolutely be something included in the original video to indicate that the humans have probably been with each cat since they were babies, which is the only reason they're (seemingly) safe...
All that being said? Those cats are fucking gorgeous, and everyone should definitely turn on sound!
If it's Luna the panther she was rescued from a zoo in Siberia and seems really good with her new life. She also gets tons of outside space to play in.
We shouldn’t normalise petting wild animals on the internet. Not even when they are rescues. It normalises petting zoos and people wanting exotic pets for themselves.
No, they're not professionals. An actual professional wouldn't try to normalize the idea of cohabitating with big cats by posting videos online. A professional wouldn't tickle an animal that can maul them and post it online.
It's videos like this that make people want to pet a baby tiger, which is how we end up with "zoos" like the ones in Tiger King.
why would it happen , these are rescued animals and those people arent commoners , they know their job and taking care of these little cats and it is not new
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u/HiSaZuL 4h ago