Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Catch a tiger by its tail


Every so often I have the luxury of time to catch up on indie content and last night I watched the feature length doco The Tiger Next Door.
Directed and produced by Camilla Calamandrei, it looks at first to be a vehicle to examine the rights of an individual animal breeder to engage in being a big cat enthusiast. That sounds furry and fun.
After  establishing Dennis the Tiger Guy as an animal loving, slightly kooky, heart in the right place dude with more than 20 tigers in his back yard (that's weird but aren't we all just a couple of beasties away from Tiger hoarder)  we go on a roller coaster ride of meth head, anti government, "they done took my guns" etc. set to a back drop of "Tiger Ate Its Trainer" headlines and the vets/rescue workers asking why the fuck anyone in the USA is allowed to breed or keep tigers as pets.
I ask the same thing.
Honestly, we have no reason to keep beings that require thousands of square metres as their stomping ground in a cage of any sort. It's selfish and weird. Wait, you cant tell me what to do! Yeah really?  I think we can. We have standards of behaviour for every damn thing. Tiger keeping is on the list.

This doco explores the murky morals of a business that profits from what is at its very best a shitty life for an animal and at its worst is misery that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. Slow deaths of starvation, abandonment and crippling confinement are par for the course.

In Denis's case, the locals call a town meeting to debate how safe town folk feel about living near tigers vs what a crackhead Denis is, then turn it into an emotive story telling contest. "I've known Denis all my life blah blah"Vs"Denis is a felon with a record" without one person taking the side of the aggrieved party, the tiger- Hey would you like to be incarcerated for your entire natural life for amusement? - "yeah sure, oh no, wait... that's a no from this kitty cat. Lets blow this chicken coop."

Just say no to keeping tigers.

I did yell "fuck you" at the tv once because what the fuck is wrong with people?

Towards the end there is an argument between two grown men that pretty much goes- "I know you are but what am I."  I'm paraphrasing of course.
When Denis responds to his friend's criticism of his long and well documented history of neglect of our stripy friends with "I'm back in business!" I commended the Director for handing Denis enough rope. I'd like to drag Denis behind something with that rope but I practice kindness to all things, even assholes.

Worth a watch if only to confirm that there are loads of weird and shitty things happening in the world and you should definitely be doing good stuff and fighting the good fight.
Little things like shopping and giving money to the charity of your choice at Amazon Smile all at no cost to you, can make a difference to a not for profit charity. There you go. Pick the side of goodness and light and be a fluffy bunny of righteousness.

Seriously, whatever you can do to tread more lightly upon this planet and its beings then do that.
Mwah. xx

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