A Tiger's Tale. For those not willing the read the article (it's longish - and some people have the attention span of a gnat on speed), the gist is this:

  • In Texas, there are almost no regulations on the ownership, breeding and trade of exotic animals - tigers are very popular.
  • People often buy (extremely cute) tiger cubs, without thinking through the consequences of owning a grown tiger.
  • The result is a large number of adult tigers in Texas, many of which are poorly cared for.
  • There is a huge trade in tigers - which can generate some significant income for a breeder.
  • There are a number of licensed breeders, but it's unknown how many tigers there are, or how many people own a breeding pair.
  • The article provides no data on it, but I suspect there are tiger attacks in Texas.

One can draw a large number of lessons from this. The behaviour of unregulated markets (including the inability of people to comprehend the future). It could provide some interesting inform debates on restricting dangerous breads of dogs. All sorts of debate on animal rights can be informed. It provides some interesting insight to the anti-government/regulation/authority attitudes in the US.

Take from it what you will.