August, 2003
Got a tiger by the tail?
By Ron Devitt, Burnaby NOW reporter
An Abbotsford man who brought two exotic cats to a Burnaby shopping mall last week, may have misled the public regarding how he got a Siberian tiger and his motives for bringing it before the public.
In his public appearances, Kim Carlton tells the story of how he saved two-year-old Kisa, a Siberian tiger, from certain death at an Alberta game farm. Carlton pulls at the heartstrings of his audiences even further by saying the tiger would have been fed back to other animals after it had been put down.
Carlton wears a headset and tells of the sad plight of the near extinct Siberian tigers and other species, all the while calling for people interested in getting their picture taken with the tiger at $30 or $40 a pop. He says his goal is to save the tigers and build a sanctuary for the exotic cats.
But when asked which farm he got Kisa from, he's says been sworn to secrecy and can't reveal the name.
The NOW has learned Carlton got Kisa from the Guzoo Game Farm in Alberta. Operator Lynn Gustafson said Carlton got the young tiger from his farm about 11 months ago and he never had any intention of putting Kisa down.
"That's not a fact at all. It would never have been put down," said Gustafson. "She was born and raised here and we were going to keep her just because she had a good temperament."
And, he said, he never gave the cat to Carlton, as Carlton contends in his speeches to the public and the media: he traded Kisa for an African serval cat. "It was a win-win situation for me. Kisa had a home and I got another cat," said Gustafson.
As for Carlton's public assertion that he saved the cat from being euthanized and being fed to other animals at the farm, that is simply not true, said Gustafson.
"A carnivore won't eat another carnivore as a rule," he said. "I've never tried, but I'm quite sure they wouldn't touch it. Why would they, when they've got beef and chickens around? We have lots of food around without doing that."
Gustafson said he saw Carlton and Kisa three weeks ago when the Abbotsford man visited the Alberta game farm with the purpose of getting a raccoon. Gustafson said Kisa appeared to be in good health.
"He's looking after her well enough and he's not abusing her, but it's a keg of dynamite," said Gustafson. Gustafson said he made an excuse not to give Carlton the raccoon because he had become wary of Carlton's motives.
At the time Carlton acquired Kisa, Gustafson felt he had covered his bases, phoning the B.C. Ministry of the Environment to ensure that tigers could be privately owned by individuals and consulting with another Abbotsford man who Carlton said would be his training mentor.
"I did my homework. I figured there were no problems with the legalities," he said. Gustafson said he was told by Carlton he was a magician and would be using the cat in his magic show, which he does, but Gustafson wasn't aware of using her for photo opportunities with the public.
"He can't keep doing that with the pictures. I don't think it's a good situation," he said. Gustafson said tigers bring a great deal of public sympathy because they are an endangered animal, perfect for someone wanting to capitalize on their plight. "They're a beautiful animal and they get a lot of sympathy," said Gustafson.
Morris Airey, director of enforcement for the Alberta SPCA, also doubts a game farm would put down a healthy young tiger and feed it back to other animals.
"Obviously they found a market with this individual (Carlton). It'd be very doubtful they would put them down for that purpose, but I have no way to verify that," said Airey.
A Vancouver woman, who identified herself only as Donna, said she was escorted out of Brentwood Centre Mall by three security guards when she questioned what Carlton was doing with Kisa and Kia, the lynx.
"I was shocked to think that there was such a display in a mall. The lynx was pacing back and forth. I can recognize an animal in distress and that lynx was in distress," said Donna. "I simply could not believe what I was seeing."
She was curious to know why a man who said his purpose for having the tiger on display to bring awareness of its plight to the public would not have any literature on hand about tigers. The only literature at his display was a promotional brochure for Carlton's exotic cat rentals for birthday parties, weddings, entertainment, fundraisers, martial arts events and photo sessions.
"I would think if he were really interested in saving the tigers, he would have more information on saving the tigers and what people can do to help," said Donna. "They're exploiting these animals is what they're doing. They just don't belong in an environment like that."
And she wasn't buying his story that he saved the animals from a sure death at an Alberta game farm. "The answers he gave me didn't make sense to me. There was just so many things wrong. When I asked questions, he got very abrasive and defensive," said Donna.
She describes herself as a concerned citizen and not an animal rights activist. "I feel when anyone sees something that isn't right, we have to speak up, especially when it comes to animals, we have to be their voice because they can't speak up," said Donna.
She was told by security she would have to leave the mall because she was "disrupting the man's display." "I was so upset that this magnificent beast was being dragged around to shopping malls, it broke my heart," she said.
The mall administration has been advised by the City of Burnaby that, by having the exotic animals at the mall, they were in contravention of a city bylaw that states wild animals are not allowed in the city for exhibition or performance.
Craig Collis, chief licence inspector for Burnaby, said the advisory notice was given to the mall to remind them of the bylaw and no charges were brought. However, the penalty for breach of the bylaw carries a maximum $500 fine if convicted through provincial court.
The bylaw was put in place after a Burnaby night club brought in a female exotic dancer who performed with a tiger.
Charlene Hess, mall spokesperson, said the mall will not have Carlton back, adding "he was not a complete professional." "There's too many issues surrounding it that the shopping centre doesn't want to deal with," said Hess.
However, she said, overall the exposure of the pet show was positive. "We had a chance to put a smile on an additional 20,000 people," said Hess.
Hess said an SPCA representative was present at the mall throughout the pet show. She said most of the phone calls to the mall were positive in nature and she can recall only two protesters on site.
Hess said the mall will donate $500 to the SPCA and Carlton has said he will contribute $500 to the Canadian Cancer Society. The Vancouver Humane Society, however, received over a dozen calls from people upset with the display, the tiger and lynx in particular.
Debra Probert, executive director of the society, said callers were concerned about the safety of the people in the mall and the ethics of having pictures taken with the tiger.
Probert said Carlton is known to the society and they were alarmed to find out Carlton keeps Kisa in a cage under his sundeck in the backyard of his Abbotsford home.
http://www.burnabynow.com/issues02/082102/news/082102nn3.html