Cubs Caged, Suspect Free : Tiny Tigers Going Stir-Crazy at Shelter While ‘Owner’ Bails Out

Two tiger cubs had trouble Wednesday adjusting to life behind bars at a local animal shelter, where police took them after arresting a man allegedly trying to sell them from the back seat of his BMW.

As animal control officers search for a licensed facility that can take the frisky felines, the staff at the Dover Shores Pet Care Center is struggling to keep them happy. They were hand-fed chicken breast and special milk Wednesday, and veterinarian Bruce Bauersfeld plans to wean them onto canned food that is made for exotic cats.

“They seem to be crawling over each other and trying to find their way out,” reported technician Shannon Kinaman, adding that the cubs spent most of Wednesday morning crying. “They don’t know where they’re at. They’re pretty upset about being here.”

The six-week-old female cubs, which weigh 12.6 and 8.2 pounds, were seized Tuesday night after police found them in the back of Eric Jarvies’ car at Fashion Island. Jarvies faces misdemeanor charges of possessing wild animals without a permit and is scheduled for arraignment in two weeks.

Jarvies was cited in May for possession of seven de-clawed African lion cubs and also faces charges of owning a monkey that bit a woman in February. He was released from jail Tuesday night after posting a $1,150 bond.

California law prohibits possession of lions or tigers without a permit from the state Department of Fish and Game. There are also federal statutes banning interstate transportation and sale of the animals, and local ordinances that further restrict such activities.

Violation of the state law is a misdemeanor carrying a $1,000 fine and a one-year jail sentence.

To obtain a permit, individuals must show they have a cage that meets requirements, proper training and a valid reason for raising them, said Michael Grima of the Department of Fish and Game.

State records show there are 19 people with permits to hold 68 tigers of the type Jarvies was selling; 21 Californians have permits for 69 African lions. Grima said most permits for these types of animals go to zoos, circuses and other exhibitors, researchers or movie producers. “It’s not a casual thing,” Grima said. “It takes a lot of time and effort and dollars.”

Jarvies, who used to live in Balboa and owned the San Clemente health food store where the lions were seized in May, now lists his address as Pahrump, Nev. He told police that he is self-employed as an animal raiser in Santa Ana.

In May, Jarvies said he did not know that it was illegal to sell the lions; he could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Newport Beach animal control officers are investigating the tiger incident, while state agents are handling the earlier case. Local and state officials both said they are unsure where Jarvies got the tigers or whether he is hooked into a larger breeding operation.

Officials say California is a popular place for pricey pets. Ferrets are often smuggled into the state, and alligators “were in vogue for a while,” Grima said. Jarvies was reportedly asking $10,000 for each of the tiger cubs. In May, he advertised the baby lions for $5,000 each in a local newspaper.

“There’s always somebody willing to plunk down some bucks for this kind of critter,” said Capt. Michael McBride, who oversees the Fish and Game Patrol for Orange, Riverside and part of San Bernardino counties. “Some folks have a different idea of the kind of pets they want to have around.”

While finding someone selling tigers at a shopping mall is rare, experts believe that there are hundreds of exotic animals bred and sold illegally all over the country, a trend that threatens the animals’ health and the public’s welfare.

“I’m disgusted by it,” said Ron Tilson, director of conservation at the Minnesota Zoo. “These animals end up living rather miserable lives.”

As many as 3,000 tigers may be kept illegally in the United States, Tilson estimated, and most unlicensed owners lack the facilities or specialized training needed for long-term care of big cats.

Wildlife officers said there is a market for tigers while they are young, but most unlicensed owners abandon or kill the animals long before they fulfill their normal 20-year life span.

“Everybody seems to like these things when they’re small and they’re cute and they’re cuddly,” said Larry Farrington, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agent based in Torrance. “But then they grow up and no one wants them anymore.”

The tiger cubs Jarvies was trying to sell as pets will grow to weigh about 350 pounds; males tip the scales at 500 pounds.