Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

ShangLuda Admirable film.

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

mingsphinx It feels like your heart is getting ripped right out of you when you see what happens. Almost as if you are right there. Even though the narrative is told mostly through an animal lover's perspective -- which seeks to restrict the ownership of exotic pets -- we also hear from those who think otherwise. He may be the subject of much condemnation on these boards, but Terry's dilemma with his pet lions really does articulate the position many owners of exotic pets find themselves in: they love the animals and would defend them with their lives, but a wild and dangerous animal taken out of its natural habitat poses a threat to all.The sincerity of everyone involved in this film really does shine through. But the central character, Tim Harrison, comes across particularly as someone who genuinely cares about animals. It was Tim's authenticity that colored much of the material and it was the trust he fostered that made it possible to gain the kind of access needed to make this film.Well worth your time to watch this even if you disagree with the premise.

ittibambagua This documentary is a fascinating exercise in selection. It makes no attempt to tell multiple points of view, but is instead solely made to promote one contention - that ownership of unusual animals is necessarily bad.I have kept venomous snakes and am proud of my high standards and protocols in keeping these creatures, and the fact that I have never had a single dangerous incident, ever. I am also proud of the fact that I constantly strive to keep these animals to the highest standards. I am always thinking about how I can improve their welfare and health.Some of the species I keep are in grave danger in the wild. I am proud of the fact that private keepers like me represent what may be a last chance for the survival of these species. I know zoos well and know many zookeepers... and zoos on their own do not have the resources to ensure the survival of the huge number of animal species at risk. Incidentally, none of my animals were taken from the wild - all are the result of many generations of breeding in captivity.This documentary, however, is out to make a political case against the private keeping of unusual animals. It centres around two individuals: the first is Tim Harrison, who is presented as a noble and heroic enforcement officer. I would have preferred a film in which Tim's views and politics were compared with that of his far more knowledgeable and experienced brother, Jim, from the Kentucky Reptile Zoo.The other individual is Terry Brumfield, an invalid man who has a child-like love of his lions and who is completely out of his depth in looking after them. While this is shocking, Terry does not represent the vast majority of animal keepers. Most keepers I know are highly experienced and can discuss animal husbandry, health, behavior, toxicology, genetics, classification and biology (to name just a few things) in great detail. I have never met anyone like Terry Brumfield; clearly he should not have been keeping big cats and there was a need to bring this to an end in his case. Of all the keepers out there, Michael Webber (the director) chose Terry Brumfield as the film's representative keeper. Dishonest and grossly unfair.While there is a danger of people like Terry owning such animals, this film puts a case for the banning of all unusual creatures, for everyone and everywhere.The depiction of a reptile show is particularly laughable. Tim Harrison hams it up for the cameras and engages in some extremely unsafe practices himself with a venomous snake. Webber inserts some ominous music to try and create a sinister feel to the event. Please be aware of the film-maker's tricks and selective choices in the way he presents scenes like this in the film!This documentary was made with the support of a massive lobbyist organisation - The Humane Society US, the leader of which has some very radical ideas which go well beyond snakes and lions, and which include the end of all animal pet ownership. This organisation also has objectives which are in direct opposition to conservation aims - for example, the banning of the private keeping of endangered animals.This film is more like a high school student English essay in which the object is to argue one side of an issue to the hilt. It might have gained a bare pass for a low achieving student in that context, but is entirely unworthy of praise or to be the centre of public discussion on an issue which has many complexities - which are never covered in the film.

Christine This is an excellent documentary about a horrific subject. It's shocking and depressing to know there's so much ignorant white trash out there who think owning deadly predators and exotic animals is in any way okay. And that our local governments allow it, despite the death toll of both humans and animals, and the often terrible living conditions and fates of the animals involved.The lion owner, Terry, who the documentary largely focuses on...I don't think I've ever actually hated a person featured in a documentary before, but that's what I felt towards him. Pure disgust and hatred. This man chose to deal with his depression by acquiring a male lion, named Lambert, and then a lioness later on. He kept these 500-pound animals in a tiny trailer not big enough for my dog for months and months. They eventually had four cubs (one died almost immediately) and were moved to a slightly larger cage.I just don't see how those lions weren't taken away from him the first time one escaped and was attacking cars in traffic. The conditions these creatures were kept in were heartbreaking-- a pathetically small, filthy cage. Terry says so many times throughout the documentary how much he "loves" his lions, even while those lions are lying in mud and their own feces. The situation continues to deteriorate until Lambert dies a slow, excruciating death from an electrical accident. You get to watch the lion jump around his wet cage and roar in agony, with nowhere to escape, before his body finally gives out. So that four-year-old lion spent his entire short life confined in squalor before finally dying a painful death. But his owner "loved" him so much.That's the reality for these animals. As is stated in the documentary, there are no happy endings for these animals. The moronic people who purchase and acquire them often have no idea what they're getting into and are poorly equipped to care for the animals, so most end up being put down, abandoned or dying in some other tragic way.I don't understand this country I live in, where cities ban entire dog breeds yet allow people to own tigers in their home. It makes absolutely no sense. I hope documentaries like this wake people up and inspire real change.

ah355305 This film changed my opinion about ownership of exotic animals in a way that I would have never expected. Before seeing this film I must say that I would have thought owning an exotic cat or reptile as a pet would be interesting, however now I understand that these animals need more than a private owner can give them. I was moved to tears by Terry's story and I have learned so much from watching it. Exotic animals deserve to be able to act like animals, to run on grass, to have wide open spaces to move, to interact with other animals. The unending love that Terry has for his lions shines through in his ability to make the best choices for them in the end despite his want to keep them with him. This is also a beautiful film about human nature and people who truly have a caring and loving spirit for animals and other people. Please go see this film if you have any interest in the needs and rights of these animals, or if you just want to be taken on a journey with thrills, tears, joy, sadness, and human triumph.