- There must be less care-intensive emotional support animals out there.
An emotional support animal be a valuable companion to people living with disabilities, mental health issues, or other problems. A helpful pooch or cuddly kitty may be just what they need to get through the day.
That said, there are people who push the emotional support animal program too far. They might try to claim outlandish animals as their companions, or hoard animals under the guise of “emotional support.”
In this case, though, it’s a bit of column A and a bit of column B.
Nevada authorities recently arrested Karl Mitchell as he refused to relinquish what he claimed are his emotional support animals. That might sound cruel when you first hear it, but his critters were decidedly unusual.
After all, Mitchell owned seven tigers.
He had claimed the animals, six of which he states came from the infamous “Tiger King” Joe Exotic, as emotional support animals. That’s despite the fact that tigers are not recognized as acceptable creatures for the purpose.
Not only that, but Mitchell reportedly lacked the proper permits to keep the big cats. According to animal protection authorities, some of the tigers were also underfed and kept in unsuitable conditions.
No charges have yet been filed against Mitchell, and he intends to get his tigers back. Meanwhile, they’re being kept at an undisclosed location while the possible court cases play out.
Free-roaming Big Cats
Mitchell, 71, loves on a property located in Pahrump, Nevada. He has been clashing with the local authorities over the tigers for quite some time.
It’s unclear when and how Mitchell acquired the animals. According to NBC News, six of his seven tigers are rescues from “Tiger King” Joe Exotic of Netflix fame, who is currently serving a 21-year prison sentence.
For their part, Nevada authorities have been aware of the animals for several years. According to them, he hasn’t always kept them as secure as the state would like.
“We have received information over the years that he has been seen walking the tigers loose around the property, off the property in the desert,” Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill told KSNV of Las Vegas.
“There have been social media posts from him with people interacting with the cats,” he added.
Can You Own a Tiger?
Now, you’re probably wondering if it’s even remotely possible that Mitchell owned the tigers legally. Surprisingly, the answer is yes.
Nevada doesn’t prohibit private citizens from owning tigers. However, they do need a special conditions animal permit to do so.
Mitchell does not have that permit. That said, he claims he doesn’t need one — the tigers are his emotional support animals.
Alright, well, are tigers legal emotional support animals? No, no they are not.
At least not according to the Americans with Disabilities Act, which lays down the federal rules for emotional support programs. The act lists acceptable animals, and tigers (shockingly) do not appear anywhere in the text.
Mitchell, however, claims that he does have all the paperwork he requires for the tigers. And sure enough, he likely does qualify for an emotional support animal.
“I’m a 100% disabled veteran with PTSD. The [Department of Veterans’ Affairs] and my doctors have approved the tigers to work as support animals,” he said.
Resisting Arrest
Even if Mitchell did have some papers for the tigers, he’s still lacking the official special conditions permit. That has been a point of contention between him and state authorities since at least 2020.
Nevada has been trying to seize the tigers for years due to the lack of authorization. On April 2, officials finally raided his property.
According to the sheriff’s office, they discovered that some of the tigers “visibly appeared to be underweight.” Additionally, the authorities claim they found algae growing in the tigers’ water dishes — which obviously isn’t very healthy.
Mitchell has countered these claims.
“They have five-gallon containers for water and they’re watered every day. They show up at 6 a.m. I also had a truck full of food to feed them this morning. Didn’t get to do that either,” he said in a prison interview.
Police reports state that Mitchell initially accompanied the sheriff’s deputies as they walked around his property. When it came time to take the tigers away, however, he refused, and was taken in for resisting arrest.
That, and the cops also reportedly found a handgun in Mitchell’s possession. As a convicted felon, he’s prohibited from owning guns.
In the end, Mitchell was released on a $6,000 bail the same day. The tigers, however, have reportedly been taken to an undisclosed out-of-state sanctuary to wait while any potential prosecution plays out.
Mitchell is due to appear in court on April 15. It remains to be seen whether he’ll get his tigers back.