The following is open letter to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, concerning the lawsuit by petitioner Irena Hauser denouncing the decision to deny the housing of tigers in the Santa Monica Mountains.
The stated mission, copied off of Ventura County’s website, is, “To provide superior public service and support so that all residents have the opportunity to improve their quality of life while enjoying the benefits of a safe, healthy, and vibrant community.”
Quoted from the filed lawsuit, “Petitioner could not eliminate the possibility of human error. Petitioner is unaware of any legal support for such a standard or any other instance where this impossible standard has been imposed, anywhere,” needs some explanation.
I am a retired airline pilot. Not only was our proficiency checked twice a year, an FAA inspector could show up, unannounced, and sit in the seat behind me, making sure I followed all published and stated procedures.
Even when driving my car, there is an oversight agency that monitors how I operate my vehicle. When accidents do happen, there is an agency that holds the offending individual accountable.
Who is monitoring Hauser? Who is her oversight committee? Who is showing up unannounced to monitor her? No one.
The petitioner, Irena Hauser, stated her mission is “saving the white tigers.” There are no white tigers in the wild; it is not a breed or an albino. Since they were first brought into captivity, humans have interbred white tigers in a business that is morally questionable and purely profit-based. Yes, the ones that are paraded about are beautiful, but what about all the discarded, inbred aberrations? At what cost will we stoop to produce one white tiger, whose sole purpose is to make money for its owner? Hauser’s plans include to move “up to five tigers” 60 times a year for commercial purposes.
Introducing an apex predator in our neighborhood, regardless of how safe it might be, is certainly not in keeping with our expectations of a “safe, healthy and vibrant community.”
Larry Koch