Emotional Support Tigers? Give Me a Break!

Hi, I'm Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and meet my five hilarious cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.

There is very little doubt that our pets can provide an unrivalled level of emotional support, and studies have shown time and time again that people who share their lives with animals are happier, healthier, and less stressed than those who don’t. Although pets can sometimes be a source of anxiety and financial stress, for many people, they are also the reason for getting up in the morning. Dogs encourage us to get out of the house, forcing exercise and fresh air into our daily routine, and often facilitating much-needed human contact. The steady weight and rumbling purr of a cat on a lap is known to trigger endorphin release and lower blood pressure. There is simply no love more unconditional than that of a pet, and their ability to regulate the human nervous system has been well documented.

Service animals like guide dogs have long been established as essential to many people’s quality of life, with seizure watch and cancer detection dogs becoming increasingly recognized for their incredible ability to provide us with an early warning system. In more recent years, the level of emotional support provided by cats and dogs has not just been acknowledged; it has been used to help humans who would otherwise have been debilitated by mental illness to venture into a wider world. The calming presence of these emotional support animals has allowed people to enter supermarkets, travel on trains, or attend job interviews, tasks that were previously impossible due to overwhelming anxiety and nervous dysregulation. However, it is a system that can be, and certainly has been, exploited.

It’s Hard to Prove a Negative

As many of us who suffer from disorders like depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue, and the myriad conditions that are categorized (often inaccurately) as mental illness will tell you, it is basically impossible to prove that an ‘invisible illness’ is real. On the flipside, it is also impossible to prove when one is not. For the thousands, if not millions, of people who are grateful for the world that has been opened up to them through the presence of an emotional support animal, there are clearly many who are exploiting the system.

The good news for people who genuinely need to register an emotional support animal (ESA) to get through their daily lives is that it is as simple as getting a licensed mental health professional to write a letter. The bad news is that in order for anyone to get their pet certified as an ESA, all they need is to find a licensed mental health professional who will write a letter. Much as I would like to believe that no one in this field would be so unscrupulous as to knowingly write such a letter under false pretenses, I am not that naive. Would someone really pretend to need an ESA in order to save on pet transport fees and have their beloved pet travel in the cabin of a plane? You betcha.

Don’t get me wrong; I would be much happier having my pets up with me instead of down below in the cargo hold, but just as I am reluctant to ever recline my seat all the way back, I would also not want to make everyone else’s flight uncomfortable. Imagine spending 8 hours on a flight with a cat that has pooped in their carrier. Or coming face-to-face with a 200-lb Great Dane making its way down the narrow aisle of economy class. What about people with allergies or phobias? And the trouble is that every time someone makes a mockery of this loophole, they make it harder for the people who really need it.

And Then There’s the Ridiculous

Recently, I saw a post about someone having difficulty getting the airline to accept their ESA. It was a peacock. A PEACOCK. Meanwhile, people are being left behind at airports because their carry-on bag is sticking out of the measuring guide by half an inch.

Just when I thought it couldn’t get much more ridiculous (did I mention that it was a peacock?), I stumbled across the following news headline:

Exotic animal owner claims seven tigers seized from his property were for ‘emotional support’

Maybe you could convince me that you have a single emotional support tiger. Maybe. But seven? Who does this guy think he’s fooling?

First, let me say that tigers are wild animals. They should not be kept as pets. Ever. You might think you have tamed them, you might think they are happy in their enclosure, but I am telling you now that you haven’t, and they aren’t – just ask Siegfried & Roy. While keeping tigers in captivity may prove instrumental in preventing their extinction, conservation parks and breeding programs should be seen as a ‘necessary evil.’ Sadly, the world needs zoological parks and the animals kept there to act as ‘ambassadors’ for their species and habitat. In the words of Jacques Cousteau,

People protect what they love, they love what they understand and they understand what they are taught.

and good zoos play an important role in that understanding.

Keeping wild animal species as pets is ignorant and selfish. There, I said it. And claiming that your seven pet tigers are your emotional support animals is downright idiotic. When my cat gets annoyed, I get scratched. You get eaten. Let’s see how emotionally supported you feel then.

Featured Image Credit: AB Photographie, Shutterstock