I'm glad you found Qadesh's web site interesting. There is quite a bit of reading there, I know - its kind of 'organic' in the way it just seems to keep growing; every once in a while I get the urge to add something more, and so it grows... :-)

I got Qadesh from a small zoo here in southern Ontario. Everyone tends to think they are hard to get, and so they should be, but the truth of the matter is that they have been bred indiscriminately for decades – estimates are that possibly less than one of eight born in captivity gets to see its first birthday. Ten years ago they generally cost about two thousand dollars, but now they can be acquired for just a few hundred. The rest are put down as 'superfluous' after being used for a few months as attractions or for photo opportunities at state fairs, petting zoos, or shopping malls. Meanwhile many zoos and game farms are just as guilty, wanting those newborns every spring to pull in the paying customers or to keep replacing older adults because they do get pretty sedentary and bored of having a parade of yahoos going by their cage, often seven days a week, doing everything they can to attract their attention by whistling, 'roaring', or even throwing pebbles at them. It’s pathetic; too many Zoos are simply prisons for profit.

I've spent more than thirty years trying to get much more restrictive breeding laws in place with very little success, although I did have some input into and strongly support the exotic game laws in Alberta, Canada where since May of 1989 it has been illegal for anyone, including the zoos and game farms, to increase their exotic populations in any way - they can only replace what their 'stock' was at the time the law was introduced. Private ownership is illegal except for movie training 'farms' and circuses, but their populations are supposed to be only transitory. I've been trying to get such legislation introduced here, both Federally and Provincially, without success thus far.

Meanwhile, over the years, I 'adopted' one soon-to-be-put-down cub at a time to save it's life, and instead give it a life full of love and affection, never caged, never drugged, in my home as a member of my family, sharing my bed every night. I never left her alone for more than a few hours, and if I wanted to go somewhere that I couldn't take her, I just didn't go. And I think that is the way all animals that we have responsibility for should be cared for - I most certainly tought my son that he should treat Qadesh (and every other living thing, including insects and even plants) the way he would want them to treat him. Part of that education perforce included the need for him to be aware of the cycle of life, the 'food chain' that all forms of life comprise a component part. That, in his dad's philosophy at least, the 'tragedy' of a death of any living thing is determined by it's 'necessity' or the lack there-of; and the respect which should be shown for the 'sacrifice' of another life-form. How its very 'being' is assimilated into that of the consumer - 'you are what you eat', and it is therefore in our own self-interest to take responsibility for what we eat - the manner in which it was grown, kept, 'harvested', etc. As Mahatma Gandhi said: "Nations will be judged by the way they treat their animals." I contend that it should also include their environment, and each other.

So, you think you were on a 'soap box'! True, it's my avocation; but enough already! As you may have guessed, I tend to be somewhat passionate about my causes in general, and not very shy about expounding upon them - but that's who I am, and what I tend to be about.

You asked why I would bring Qadesh to a Pub. The answer is that I'd take her almost anywhere I thought we'd have the opportunity to espouse our concerns about the plight of tigers and other highly endangered species, as well as the need for mankind to re-assess his priorities particularly vis-à-vis our management of resources and the environment in general. Nothing can compete with the power and beauty of a full-grown Siberian Tiger to rivet people’s attention, and to prompt them to at least think for a few minutes about the tragedy of their immanent extinction in the wild, and the abysmal way they are treated in captivity. So even those who object to the 'appropriateness' of a tiger being in such a public place might be forced to consider how much more inappropriate it is for them to spend their lives from birth to death confined in a cage, or driven into extinction by unfettered greed. Perhaps they will be motivated to do something about it, whether or not they support, or even approve, of our approach, and that is why we did it.

Thank you for your interest. I hope I didn't scare you off ; please at least take the time to read through the 'Testimonials' in the sub-directories below, and hopefully you will find some enjoyment and information visiting other parts of our web site.

Please feel free to call me at any time or write to me directly at: tigerman@qadesh.com, 416-573-6915.