The Elephant in the Living Room

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.

What an eye-opener. I simply had no earthly idea what is going on with "exotic animals" in the United States. I mean WTF. Who in their right mind would keep wild animals as household pets? This needs to be outlawed in all 50 states. I applaud the effort made in the state of Ohio and all 49 other states need to follow suit - immediately. On top of my disbelief at the statistics of the number of lethal creatures there are in US households, I could hardly believe what the Amish are doing. They have one of the main sources for the purchase of these creatures that need to be living life in their own natural habitat. Not in homes where they can literally kill or maim a young child at any given moment because this has happened - repeatedly. Not a one time occurrence. There should be a law that if someone has this type of creature and the creature causes harm or death to a human, that person should be held liable and serve prison time. Period. I thank the producer for this documentary and opening my eyes as I plan to contact my local representatives to find out what the laws are where I live and if this practice is allowed, to petition to prohibit it. Permanently. Geesh. I wonder just how more mad humans can get. I mean mad in a mentally ill state. Good heavens people, this is what domesticated animals are for.

This is a must-see for anyone concerned about animal welfare or the welfare of their community (which includes almost everyone!). We see exotic animal incidents from all over the country and closely follow a heart-breaking story of a man and his lions. Most people (including me until I saw this film) have no idea how easy it is to purchase exotic animals and simply keep them in your home as if they were no different from a dog or a cat. How is it possible that you need a license to keep a dog, but not an elephant? This film shows why it shouldn't be possible, and blows the lid off an industry that turns a blind eye to human and animal suffering.

I for one will back Tim Harrison 150% on his claims in this film. Having been the person answering the phone for more than five years at a non-profit exotic animal sanctuary whose mission is to provide permanent 'end of life' care to captive-raised, non-domestic animals like those depicted in the film, I know what he says to be true! We, too, field more than 100 requests each year to 'adopt', or graciously accept private owners' "donations" (such a grand term for dumping their burdens on us) of their grown-up big cats, monkeys, iguanas, pythons, giant tortoises, bears, and other non-domestic 'pets'. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE for having living beings caged in this way? There is no valid reason other than to satisfy human ego, curiosity, and for profit. Period. If the general public doesn't know that's the case, then this film is a great starting point to become informed! It is not a horror-fest, so don't be afraid!! It is not purely a "message movie", either. This film is a piece of excellence in filmmaking, an extraordinary story-telling feat, and one every single American should see.

A little surprised this is rated PG considering that it shows the lion being tortured and killed albeit accidentally. And a python being shot intentionally. Just the fact that this is about wild animals who are dangerous I think it should be at least a PG-13 rating. It does focus on the fact that there are a lot of irresponsible owners that cause problems, especially when they release animals they can no longer care for in and around towns and cities where humans live. There was no focus on an elephant in this film that I could see, although I do admit I nodded off for a few minutes here and there. Not because it was so boring but because I was very tired. I'm a documentary fan and I'm an animal fan so I did find this film interesting; however it does focus on Terry and his lions. In the end we are happy that the remaining of the pride will be in a Sanctuary that is huge upgrade from where they were although still nothing like where they would be in the wild. The film briefly shows various stories about other animals which is the chimpanzee and the elephant, but it's so brief and we want more info but the film just meanders along through long drawn out footage of Terry and his languishing lions. There is no happiness in this film. I think it intends to show us that there needs to be some regulation IE being required to show that you have expertise and a place to keep such an animal. There's one review that expounds on the fact that many experts do keep exotic animals safely and with high regard for the animal and in many cases are helping to keep them from being extinct. But in this film we find that for instance huge pythons are released to the point where they have now created a biome where they don't really belong. There is a need to regulate how where and who can keep animals that will kill you if given the chance. For instance I certainly think it should be illegal for a family with small children to keep a snake that could eat them. I know the statistics show us that most snake owners who own dangerous snakes do fall victim to their animal. We've all heard horrific stories about people who have kept exotic animals only to be killed by them. I'm not that familiar with the positive stories and in fact we probably don't hear much about those. I would have liked this film to focus at least a tiny bit more on the brief inserts such as the starving elephant that was removed from someone's home. I found it extremely upsetting the lion was electrocuted although accidental. We call it an accident but it was incompetence and unnecessary. What the film really does show though is how beautiful those lions are.