The Elephant in the Living Room

I can barely express how disgusted I am by what I saw in this documentary. Wild animals deserve to be free. Wild animals should not be bred for captivity, picture taking, or for people who have small appendages to "own". The person who has two lions in a horse trailer deserves to be severely fined and put in jail! The lions are laying in excrement, have no water, and have no food. This is just as bad as having a wild animal in a cement environment. The Lions obviously have no veterinary Care! Otherwise, how would four Cubs magically appear? Wild animals, especially large cats and primates, have no place in private ownership. Republican lawmakers, especially in texas, need to wake up and stop the abuse! Democrats already know that this is a really ignorant practice. I am a wildlife biologist by training and I'm just abhorred by this practice. Stop abusing wildlife!

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.

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.

This is the most amazing movie we have seen on the big screen in years! We were privileged enough to see the premier of this film in Dayton, Ohio tonight. We laughed, we cried, we were on an emotional roller coaster throughout the movie. Cant wait until its available to buy! You wont be disappointed! Eye opening on the issues we have in our country. It was enlightening, heartwarming, educational, and funny. My kids enjoyed it just as much as we did. This is the first time a documentary film has impacted me in such a way that I felt the need to get involved and help with the cause. It was amazing to see many of the problems in our own back yards that we never knew existed.

This film contains absolutely fascinating information.Its a story that hasn't been told and everyone in the U.S. should know about it.I watched the film twice and each time I was mesmerized. Tim is a character who is charismatic, devoted to his mission and sincere. He's a modern American hero and should probably have his own TV show on this subject. Terry is a little tough to watch.I wondered at his naive stance. If the content of this film is true (and I think it is)it should be required viewing at zoos, schools,and pet stores. We have an alarming epidemic in America and nobody is talking about it. Maybe THE ELEPHANT IN THE LIVING ROOM will help uninformed Americans wake up.