By my count on the state chart, only 7 of the 50 states allow unrestricted exotic animal ownership. That means 43 out of 50 either ban ownership or require a permit. So yes I would consider 43 out of 50 to be a vast majority. Also that chart lumps all exotic animals together, so even if you are counting the ones where you can get a permit to own an exotic, that does not necessarily mean they will issue a permit for a dangerous animal like a lion or tiger. (I imagine some states do and some do not).
A documentary seems to pop up here every few years on owning exotics in the states and they say these permits are not worth the paper as anyone can get one in a third of the states.
My original comment was made because I find it strange that in a country you can buy a tiger like you can a domestic cat. Yet you find it strange in a safari park you can drive through with these animals. Just like guns surely only responsible people should own them and the appropriate checks are in place for all.
It all comes back to the federal system of government, where states govern and decide their own laws, as long as they don't contradict the national laws. There are many advantages and disadvantages of this system, but in the end, it allows citizens the freedom to choose how they want to live...thus tigers as pets.
I have not seen the documentary Taun refers to, but I would be willing to bet that "fact" was put forth by an animal rights group and the directors did not investigate it. I would be skeptical of such claims.
Also, going back to the original article that started this debate, they say there are ads for various animals (including big cats) on the internet that anyone can buy. Yes, there are ads, but many of these ads are scams. Exotic animals are no different than any other high ticket items for sale online; people (often in other countries) will offer items for sale in order to take your money and you never see the item. I even heard one rights group claiming you can buy a cheetah on the internet in the United States, which is beyond absurd. Anyone who knows about the difficulty of breeding cheetahs and how the AZA has a virtual monopoly on them will know that this is clearly a scam. I even saw an article from the Feline Conservation Federation (pro private ownership) where one of the members followed up on such an ad (without sending money) just to prove it was a scam.
