Elephants, Big Cats, Exotics / Films / Movies / Films & Videos / WILDLIFE

The Elephant in the Living Room

by Jennie Richards · Published April 15, 2020 · Updated July 26, 2021

The Elephant in the Living Room

The Elephant in the Living Room is an award-winning documentary film about the highly controversial American subculture of raising and keeping exotic animals and wild predators as common household pets. The film follows Terry Brumfield, a troubled man who suffers from physical injuries due to an old truck accident who resolves to purchase two exotic wild cats to relieve his depression and lift his spirits. But soon the joy of owning two exotic wild cats turns to an ever-growing responsibility and an emotional roller coaster. Terry is helped by Tim Harrison, Public Safety Officer for the City of Oakwood in Ohio, whose job it is to keep the public safe from these wild animals, but who also advocates for the animals and their welfare and has a heart full of compassion for their plight. The film shows how challenging this can be with volatile exotic pet owners who on the one hand can feel threatened by his mission, but who also come to realize Harrison is ultimately trying to create the best possible scenario and ending for both the exotic animal and their owner. Sadly, it is rarely a happy ending.

The film exposes the challenges for both owners of exotic animals, and the animals themselves, who are kept in unnatural conditions, suffer locked in cages living on concrete, are miserable in stifling and dangerous environments, and pose a constant risk to society and the public at large.

In some cases, vigilante exotic animal owners have turned their cause into a civil rights issue. And traders, breeders, and profiteers amplify that narrative in order to advance their own special interests. Unfortunately, the animals are caught in the middle and suffer the terrible consequences.

Film Length: 1 Hour, 36 Minutes

Film Premier: 2011

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Facts and Statistics

It is estimated that as many as 15,000 exotic big cats are living with private owners in the U.S.

Thirty states allow private ownership of predatory, exotic pets. Nine of those states require no license or permit whatsoever.

There are more tigers in captivity in Texas than there are in the wild in India.

It is estimated that there are 7.3 million reptiles kept as pets in the U.S.

The Puff Adder is considered Africa’s deadliest snake.

It is estimated that there are 15,000 primates kept as pets in the U.S.

Quotes from the Film

“When reality TV started in the 90s, I started getting so many calls about problems with exotic pets that had escaped.”

“Why in God’s name would anyone want something like that in their house?”

“You can go to any town U.S.A. and those animals are here.”

“Maybe it was one of the dumbest things I have ever done.”

“They are calling all these rescue organizations around the country to find homes for them.”

“It breaks my heart to see these animals, they should be in the Smokey Mountains enjoying their natural environment, it’s just not right.”

“I’m a medical doctor in emergency medicine in Dayton, Ohio. I see more fatal injuries in this country from snakes and wild animals, than I do working in Africa. And I have been working in Africa for 25 years. In Africa, they never keep wild animals in their house or yard, they keep a safe distance from them, because they are afraid of them. We should be afraid of them too, but we’re not.”

“I get angry when I see these animal specialists on TV or on their property that show animals on a leash, and show how tame they are. We have a completely different mindset about these animals, because of the context that we see them in. Versus in Africa, they see them as an animal that will eat your face.”

“It doesn’t make any sense to me that you should be allowed to have anything in your house that poses a danger to all of your neighbors. What’s the sense in that?”

“Let’s say that somehow your lion gets loose, and now is prowling in your neighborhood – it can happen.”

“I’m on U.S. 23 and there’s a lion in the road. Lambert’s pet broke out the fence. After the escape, both Lambert and Lacy had to be confined to a small trailer.”

“You have to have a law for dog tags for your dog, but there’s no law for lisencing a lion? I don’t understand?”

“I thought quite a few times am I doing the right thing?”

“He looks at these animals as pets, I understand how connected you can get to these animals. But you have to understand what they are.”

“The story doesn’t end in the emergency department, you still have the snake in the house.”

“My friend who was bitten by a snake, was a very brave man, but now he is a very dead man—because he chose to have one of these snakes in his house.”

“The Python snake escaped from his cage, and attacked and almost killed a three-year-old boy.”

“We have to make sure we are flawless and we don’t cause these incidents – because it’s coming back to haunt us now.”

“Burmese pythons are now becoming a hazard in Florida. National Park Rangers just found 12 pythons in the Florida Everglades in one day.”

“It’s not necessarily a python problem, it’s a people problem. The pythons are breeding machines, they are here to stay. I don’t see how we will ever put a dent in the problem, I’m still catching them. All the people we used to rely on to house these animals, are completely over-taxed themselves. They don’t have the room for it. So we have to put these animals down. It’s not a happy ending for the snake, we must euthanize it.”

“Mt. Hope, Ohio is where they sell exotic animals to the public. It’s a bazaar event and they don’t want anyone to see what’s happening. You can’t photograph at all or bring a camera inside.”

“The only thing that would have been more bazaar than what we witnessed today—is if they sold a human at this event.”

I can’t sleep at night because you never know what’s going to happen to them. It’s a different story when it’s raised in a residence, it’s a totally different story. It’s really sad. The cougar has done nothing wrong. It’s not the cat’s fault. He was probably raised by someone in a house, and dumped here outside – he will be either put to sleep, he will go into a cage, or be taken to a rescue, or re-sold, who knows? What’s the best thing for this animal? Am I a hero or a villain for catching it?

“I don’t have any happy endings with big cats. Better to just walk out of this woods and never bother him again.”

“Would I do this again if I could do it all over again? No, I really wouldn’t. Seems like you’re always trying to get things done. Seems like everything is against you. You take one step forward, then two steps back. It’s like you’re trying to crawl out of this hole that you have got yourself in. I’m not going to let these animals suffer because of us.”

“For 15 minutes, an electric surge engulfed the wet ground and metal cage. All caused by a fault circuit in the nearby freezer.”