William Nimmo— founder of Tigers In America, a New York City-based nonprofit that seeks to help mitigate the captive-bred tiger crisis in the U.S.—explains how a guy in the midst of career in banking and brokerage got started rescuing tigers in 2011. 
He recalls how, having stepped into that world, by way of intervening at a tiger facility in San Antonio, TX, he and his wife 
quickly became steeped in the scope of the problem: Although one routinely hears there are 5000 tigers in captivity (more than exist in the wild in the rest of the world), Nimmo places that figure closer to 7000. Nimmo also traces the history of this situation—and the now-rampant tiger breeding—back to 1963, and lays out a timeline that acknowledges the supreme influence of Siegfried & Roy’s Las Vegas performances, seen by an estimated 10 million people over their 40-year run. He also outlines the economics behind the business enterprises 
that have primarily fueled the explosive growth in the captive tiger population, notably the businesses offering opportunities to pet tiger cubs and/or have their pictures taken with them. Nimmo describes the process by which Tigers in America evaluated the tiger sanctuaries in this country, and the criteria employed, to arrive at the 13 facilities they recommend on their website. (www.tigersinamerica.org, www.facebook.com/TigersInAmerica)
ALSO: We spoke briefly with Gracie Grieshop, of Pet Pal Animal Shelter, about the Shelter’s initiative, The Pit Project, intended to educate people about pit bulls—with the ultimate aim of generating more adoptions of the dogs. (www.petpalanimalshelter.com)
COMEDY CORNER: Erin Foley’s “Dogs” (http://erinkfoley.com)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks’ “Tigers,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Jefferson Starship’s “Ride The Tiger”
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