Tigers, Cougars, and More in the Back Yard

As Pajon leads Umba back into her cage, he regards the grounds with a squint. "If it was up to me," he says, "I'd get a baby elephant. Boy, if I hit the Lotto...."

The sunset is casting strange light onto the animals in Pajon's back yard. His helpers have all headed home by now. Rigerman wheels out the front gate. Before darkness settles, Pajon will release a trailer full of guard dogs to roam the property.

Calvin Godfrey

Alan Rigerman with Chaos, his cougar

Calvin Godfrey

Anthony Zitnick with Chaos

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More About

• Alan Rigerman
• Frank Pajon
• Anthony Zitnick
• Wildlife
• Nature and the Environment

Rigerman is happy to know Pajon is around. At his age, Rigerman says, he couldn't buy anything new without knowing he had a place they could go. "And that's Frank," he says.

Meanwhile Rigerman is looking to purchase a baby serval. "I want it as a house cat," he says. "I'll neuter it, declaw it, and let it roam the house."

What about Oreo?

"They'll get along," he says.