This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.

In another tragic incident involving a captive big cat, a man was seriously injured by a leopard in Florida during an illegal encounter he paid for that allowed him to have full contact with a leopard. This is not an isolated incident, and points to the urgent need to protect the public from harmful inter-species interactions and to keep these amazing animals from being imprisoned and exploited. Urge wildlife officials to remove the animals from this property and to allow their placement in sanctuaries.

In August, Dwight Turner paid Michael Poggi $150 for a one-on-one encounter with a black leopard being unwillingly kept at his property in Davie. When Turner entered the enclosure, he was attacked and suffered severe injuries to his head requiring multiple surgeries.

Poggi, who is licensed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, claims to be running a wild animal sanctuary, but by his own admission, he actually breeds rare and endangered animals - but he has no plans to ever release them into the wild, he's just creating more animals who will be made to suffer the crushing boredom of captivity without end.

True, accredited sanctuaries never breed animals, or exploit them to draw visitors. Sadly, people continue to call themselves rescuers and sanctuaries while doing nothing but exploiting animals for profit. Social media has also helped perpetuate the problem by creating a false sense that it's safe to interact with these animals, when that couldn't be further from the truth.

Poggi is now being sued by Turner, and was charged with violating Florida law by allowing full contact with a dangerous animal and keeping wild animals in unsafe conditions.

This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.