Jesse Hall is bringing the show of Mr. Jay Owenhouse to Columbia, MO on January 21st 2017, which includes the participation of bengal tigers.  This poses a problem for several reasons:

1) In a petition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture filed in Washington, D.C. by The Humane Society of the United States, dated October 18, 2012, Mr. Owenhouse is described as "substandard" after he acquired his tigers from a dangerous organization in Myrtle Beach, SC named T.I.G.E.R.S., known for the abuse of exotic animals for the practice of profit.

Please read the petition at the following link and search for "Owenhouse": PETITION FOR RULEMAKING TO PROHIBIT PUBLIC CONTACT WITH BIG CATS, BEARS, AND NONHUMAN PRIMATES

Please read expose on T.I.G.E.R.S. organization by the www.onegreenplanet.org website at T.I.G.E.R.S: A Tourist Attraction Exploiting Animals in the Name of Wildlife Conservation

2) Mr. Owenhouse uses the description of a jounalist on several media outlets and on the Concert Series website likening him to PT Barnun, founder of the Barnum and Bailey Circus, one of the cruelest entertaining businesses to animals, with years of founded and proven history of animal cruelty to its name. On January 16th, 2017, the CEO of Barnum and Bailey and The Ringling Bros Co. announced that both circuses will hold their last performances in May. It is said their demise is largely linked to their scandals in animal cruelty.

3) on his website, Mr. Owenhouse mentions proceeds of the sales of VIP tickets to support tiger sanctuaries in India via an American foundation (Corbett Foundation). However, the Ticketmaster website for Jesse Hall ticket sales for Mr. Owenhouse's show does not display any form of VIP tickets available for purchase. Most likely, in the instances when Mr. Owenhouse offers the VIP experience option (not being offered in Columbia, MO), one of the objectives is to deflect from the bad publicity his show is certain to attract.

4) Part of the extra fee of the VIP experience, as explained on Mr. Owenhouse's website, also "offers audiences the opportunity to meet our tigers".  That certainly causes more stress to these animals, who are not designed for human interaction, and are now put in a "petting zoo" circumstance.  These majestic creatures were made to roam free and not for human subjection in exchange for dollars for their captor.

5) The contract between Mr. Owenhouse and the University of Missouri was altered by hand to infringe University policy in exchange for profit.

The contract between Mr. Owenhouse and the University of Missouri was published in its entirety by the Columbia Tribune online. As demonstrated by Paragraph 5 of page 4, the University VERY CLEARLY DOES HAVE A POLICY AGAINST BRINGING ANIMALS ON CAMPUS AND USING THEM IN SHOWS.  That paragraph states IN TYPING: "neither the organization nor any person attending functions covered by this agreement, shall bring onto, or possess on University premises, animals, pets, weapons, contrabands, firework, or other controlled substances." Underneath it, A HANDWRITTEN addendum states: " 2 tigers + 1 small dog - part of the show, as per rider. JO", completely infringing University policy for profit. A clear infringement and disregard of policy for State property has taken place.

In the media, Mr. Christian Basi, the University's spokesperson, has been defending the position that the University treats everyone who wants to rent their venues equally, and they do not discriminate against content. That is in direct conflict with what happened here, where clearly animals are not permitted on campus, yet for a fee, that was overlooked and ignored by the University. Perhaps it is time to review that public statement. Firstly, as I pointed out before, there is a clear policy about animals on premise. Secondly, what happens if an artist wants to put on a non-apologetic Nazi or KKK show on University property? Will he or she not be denied access?

What is interesting here is how State property, which has a dedicated department and staff to manage it, was allowed to have simple scratches on an otherwise ironclad contract.

Please read the contractual clause at the link published by the Columbia Tribune at http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/columbiatribune.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/a0/2a026b3b-ea78-50ca-959c-62a381ecfc2a/587fabc00ca8d.pdf.pdf

6) By doing so, either by renting Jesse Hall to Mr. Owenhouse or by inviting him as part of the Concert Series, the managers of the theater are putting the University of Missouri in the position where it allows UM to abuse exotic animals for profit. It's condoning it.

Numerous american cities have banned shows with exotic live animals, including several in Mr. Owenhouse's own Montana state.  Those tigers are citizens of this planet, just like you and I, and do not have a voice.  They deserve to live the life they were meant for.  They were not designed to be domesticated and perform tricks for people in the limelight.  We have gathered these signatures in support of the tigers in Mr. Owenhouse's show.  These signatures also signify that residents of Boone County are keeping up with the times and are in support of putting an end to exotic live animal shows and their lives of servitude and slavery.

Additionally, keeping this show reflects poorly on the character of the University of Missouri. With the support and publicity this petition has garnered online and in the media, it would be detrimental to the UM's reputation, its donors and supporters, and alumni to uphold the show, specially given Mr. Owenhouse's "substandard" classification by the Humane Society in Washington, D.C.

This is a time when the University of Missouri cannot afford bad publicity with animal activists, given the incidents with the dogs in 2016. This show is not in Mizzou's best interest for a fee of $3,000 - a drop in the bucket of its budget.

As Ms. Victoria Landreth so eloquently wrote in her comment of support to this petition (attached): "As a veterinary student with previous involvement in our school's Tigers for Tigers club organization, I strongly oppose the use of our Mizzou campus for the exploitation of big cats for the sole purpose of entertainment. Mr. Owenhouse's show is of no conservation value in helping tigers, and his use of white tigers in particular is a complete travesty, as this particular variety is extremely inbred- the only way to produce the admittedly beautiful coat pattern. Breeding white tigers invariably means producing many cubs with genetic defects, something entertainers never seem to address when showing off the select few animals that do turn out well. Considering we have an entire branch of the school dedicated to encouraging conservation over in ABNR, permitting this show on campus is a slap in the face to all of us who graduated with Fisheries & Wildlife degrees."

Once again, by allowing this show to continue, either by renting the theater to Mr. Owenhouse or by inviting him as part of the Concert Series, you are putting the University of Missouri in the position where it allows abusing exotic animals for profit. You're condoning it.  Please cancel Mr. Owenhouse's show on January 21st, 2017.