"Backyard" Tigers

"Backyard" tigers in america are estimated at more than 5,000. This does not include the number of captive tigers in sanctuaries, zoos, and the unreported numbers kept by unlicensed owners. The total number of tigers in the wild is estimated at only 3,200.
"Backyard" tigers and tigers bred by anyone other than an AZA accredited zoo are not part of conservation efforts. In order to stop the overbreeding and owning of tigers in the U.S. we must send a clear message that the goal is to save tigers in the wild, not to create inbred, captive tigers. One way we can do that is to create stricter regulations on tiger ownership and breeding programs. Write to, or e-mail your local representative letting them know how you feel about ownership laws in your state. (Check out the bottom of this blog to find a link to your representative) Or go to http://www.catlaws.com/ to find out about proposed legislation in your state and the country. We can also stop patronizing local cub petting displays and roadside zoos. Finally, spread the word! Tell everyone you know about what you learn from this blog and the video link below. The more information people have, the more likely they are to make the right decision. I encourage you to scroll to the bottom of this blog and check out any of the links you find there for more information on the issues tigers, and other big cats, deal with everyday.

Please watch this video for more information on the "backyard" tigers of America. Thank you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n80OuEA2f3w&feature=context&context=C3231f7bADOEgsToPDskJ4v3Avl5ropMH-E2wkQjdT

Don't pet the cubs!

Check out this link:
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?v=PpV8I9bNAYA

Here you will find out more about cub petting and why you shouldn't do it.

Cub Displays at the Mall





Today I would like to talk about the lion and tiger cub displays that you may find at your local mall. Many people are drawn to these displays by the desire to pet a wild animal. They are excited to have their photo taken so that they may show their friends, and they believe that they have helped a "sanctuary" or "rescue" to care for these animals. The fact of the matter is that  NONE of these cub petting displays are helping wild animals in any way. They claim that they are educating the public about the animals. That they are using the money you give them to sustain their "sanctuary" where they give excellent care to the adult animals. They say that by showing the cubs they are encouraging conservation in the wild. They even claim that the cubs like traveling around in trailers, couped up in little cages where it is noisy and dark. None of these things are true. In fact, these so called "sanctuaries" are often in deplorable conditions. Their animals underfed and not medically cared for. The adult animals are often caged in concrete and steel fenced enclosures, sometimes no bigger than a parking space.



Cub having diarrhea



The cubs are torn from their mothers at birth and are fed by the handlers. The inferior milk given to the cubs, coupled with the trauma of traveling and being away from the saftey of their mother, often gives them severe diarrhea. Cubs having diarrhea during these petting sessions are followed around by a handler with a towel. The handler tells everyone that this is fine and wipes the raw bottoms of the screaming cubs. And when the cubs are too old to be handled, they are often sold to people who may do any number of things with them. Some will sell them for their parts, to be used in chinese herbal medicine. Others will keep them in small cages as pets or attractions. And some become part of the massive fur trade. None of these things do anything to help the animals in the wild. People begin to believe that it is ok to own one of these animals and then when the animal becomes too hard to take care of the owners resort to desperate measures. Sometimes selling them, sometimes trying to find them a home, and sometimes just letting them die from inferior care. The over breeding caused by the interest in cub petting displays is feeding the black market trade and causing innumerable deaths and unbelievable suffering for these majestic and beloved creatures. Let's just say no to cub petting displays! Once we stop going, these places will have to shut down. If you really want to help save these animals in the wild, donate to a reputable organization who does not breed its captive animals and champions the preservation of the animals wild habitat. I was once one of the people taken in by these shrewd so-called sanctuaries, but once I had the facts I stopped going and spread the word to everyone who would listen. Please share what you have learned here and check out this link for more information on these travelling cub torturing shows: http://bigcatrescue.org/abuse-issues/issues/pet-cubs

A list of reputable organizations can be found at the bottom of this blog.

Tiger Conservation

Photo courtesy of bigcatrescue.org

In the past 100 years our wild tiger population has decreased 97%.

It is estimated there are only 3,200 tigers left in the wild today. Of these, there are only 1,000 breeding females.

The main threats to the wild tiger population are habitat destruction and poaching.

Tiger habitat has decreased by 93% in the last 100 years.

Tigers are generally solitary creatures, only coming together to mate. It is estimated that a male tiger’s home range is between 7-58 square miles, and the female’s home range is between 4-20 square miles.

A female tiger will usually have anywhere from 2-4 cubs in a litter, though there may be as few as 1 and as many as 6. Females will generally have a litter every 2 to 2.5 years, though some may wait as long as 3 to 4 years. The cubs are very vulnerable and mortality rate is at least 50%. So, if a female gives birth to a litter of 2 cubs, the odds are that only one will survive.

In order to conserve and grow the population of tigers in the wild a massive project has been undertaken that has created wildlife reserves in the tiger’s natural range. Many conservationist groups have come together to encourage local inhabitants to protect their tigers and to educate the world with the problems wild tigers are facing. Many locals still believe in using tiger parts for medicine and tribal rituals. Some simply kill them in order to sell the skins and parts for profit, and others feel that they or their livestock are threatened. With the help of private and public funding conservationists have been able to educate the people and create the reserves of land that the tigers now inhabit.

There is still more that needs to be done. In India, right now, a freeway is being built that is proposed to go directly through a tiger reserve. It is this sort of encroachment that began the decline of the wild tigers. People at that time did not understand the danger, but as we have become more and more educated we can no longer claim ignorance. We must stand together to protect what little land is left for our wild tigers. We are their only hope.

To help, please check out any of the following websites:

www.panthera.org

www.bigcatrescue.org

www.worldwildlife.org

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/  and search for Cause an Uproar.

White Tiger exhibit closed

A small victory was won Tuesday when the Navy Pier in Chicago shut down its Royal White Tiger exhibit. The owner of the tigers, Michael Cook and his company ZooCats Inc., has long been hunted by the USDA for numerous prior violations and has finally had his license revoked due to "willfull violations" of the animal welfare act. The USDA states that ZooCats Inc. trainers did not handle the animals properly. They said that the trainers would often use violent methods such as cattle prods to train and control the animals. Additionally it was found that the animals were not properly fed, illness and injury were not properly cared for and facilities were not kept clean. The USDA also says that trainers were allowing children and spectators to get too close to the tigers, posing serious danger to public welfare. In light of this small victory I say, Hooray! Each time an unscrupulous owner is shut down and their license revoked we are one step closer to putting a stop to tiger inbreeding/overbreeding. These beautiful creatures deserve better. We have to remember that they do not belong in cages to be used for our entertainment. They belong wild and free. We need to spread the message of conservation. These types of exhibits do not donate to, nor promote conservation. They only fool the public in to thinking they are helping keep wild tigers alive by saying that the breeding they are doing is preventing their extinction. The truth is, the tigers bred by these organizations are NOT part of the AZA breeding program. Furthermore, white tigers in particular, are never part of conservation efforts as they are not natural but a result of severe inbreeding. (See my prior article on White Tigers) So folks, please do all you can to spread the word! Let's stop white tiger breeding altogether! If we ban together we can win! FOR THE TIGERS!

White Tigers aren't Natural

Haven't posted for a very long time so I thought I would post something that would catch everyone's attention.





Kenny.
What happens to severely inbred tigers.

 

 I want to talk about white tigers. You may, or may not know that the white pigmentation in tigers is not natural. This white coloration is the result of severe inbreeding. Sister and brother, mother and son, father and daughter and so on. The result is a tiger with many problems. White tigers are always cross-eyed (whether you can notice it or not) because their optic nerve is wired on the wrong side of the brain. White tigers also suffer from numerous health problems such as facial deformity, club feet, spinal deformity, organ disfunctions and more. Breeders would have you believe that these tigers are a wonderful natural anomaly that they are just extracting like you would when you breed your house cats, but the truth is this is far from natural. Also, any tigers born with noticible deformity (which is quite often) are often killed.



Should I be killed because
I'm not perfect?



Big displays of white tigers by celebrities and restaurants, etc. make us believe that it is okay to continue inbreeding tigers in order to achieve white tigers. This sort of thinking must be stopped. We need to send a message to all breeders of white tigers that it is not okay to create an animal that will suffer its whole life with illness just for our entertainment. Stop going to displays of white tigers. This will show your disapproval to breeders. Once the demand is gone, then the tigers will be too. Should you ever go to a white tiger display again I would like you to remember the images here and realize that the tigers you see are a result of many others dying. The white tigers you are looking at that appear to be healthy have many health problems that you don't see. At what cost would you like your entertainment?

I encourage you to find out more about White Tigers by checking out http://bigcatrescue.org/abuse-issues/issues/white-tigers

Kenny. One of the few pictures we have
of deformed White Tigers. (For
obvious reasons!)