Save the Tigers

What am I talking about when I say, let's save the big cats? I am talking about finding a way to stop atrocities that are going on in our back yard and finding a way to preserve the wild habitat these animals come from.

Let's Start with the Tiger:

It starts with breeders who breed “generic” tigers (inbred, crossbred, or otherwise not purebred). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service created a “generic” tiger loophole which essentially states that unless you are a legitimate AZA   accredited zoo, which must adhere to conservation breeding laws, then you can breed, exploit, and discard tigers at will and with virtually no oversight. These “generic” tigers are used for pay for play sessions where the public pays to pet or pose with a baby tiger or lion cub. Once they are too big to play with they are discarded into the pet trade, warehoused in tiny ,barren cells or worse; ending up on a dinner menu, skinned or stuffed or disappearing into the black market trade. No money the public spends to pet or take photos with tiger or lion cubs goes to conservation. In fact, the opposite is true. There is a huge and growing market for tiger parts. A dead tiger is worth up to $50,000 for its parts. Breeding what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service calls “generic” tigers like the ones in the mall exhibits is not tracked. So there is no way to know how many U.S. born tigers are killed to have their parts illegally sold into this trade. The more that trade expands, the more incentive the poachers in China have to kill tigers in the wild, citing that “if the U.S. can kill tigers, why can’t we?” We must lead by example. 

Some of these pay for play tigers end up in “canned hunts” that are designed to give a person a chance to kill an exotic animal for a trophy. A “canned hunt” is basically an animal in a cage being shot.These operations claim to offer only non endangered animals but provide a smokescreen to enable illegal activities such as hunting endangered animals. Today, sadly, there are more tigers in captivity than exist in the wild. There are thought to be 12,000 tigers in U.S. cages, 4,000 of which are in Texas. 90% of Tigers in the U.S. are in miserable roadside zoos, backyard breeder facilities, circus wagons, and pet homes. According to statistics released in 2009 there are 1,200 to 1,500 tigers left in the wild. Let’s stop supporting the tiger trade. Get the word out that pay for play sessions are NOT good for the animals and are NOT for conservation. Let’s make sure these beautiful creatures are around for our children’s children. It’s not too late. 

So, what can you do? Go to one of my links at the bottom of the page to help these big cats. Talk to your local Representative. There is also a link at the bottom of the page that will help you find your local Representative. Help change the laws by visiting catlaws.com. Go out and tell everyone you know about this blog. And most importantly: SPREAD THE WORD about what you have learned here!