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
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