Rescuing Abused Tigers

It took two million years for the tiger to evolve into the biggest and most majestic cat in the world. In 1900, some 100,000 tigers lived in the wild, but today, only 3,000 remain.

Tiger Boom

What people are not aware of is how many abused tigers exist today in the United States. At the turn of the 20th century, the U.S. had 50 tigers held by exhibitors, but with the advent of zoos and circuses, their population increased to a few hundred within 50 years. The U.S. tiger population stabilized in the 1960s when T.V. and movies lured audiences away from zoos and circuses, but tigers became popular again in the 1970s, beginning with tiger acts in Las Vegas and tigers appearing on television variety and talk shows.

Animal Training became a chosen profession, and tigers were used in advertising and as celebrity ornaments. The popular concept of exotic pet ownership took hold with people believing you could buy and care for these cats, and today more than 7,000 tigers call our country home.

Zoos, circuses, and sanctuaries have about 500, and the remaining 6,500 are owned by breeders who sell the cubs, exhibitors who show them, and dealers who collect the old cats and deliver them to places that butcher them for parts.

Some tigers live on ranches where they are hunted in high stakes canned hunts, and some are owned by private individuals who keep them as pets. More tigers live in America than exist in the wild.

Born in the USA

Today's American tigers were born here and will remain here for the rest of their lives. They are mixed breeds derived mainly from Bengal and Siberian ancestors and referred to as "generic tigers" that have no conservation value and are not regulated by government agencies. Legal loopholes permit these tigers to be bred, bought, sold, and destroyed. The generic tiger classification along with commercial demand is what drives the tiger breeding farms and has led to this over-population.

Unwanted

There is no wildlife habitat in the U.S. for these tigers and no possibility of introducing them back into the wild because they have been hand fed since they were cubs. Zoos won't take them because they are generic.

Most live in small, concrete, and chain-link prison cells in conditions that most people would readily perceive as deplorable. Many die prematurely of disease, neglect, starvation, being put down when no longer wanted, or vanish into the trade. This is an American problem of animal abuse, not a wildlife conservation problem.