The American Tiger Crisis
American tigers cooling off in a pool in rural Colorado - Photo by Steve Winter
The Problem
There are nearly three times more tigers in the United States than in the wild. Some estimates even state that Texas alone is home to more tigers than all of the wild jungles of Asia. Unfortunately, most of these American tigers are not living in acceptable conditions. Estimates of the U.S. Tiger population ranges from 5,000 to 10,000, of which just over 300 are housed in AZA-accredited zoos. This leaves thousands of tigers unaccounted for across the country. Some tigers are lucky enough to have been rescued by a big cat sanctuary, but most of these cats are destined to a life of abuse, starvation, and solitary confinement at roadside attractions and private homes.
While there is even some debate as to whether it is humane to keep tigers living in larger enclosures within a zoo, there is no discussion about the horrific conditions found in many famous roadside parks. For most people around the world, these tiger attractions were never on their radar – until March of 2020, when Netflix released what would soon become the most-watched documentary series in the world, Tiger King.
Tiger King
If you are one of the millions of people around the world who is familiar with Tiger King, there is no need to spend any more time watching this trailer. However, if you have yet to hear about this social media craze or want to remind yourself of the insanity the trailer is embedded below. As unbelievable as it may seem, this sensationalized documentary is now playing a big role in American tiger conservation.
After the controversial docu-series premiered, there has been a wide variety of opinions on how accurately the piece portrays tiger captivity in the United States and how it will go on to impact both American and wild tigers. While the film has been widely criticized in the arena of conservation media, it is important to acknowledge two objective truths about the Netflix hit. First, the show is focused on the drama surrounding the owners of the tigers – not the cats themselves or their condition. The second, and most important fact is that like it or not, Tiger King vaulted the American tiger crisis to the spotlight of global conservation.
One positive result that has arisen since the show aired has been a large push on congress to pass the Big Cat Public Safety Act (BCPSA). This bill is intended to prevent the private trading and ownership of exotic cats, while still allowing current owners to keep any cats in their possession. While the bill has received support on both sides of the aisle, many of the large exotic animal breeders have extensive resources to lobby congress to kill the bill. As of the fall of 2020, the federal government has become fully occupied with issues surrounding Covid-19, racial injustice, and the 2020 election, so it seems the future of the BCPSA is still in limbo.
A Painful Reality
Unfortunately, for now, the American tigers will be forced to wait. Unlike many of the TV-polished depictions in Tiger King, the living conditions for most American tigers are horrific. While many of these parks and private collections might seem tolerable on the surface, it is what goes on behind closed doors that is truly appalling.
To begin with, many of the tigers bred in the United States today are used for photoshoots. Across the country, exotic cat owners have set up small petting zoo style facilities where people can pay to get their pictures taken with tiger cubs. This business model has created an unbalanced demand for tigers skewing the need towards newborn cubs. As a result, breeders are pushing female tigers to mate at an unnaturally fast pace. In the wild, tigers stay with their mothers for just over two years and females have new litters every two or three years. Investigative reporting and federal raids have found that many breeders are forcing tigers to produce far more litters per year, ripping the cubs away from their mothers just days after birth. This method causes many of the cubs to die from a lack of nutrition and leaves the mothers in a terrible condition.
Most guests at these roadside petting attractions do not stop to wonder how the facility maintains a perpetual stock of tiger cubs. As a passerby taking a quick family portrait or playing with precious young animals, it is easy to be distracted by the showmanship of the zookeepers. The attractions often claim that their proceeds go towards promoting tiger conservation in the wild, while in reality the profits are kept by the private owners.
As of now, the United States does not regulate much of these human-tiger cub interactions. The only major restriction put in place is a limit on the size and weight of a tiger cub that can be handled by tourists. These are there to ensure the safety of anyone handling such a potentially dangerous animal. At face value, this regulation seems reasonable and beneficial, however, it comes with two grim unintended consequences. The first is the intentional malnutrition of tiger cubs to inhibit their growth. By starving the tigers and injecting the animals with substances designed to stunt their development, private owners can extend their legal petting lifespan. The second issue arises from the simple question - what is to be done with the tigers once they have surpassed the acceptable size? Sadly, the answer many park owners have selected is slaughtering the tigers and selling their parts on the black market. As for the tigers who are allowed to live - they are often locked in small cages with no grass, inadequate food, and forced to perform in shows or sit on display for the rest of their lives. These cats are mercilessly drugged, mutilated, and beaten until they become submissive to their owners.
Tigers have to be beaten and drugged in order to be trained for performances like this show captured above by Steve Winter.
While some of these abusers have been caught by government officials, most of them carry on with their unethical businesses unchecked. To solve this problem, we must address it at the root. Private tiger ownership in the United States should be completely prohibited. Zoos and sanctuaries who abide by federal regulations should be able to apply for permits to own exotic cats, under the agreement to be randomly inspected by the appropriate government officials.
Impact on Wild Tigers
So how does the American tiger crisis impact global tiger conservation? Oftentimes, the park managers say that the proceeds from the shows are used to fund tiger conservation. However, investigative reporting and law enforcement officials have proven these claims of conservation benefits to be categorically unsubstantiated. In fact, the very presence of American tigers actually severely hurts wild tiger conservation efforts. This relationship can be complicated to understand and is still actively being researched, but I will summarize the widely accepted connection below.
Countries across the world gather every year at multiple environmental summits and meetings to discuss both their own domestic policy decisions and also to form international environmental agreements. One of the primary examples of this is CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. CITES is a multilateral treaty put in place to help protect endangered species of plants and animals. Along with other restrictions, the treaty prohibits the international trade of any species listed as endangered, including tigers and their body parts.
Currently, the largest market for illegal tiger parts by a huge margin is the Chinese traditional medicine industry. While the impact on this demand on wild tiger populations is explained more in our short video linked here, there is another tiger population connected to this market – the American tigers. Investigations by third party conservation organizations have uncovered a trail of tiger products flowing from the United States to China. As the American tiger crisis continues to keep alive the Chinese demand for tiger products, the market demand inevitably leads to large incentives for wild tigers to be hunted for their body parts. Studies have found that the cost of tracking and killing a wild tiger is actually lower than the cost of raising a tiger to be killed for parts, which further encourages poachers. Finally, on a diplomatic level, when countries have tried to pressure China to crack down on their illegal tiger market, Chinese officials have dodged the attacks by deflecting the blame onto the United States.
A photograph by The Tiger Tool’s founder Mike McGovern of a tiger who had recently been transferred to a new home at a big cat sanctuary in Minnesota.
The Tiger’s Future
The future of all tigers is in the hands of people like you - those who have taken the time to do their own research about the plight of both wild and captive tigers. While tigers have been forced to endure great suffering for many decades, we must now fight to end their unethical captivity and focus our collective resources on protecting their natural environments. The time to act is now. Who better to begin the fight than you?
