CAPTIVE TIGERS: ZOOS, MISTREATED AND DRUGGED FOR TOURISTS

CAPTIVE TIGERS

in Ranthambore National Park

In the late 2000s there were about 13,000 captive tigers worldwide, including 4,900 in the United States. Of these zoo hold a relatively small number. In contrast there were only thought to be only 3,200 or so win the wild. A tiger in captivity can live up to 25 years. [Source: National Geographic, November 10, 2009]

Many zoos are improving their tiger enclosures. Leonardo Haberkorn of Associated Press wrote: “Many municipal zoos have tried to transform themselves into animal conservation societies, replacing cramped iron cages with more natural animal pens and fostering habitat preservation to support the remaining animals in the wild. In keeping with a global conservation strategy first drafted in 1993 by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the London Zoo this year renovated its tiger habitat — an area about one third of the entire Montevideo zoo, at a cost of about $4.8 million. [Source: Leonardo Haberkorn, Associated Press, September 13, 2013]

There are estimated to be over 8,000 tigers in captivity in Asia, with the majority of them in China. According to National Geographic: “For $10, tourists can pose with this tiger at the Phuket Zoo, in Thailand. The tiger is held by a short chain and can’t stand up. Tigers may be declawed or even drugged, to protect people around them. [Source: Natasha Daly, National Geographic, June 2019]

There's a surplus of big cats in captivity. They're no longer wanted by zoos and circuses. But thousands of people want them as pets, especially in the United States, and are willing to pay prices ranging from $1,500 for more common Bengal tigers to $7,000 each for white tigers. Tigers in private hands can be found in places as diverse as basements, backyards and traveling exhibitions. In Texas there are more pet tigers than the entire population of wild tigers.

Then there are the bigger issues. Leonardo DiCaprio and Carter S. Roberts wrote in the Washington Post, “The United States has nearly twice as many tigers in captivity as there are in the wild worldwide - tigers sleeping in American back yards, in private breeding facilities and at roadside zoos from New York to Texas. We need a federal agency to monitor these tiger "pets" and make sure they don't find their way into the same black market for wildlife products that kills wild tigers around the world. We can close loopholes in the Endangered Species Act and the Animal Welfare Act and give agencies such as the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of Agriculture the financial support they need to vigorously enforce animal protection laws. [Source: Leonardo DiCaprio and Carter S. Roberts, Washington Post, November 7, 2010]

Captive Tigers in the United States

There are about 10,000 tigers in the US. Thirty states allow private ownership of predatory exotics like tigers. The requirements are easy to fulfill: a USDA conservation label form and a $30 license. Nine states require no permit or license whatsoever. This allows virtually anyone to own, breed and sell tigers. In contrast, within the European Union (EU) wild cats are subject to strict controls on their import, export, and movement within the EU. The acquisition, sale, or public display for gain of wild cats is prohibited in general except for breeding or other purposes. Zoos keeping wild cats are subject to regulations regarding the operation and functions of zoos. A draft regulation on Animal Health requires a health certificate for the movement of wild cats within the EU. [Sources: Library of Congress Law Library, Legal Legal Reports, 2013; Adam Popescu, The Guardian, September 21, 2021]

Between 1996 and 2008 the world’s captive tigers killed at least 52 people and injured many more, from park guests to zookeepers. One man in Harlem in New York City kept a tiger in his fifth-floor, seven-room apartment until it attacked him. The presence of the 150-kilogram Bengal tiger became known in October 2003 when the man showed up at the hospital with a wound he claimed was from a pit bull. The tiger was removed by a team police who rappelled down from the roof of the building where the tiger lived and shot the animal with a tranquilizer gun. The man pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment but vowed to get the animal back. He also owned a 120-kilogram alligator. At last report the tiger was in an animal sanctuary in Ohio.

Emily Gersema of Associated Press, “Feed them lots of protein-rich food, refill the water dish frequently and provide ample space — tigers need room to play and sleep. That advice is what exotic pet dealers, breeders and animal exhibitors are hearing from the government. In a series of meetings this year and next, the Agriculture Department hopes to teach participants how to properly care for big cats. [Source: Emily Gersema, Associated Press, November 23, 2003]

No government agency tracks the number of large exotic cats in the United States. The Agriculture “department has no authority to regulate them. It only oversees the animals when they are in the care of licensed dealers and breeders, or in zoos, circuses and shows. The agency believes that only qualified, trained professionals should keep tigers, cougars and other large felines because of their threat to people. Nineteen states have banned ownership of big cats, according to the Humane Society of the United States, an animal welfare group. Other states require special permits and some counties have imposed local bans. Congress this year passed a measure restricting the movement of exotic animals, meaning they cannot be shipped from state to state.

“Many exotic cats end up in sanctuaries because pet owners cannot afford them or do not know how to care for them. Sandy Smith operates a nonprofit shelter called Wesa-A-Geh-Ya, which means "Cat Lady" in her native Cherokee language. The 17-acre sanctuary in Warrenton, Mo., is home to lions, tigers, cougars, leopards, Arctic wolves and foxes. She has 63 animals. "These animals need constant care," said Smith, who lives there with her husband in a 14-by-70 foot trailer. They spend roughly $5,000 a month per animal. Costs include meat, vitamins, maintenance of the cages and buildings, and veterinary care. The cats eat a total of eight cows per week during the winter. "We are constantly behind on our personal bills so that my animals can have a home and so that we can take care of them," she said. "We don't take vacations. We're here seven days a week. This is just our life. I guard it very highly." Smith has always been fascinated with big cats. "Tigers will take your spirit, and lions steal your heart," she said. But, she added, "These are not pets."

Tiger Entertainment Industry in the U.S.

Steve Winter wrote in National Geographic, “When we began our reporting in 2017 more tigers likely lived in cages in the U.S. than remained in the wild. Estimates ranged from 5,000 to 10,000, but with lax government oversight, no one knew for sure. There was no federal law regulating big-cat ownership. [Source: Steve Winter, National Geographic, December 2019]

Roadside zoos that allowed tourists to cuddle and shoot selfies with cubs were at the root of what’s been called a U.S. tiger crisis. Captive-bred cats often ended up in the illegal wildlife trade. To maintain a constant supply of babies, tigresses were forced to churn out litter after litter. Cubs, wrenched from their mothers at birth, were fed poorly and handled by hundreds of people. When they grew too big and dangerous to pet at around 12 weeks, cubs became breeders, were put on display, or simply disappeared. Many of these venues passed themselves off as sanctuaries. At least one made a million dollars or more in annual revenue.

We filmed and photographed cub petting at run-down zoos, a high-end safari show, an Illinois county fair, and an Oklahoma living room. We saw sick, skeletal tigers — some scarred, cross-eyed, or disabled — living in squalid quarters. We discovered illicit activities, including animal abuse, donations used for personal profit, and wildlife trafficking, which drives poaching of the last wild tigers.

Sharon corresponded with Joe Exotic, the infamous “Tiger King” who’s now serving a 21-year sentence for murder for hire and falsifying criminal records, as well as killing and trafficking tigers at his former G.W. Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma. I spent nine days photographing Bhagavan “Doc” Antle and his Myrtle Beach Safari attraction. In June 2023 Antle was convicted of felony wildlife trafficking and conspiring to traffic in wildlife.

While we documented the underbelly of this industry, we also wanted to show the best life these magnificent apex predators — unable to be released into the wild — could have in captivity. With two weeks left before my deadline, I headed to the Wild Animal Sanctuary near Denver, where well-nurtured cats roam acres of habitat. There I met Clay, Daniel, and Enzo, three of 39 tigers rescued from Joe Exotic’s former zoo. These huge, nearly grown cats frolicked, racing beside our ATV as we drove the fence line and sparring on their hind legs — behavior I’d seen only in wild tigers.

U.S. Tigers and the Chinese Medicine Trade

Much of the trade in tigers “is grounded in a high demand for tiger bones and products popular in the traditional Chinese medicine market. Sarah Metzer, a US Fish and Wildlife Service education specialist, told The Guardian, “Every part of the tiger is incorporated in some type of traditional medicine, and as a social status symbol.” “When you think about the financial value of the bones of adult tigers, it’s huge,” says John Goodrich, the chief scientist of Panthera, one of the leading big cat NGOs. “That’s the cause of this huge black market.”[Source: Adam Popescu, The Guardian, September 21, 2021]

Adam Popescu wrote in The Guardian: “With so many of the animals in the US, is it then fair to speculate that tigers from Texas end up as byproducts in Beijing?“While listed as “endangered” under the federal Endangered Species Act, the law allows private possession of captive-bred tigers as long as they’re used for “conservation”, but experts say no tigers bred in captivity are ever released. That trade includes everything from Instagram-ready roadside zoos to six-figure tiger skin rugs, as well as tiger bone wines that run to hundreds of dollars a bottle made from steeping a carcass in rice wine, then ageing it. Boiling, grinding and mixing bones with herbs forms a glue-like plaster, all of which requires a steady supply of parts, which experts say is probably coming from farmed tigers in Asia and America.

“Wildlife traffickers use the same routes as narco traffickers, says Andrea Crosta, the head of Earth League International, an NGO using counter-surveillance to fight wildlife crime. In South America, Crosta has documented poached jaguar teeth and bones shipped to China and passed off as tiger, another corollary to the trade affecting other species. “It’s easy to transport, you just put the fangs in your pocket and go on a plane. Jaguar canines in South America go for $200 to $300 — you can sell it in China as tiger for $5,000 to $10,000. You make real money.”

“A captive tiger lives about 20 years and costs $10,000 annually for food and care — which is why cubs are more valuable. Grown up, they’re hard to manage and less lucrative. Adopters with good intentions but little training do not know what they’re getting into when they fork over $500 for a cub. A baby Moka can star on social media for an $80 photo op at an ersatz zoo or petting venues that claim to breed tigers but in fact encourage trafficking.

Captive Tigers in China

Although China's wild tiger population is tiny, thousands of the animals are bred in captivity each year. Forestry bureaus are responsible for conservation and receive the bulk of funds related to this end. China's tiger farmers, who have bred more than 5,000 animals, are pushing for a relaxation of the ban on the trade of tiger parts in the hope of selling bones and penises for traditional medicine.

In February 2012, AFP reported: “China says it has nearly 6,000 endangered tigers in captivity, but just 50 to 60 living in the wild in its northeast. In the 1980s, China set up tiger farms to try to preserve the big cats, intending to release some into the wild. But the farms have come under the international spotlight, with some conservation groups saying they use the cats for their body parts, while media reports have exposed poor conditions at zoos and animal parks. [Source: AFP, February 7, 2012 ]

Pictures of tourists sitting on top of a strapped-down cub at a "tiger park" in Jilin province went viral on Chinese social networking in January 2014. The park promptly terminated its contract with an "on-site animal circus" which took responsibility for the incident, Chinese media reported.

Zoos Give Up Their Tigers

Reporting from Montevideo, Uruguay, Leonardo Haberkorn of Associated Press wrote: "Hatch," a 10-year-old male Bengal tiger, has lived in a 20-by-16-foot (6-by-5 meter) cage with cement walls and nothing green in sight since he was traded to the Villa Dolores Zoo after spending his first three years in a circus. A similarly dismal cage next door is home to an unnamed female tiger. A poster says tigers "love water" and "bathe on hot days, swimming across rivers and lakes." But these cats don't even have a paddling pool. Now, Montevideo's municipal zoo is giving up its two tigers, bending to pressure from animal rights protesters and a lack of funds to create a healthier environment for them. They will be sent to a sanctuary in the United States. [Source: Leonardo Haberkorn, Associated Press, September 13, 2013]

The compact urban zoo has no room to grow, and a plan Tabares drafted to create a more-welcoming tiger habitat added up to $600,000, too high for the city to support. The city spends about $1,000 per month just to feed the tigers, but the social pressure was a more important factor than the money, authorities said. The zoo has been the target of animal righst activists who have broken into the zoo to set animals free.

Montevideo finally found a solution when it met with Animals Without Homes, an Uruguayan organization that works with zoos and circuses to move unwanted animals into better environments. The organization is currently in talks with the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Texas and the National Tiger Sanctuary in Missouri. The plan is to transfer the animals without compensation or cost to the city, said the organization's spokesman, Eduardo Etcheverry.

"I would like it if zoos did not exist, but they exist and have many animals that cannot be introduced back into nature. We try to help these animals have the best quality of life," said Etcheverry. "The administration of Montevideo has recognized, and we thank them for it, that they do not possess the means to have the tigers in their charge." Those working on Hatch's transfer hope he'll be able to spend the second half of his life walking through grass, and perhaps even taking a dip in a pond.

Tiger That Nearly Killed Its Handler Gets to Stay at Australia Zoo

In November 2013, The Australian reported: “A tiger that bit its handler wasn't acting out of aggression and won't be removed from an Australia Zoo. The tiger was playing in front of an audience, when it became over excited and bit trainer of nine years Dave Styles, who had raised it since it was a cub. The beast raised itself on two legs and dragged Mr Styles into the pool just after the daily show at the Sunshine Coast zoo, onlookers say. [Source: The Australian, November 27, 2013]

While in the water, Mr Styles was bitten on the neck and shoulder with puncture wounds near vital blood vessels. Medics were helicoptered in and Mr Styles, 30, was flown to the Royal Brisbane Hospital in a stable condition. English backpacker Dan Bass saw the horror unfold. "Shock, absolute shock, screaming," Mr Bass told ABC radio. "The keepers did really well to keep them away from the glass."

Despite the incident, the tiger will remain at the zoo. "It wasn't an act of aggression," Australia Zoo director Wes Mennon told ABC radio. "It wasn't a tiger attacking someone. "It's just normal part of the daily routine of the tigers and unfortunately we had a mishap." Australia Zoo, owned by the late Steve Irwin's family, and workplace health and safety are investigating.

The zoo keeps three Bengal and eight Sumatran tigers, but it won't say what animal was responsible. Visitors can have their photos taken with the tigers each day, but the tourist attraction comes with a warning: "Please remember big cats are predatory animals and are quite capable of exercising their natural instincts". Animal rights group PETA says the zoo should be penalised for allowing employees to risk their lives. "If his employer had followed standard industry practice and required that protective barriers always be kept between potentially dangerous animals and humans ... the trainer would never have been attacked," PETA said in a statement.

Thailand's Tiger Temple

The Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi (about 80 kilometers west from Bangkok) is one of the few places in the world where visitors are allowed to pet and pose for pictures with the tigers. Fast becoming one of Thailand's most popular tourist attractions, the sanctuary was set up for for orphaned tigers by Buddhist monks in 1999 when the first female cub was brought to Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno, a Buddhist sanctuary, and was cared for by the monks. [Source: Kerry Mcqueeney, Daily Mail, April 24, 2012 *]

Kerry Mcqueeney wrote in the Daily Mail: “For a basic entrance fee - or 'donation' - of 1,000 baht (about £20), visitors get a tour of the site and the chance to enter the sanctuary's Tiger Canyon, a quarry with a rocky pool at one end containing a dozen or so sleeping tigers chained to the ground. During a small half-hour window, tourists have the option of being escorted around the quarry with two volunteers so they can pet each tiger while they sleep. One volunteer keeps an eye on the tiger while the other takes charge of tourist's camera and snaps away as they touch the big cats. For an extra fee, visitors can have their picture taken with the largest tiger's head resting in their lap. And for more money, they can have a front row seat - in a cage near the water front - to watch the cats playing in the pool. *

“Despite its status as a sanctuary, the Tiger Temple has been dogged by controversy as it has grown as a tourist attraction. Many online forums discussing the temple contain fierce debate of the ethical issues surrounding such a tourist attraction. The temple has been forced to strenuously deny accusations that its big cat residents are sedated to allow tourists to have their pictures taken with them. They say the reason the carnivores are so docile is because they have been hand-reared by the monks from an early age, which means their aggressive behaviour has been controlled and they do not see human contact as a threat. However, many remain suspicious over why the cats are so calm and sleepy during the visiting. *

“Visitors to the sanctuary are made to sign a disclaimer before they are allowed to enter - to ensure the temple does not get sued in case someone is attacked by a tiger - and signs at the gate explain why the tigers are so used to human contact. Tourists are also advised to steer clear of dressing in brightly-coloured clothes to avoid getting the tigers excited. Nevertheless, for the most part, tourists who visit the Tiger Temple come away from it with a unique experience - a chance to get up close with the majestic big cats. *

A review on Lonely Planet's website reads: 'Kanchanaburi’s most expensive tourist attraction is also its most controversial. 'This monastery affords incredible photo opportunities for visitors to get up close and personal with the big cats. 'Some of the temple’s 30 tigers pose for pictures in a canyon while visitors are shepherded in and out in quick succession.'

Fad of Taking Photos with Tiger Cubs Brings Danger Later

Kevin Giles wrote in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune: Those cute tiger cubs that pose with smiling children for photos at shopping malls and county fairs across the country are all the rage, but the cubs lose their value when they grow big enough to hurt somebody.Then they become discards, sometimes sold for as little as $200 at garage sales and truck stops to make room for new cubs that bring $25 a pop in front of the camera. "You have this continuing influx of tigers that have no place to go," said Tom Solin, a private investigator of wildcat injuries and deaths, who thinks the popular and lucrative photo fad explains the source of so many tigers. [Source: Kevin Giles, Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, April 23, 2006]

"A lot of people in Minnesota ask, “Why do these people have to have these exotic animals anyway?" said Lakeville Police Chief Steve Strachan. He sponsored the 2004 state law when he was a member of the Minnesota House. "We’ve got a couple of instances where they’ve killed and crippled people right here in our state."

As attacks continue, cities and counties react with ordinances that in most cases ban wildcats altogether. Woodbury last week joined at least 78 other Minnesota cities forbidding such animals unless traveling with circuses.” One owner had a USDA license permitted her to show animals in public places. Her cousin, Kendra Lojio, said she watched Gamble at renaissance festivals in Georgia, where Gamble "captivated the audiences, stressing how important it was to preserve their animals and appreciate their role in the wild."

However, the mother of a girl injured five years ago in a tiger attack at Bearcat Hollow in Racine, Minn., said that such appearances fool people. "There is no legitimate market for these animals," said Mary Hartman of Rochester, who hired Solin to investigate her daughter’s case, "so they take them to the mall to create the illusion that you’re getting a piece of the wild."

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org ; National Geographic, Live Science, Natural History magazine, David Attenborough books, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Discover magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Wikipedia, The Guardian, Top Secret Animal Attack Files website and various books and other publications.

Last updated January 2025