Backyard Tigers

It is difficult to determine why anyone would keep a tiger in their suburban backyard, but the tragedy is that there are more captive tigers in American backyards and seedy roadside zoos than there are in the wild globally.  Some of these pets are treated with the same care and love as any family pet, but many more are locked in cages or allowed to pad back in forth in converted dog runs for their exercise.  These captives have less protection than their endangered cousins in the wild.  A patchwork of state and local laws fail to protect them from horrible conditions, unscrupulous breeding practices and tragic neglect. 

An oft-quoted statistic is that there are more tigers in American back yards than there are left in the wild. According to the US Fish & Wildlife Service, there are between 3,200 and 3,500 tigers remaining in the wild globally. By some estimates there are 5,000 in captivity in the US, though there might be more…

According to the World Wildlife Fund, only 6% of America’s captive tiger population lives in zoos and facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums; the rest are in private hands. Some are regulated by the US Department of Agriculture and others by state laws, but some are not regulated at all. “In some states, it is easier to buy a tiger than to adopt a dog from a local animal shelter,” says the WWF.

Humane organizations are seldom prepared to deal with tigers, but there are sanctuaries that provide homes and real care for these animals after they have been exploited and often discarded by their “owners.”  The Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance website has a full list of its members and links to their websites.  Check out the Alliance site and watch the video below.