The tiger
population in this country grew from a few hundred to 5,000
today.
Zoos, Circuses
and Sanctuaries have about 500, the remaining 4,500 are owned
by Breeders who breed and sell the cubs, Exhibitors who show
them, Dealers who collect the old cats and deliver them to
Dead Zoos that butcher them for parts or ranches where they
are killed in canned hunts. And some are owned by private
individuals who keep them as pets.
There are more
tigers in captivity in America than tigers that exist in the
wild.
These tigers were
not captured in the wild and imported, They were bred 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" and have no conservation value
and are not regulated by the customary government agencies.
This loophole in the law allows these tigers to be bred,
bought, sold and destroyed without being recorded. The generic
tiger classification along with commercial demand is what
drives the tiger breeding farms and has led to this over
population
There is no wildlife habitat in the US for
them and no possibility of introducing them back into the wild
because they have been hand fed since they were two days old
and not able to hunt for food. Zoos will not take them because
they are generic. No one wants or can afford to feed them.
They have no place to go.
The vast majority
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 shot and
dismembered for their parts.
This is an
American problem of animal abuse, not a wildlife conservation
problem.
Copyright © Tigers in
America 2011
All Rights Reserved