2014 Report: Expert Report on “Captive Tiger Effects” that Big Cat experts have determined:
Most Sanctuaries are glorified private owners or horders
Most certified Sanctuaries funding goes to spread false propaganda
Most certified Sanctuaries contribute nothing to true conservation or helping tigers in the wild
Most certified Sanctuaries harm the tigers by promoting bans that is contributing to tiger extenction
Big Cat & Public Safety Protection Act will have no effect on saving tigers in the wild
Big Cat & Public Safety Protection Act will have a significant negative impact on critical conservation efforts.
Proven by Big Cat Experts:
1) Zoo’s that do Cub Encounters or Animal Ambassidors contribute a large portion to true Conservation
2) Big Cats are more adjusted as exhibit animals that were raised and handled by humans
3) Big Cat cub interactions benefit the animals creating easier medical treatments or monitoring of health of the animals.
4) Big Cat cub interactions creates less stressful and healthier animals
5) Big Cat cub interactions creates a quality and passionate workforce in a low paying industry
6) Most AZA Zoo’s began as private owners and still today use animals as ambassidors for their species.
7) Big Cat’s face extinction due to habitat distruction and that US Big Cats have no effect on extinction of cats in the wild.
8) Raising and handling of big cats in captivity does not cause Cancer
9) Texas A & M University “Based on the data gained from their analysis in genetics it is apparent that among the white tigers and orange tigers sampled, there is no statistically significant differnece the tigers and it showed that the white tigers were outbred to orange tigers, maintaining high heterozygosity. It was clear from their results that white tigers presently in captivity are not significantly inbred.
10) There is no evidence that tigers bred and held in captivity in the US are entering the illegal markets, either as live animals or for their parts. Both the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the US Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) have acknowledged this fact.
11) Continued captive breeding of Big Cats in the US ensures a diverse gene pool for the future while we continue to address the challenges impacting wild habitat
Jack Hanna: “The most important thing is to preserve the world we live in. Unless people understand and learn about our world, habitats, and animals, they won’t understand that if we don’t protect those habitats, we’ll eventually destroy ourselves.
The world is the true classroom. The most rewarding and important type of learning is through experience, seeing something with our own eyes.”
Texas A & M University: “As the tiger population continuously decreases in the wild, it becomes increasing apparent that we must ensure the welface of the tigers in captivity.
As a flagship species, the tiger serves as an ambassador for tigers in the wild, as well as conservation in general.
Kevin Richardson, South African Zoologicast and Animal Behaviorist: “Big Cats are actually very tolerant of people if you respect them. I’ve developed very intimate relationships with my lions over fifteen and a half years, and it’s based on mutual respect.”
“Like human parenting, the best way to develop a bond is to start when they’re young. Despite conceptions, lions are not mindless man eaters.”
Jim Fowler of “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom: “reconnect families and children to the natural world by combining education and adventure by helping help affect public attitudes so more people care about the existence of the natural world and understand that “How We Treat the Earth” is vitally important to our human welfare.
Jackie Navarro is a veteran of the wild animal world: “Outreach education programs designed to reach disadvantaged youth. Through expert animal care and enrichment, Zoofari animals can live out a happy and healthy life while giving back to the community as “creature-teachers”.
ZAA & AZA Zoo’s: Issued the following statements to Washington, DC, that the bill purports to address public safety issues and issues of illegal trafficking in tigers and their parts,
however, advocates for the bill have shown little evidence to support these claims or to demonstrate a need for a federal ban on the breeding and transport of these animals. We believe that the bill’s
“findings” are misleading, and will ultimately have a negative impact on conservation and the survival of this critical and highly endangered species. Simply put, this bill attempts to chase recent negative
headlines regarding animal welfare, but is poorly crafted such that it has a number of unintended consequences. It will have a significant negative impact on critical conservation efforts.
Peter Gros has nearly 30 years of field experience with captive wildlife and special advisor of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom on Animal Planet: “It is possible to use our natural resources in a sustainable manner. We simply need to educate our nation’s youth about the importance of wildlife conservation.”