Not Your Lap Cat: Cruelty of Keeping Big Cats in Captivity
Tiger in Captivity, Lying Down (TheJakartaPost)
By Kaya Zhou
Not too long ago it was normal to see a tiger perform at the local circus, or to stop and marvel at an instagram post of a tame lion purring in someone’s lap. The appeal of big cats as domestic animals is understandable - after all, what is more fascinating than a majestic version of your orange tabby? However, owning large cats is highly unethical and imposes serious safety threats, as these are wild animals conditioned to attack by instinct and genetics, no matter how cute and cuddly they can appear. Smaller species such as servals and bengal cats may look more like domestic cats than their wild cousins, but that does not make it any more ethical or less dangerous to treat them as lap cats. In captivity, whether privately owned or in zoos, they are at high risk for abuse, often being roughly handled by roadside show visitors for exorbitant fees, or kept in cages where they are stressfully photographed for unending hours.
Although they may resemble your tabby with their fluffy paws and rumbling purrs, big cats kept in captivity are faced with a lifetime of behavioral and mental issues, posing a threat to their caretakers and even worse consequences to their own health - all to satisfy human greed and misguided fascination. While different species have different temperaments, big cats share destructive behaviors, such as urine marking and aggression, ingrained by wild instinct. Yes, they will spray your couch, in your flower pots - and your clothes are no exception! All species of big cats must have an outdoor space to roam in order to thrive, a need which can never be properly fulfilled by a life in captivity. In the wild, tigers routinely take down 500 pound antelope and cover territory of up to 40 miles daily. Tiger cubs in captivity are often separated from their mothers less than three weeks after they are born, taking away chances for them to develop social skills that they would otherwise naturally receive in the wild, leading to anxiety and a plethora of behavioral problems. When cubs are no longer small enough to be handled by customers, they are sold to the pet trade, roadside zoos, and some often end up being illegally “harvested” for their body parts. Surviving cubs are subject to a lifetime of developmental issues, without the enrichment opportunities that they would otherwise get in the wild from chasing prey or roaming territory; without the necessary environmental enrichment, these tigers are prone to medical depression.
“But it’s a conservation effort! Tigers are dying out and by breeding in captivity we are preserving the species!” Many roadside zoos attempt to justify their breeding of big cats in captivity by labeling their actions as being conservationist efforts. This is largely misguided and irresponsible because tigers under these organizations are often inbred to maintain their supply of cubs that they can display during entertainment shows; these tigers are unfit to be introduced into the wild and suffer severe genetic defects; this is no conservation effort, but merely an excuse to continue profiting off the exploitation of these animals. Big Cat Rescue organization reports that 98 percent of all wild big cat species die within two years after being taken into captivity, and the surviving few are prone to a lifetime of threatening illnesses from the lack of a proper nutritional diet and environmental enrichment. These statistics render any claims of justifying the breeding of wild cats born into a life in captivity as a conservation effort, absolutely ludicrous. Instead of touting inhumane breeding practices as conservation efforts, true efforts to protect the wild species of big cats should be turned to protecting their natural habitat as habitat degradation and loss of prey are key contributors to the dwindling wild populations.
If you find yourself attracted to the majestic physical appearance of wild cat species, there are many domestic breeds you can adopt! Breeds such as the Bengal, Bombay, and Maine Coons share the beautiful fur patterns and majestic features of their wild ancestors, but most importantly, they will thrive from a life as your lap cat – unlike a wild Serval who will be subject to a lifetime of clinical disorders in captivity! Otherwise, you can support the wild population by donating to organizations such as Panthera, or non-profits such as Big Cat Conservation who care for animals discarded by roadside zoos once they’ve passed theage of performance, and irresponsible people who could not deal with their adopted tiger spraying their furniture. The exotic pet trade is incredibly inhumane for the animals, and unsafe for the people involved – owning big cats extends beyond an animal welfare issue, and has serious implications to public safety. Subjecting a big cat to a life in captivity, housed in a cage where they cannot roam free, would be akin to locking a human in a jail cell for life, for a crime they did not commit – cruel, unjustified, and unforgivable.
