Why Big Cats Should Never Be Kept As Pets
According to the international animal welfare charity Four Paws, there are currently at least 2,000 big cats being kept in captivity in poor conditions across Europe. Inadequate care and unsuitable housing lead to stereotypical behavior, malnutrition, and illness, with other problems also arising from inbreeding and uncontrolled reproduction. These issues are compounded when private owners and circuses breed big cats without ensuring that they have a suitable and permanent homes available for the offspring, leaving those animals at risk of either being euthanized or illegally traded.
Despite the well-documented animal welfare issues, in many countries and in four states in the US it is legal for private owners to keep big cats. Since most private owners lack sufficient experience and expertise, their animals suffer due to unsuitable housing and poor care. Even in zoos, big cats are often kept in poor conditions such as cramped concrete cages lacking adequate enrichment. Often this results in the animals becoming permanently stressed and suffering illness and other psychological issues as a result.
Exotic pets belong in their natural habitat
All exotic pets, including lions, tigers and other big cats, belong in their natural habitat rather than in the hands of private individuals who lack specialized expertise. By their nature, wild animals are not only dangerous, but they find it incredibly difficult to adjust to a captive environment.
In the US, most states fail to keep accurate records of the number of exotic animals entering the state, making it impossible to track how many are privately owned as pets. However, the number is believed to be high, with an estimated 5,000 tigers alone owned by private individuals across the country in total.
There are also concerns about how big cat breeds are sourced. Commercial breeders show little consideration for genetics and health, crossbreeding cats intentionally to produce unnatural hybrids such as tigons and ligers, or inbreeding them to produce white tigers. This can result in a wide range of severe and chronic health problems. Big cats bred prolifically in captivity are often subject to neglect and abuse. In addition, some diseases—such as E. coli, Toxoplasmosis, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and ringworm—are transmissible from animals to humans, particularly via bites and scratch wounds that can turn into bacterial infections.
Over 300 big cat attacks have been reported in the US since 1990
All big cats, including those born in captivity, have innate wild instincts that make them potentially very dangerous to humans. When they attack, they strike suddenly and without warning with catastrophic results. In the United States, over 300 big cat attacks have been reported since 1990, resulting in 24 human deaths, including four children. Many more people have sustained traumatic injuries in wild cat attacks. Experts believe these reported figures represent just a fraction of the true numbers, with most injuries going unreported.
In most states and countries, trading exotic animals is tightly regulated or illegal. The black market for exotic pets is a huge industry which experts estimate to be worth somewhere in the region of $15 billion per year. Animals sourced in the wild are taken away from their families and natural habitats, kept in inhumane conditions, and neglected. By participating in the trade of exotic wild animals, private owners are effectively helping to destroy the very animals that they claim to love. After all, if no one purchased illegally traded exotic animals, no one would sell them, and there would be no need to take them from the wild.
Big cats suffer an inordinate amount of stress
Snatched from their families and natural environments and placed in captivity, big cats suffer an inordinate amount of stress, potentially triggering “zoochosis,” a type of psychosis that is characterized by pacing and acts of aggression, leading some animals to eventually turn on their caretakers. These attacks are typically born out of frustration. Due to their large size, big cats can easily overpower humans. A very large and natural-born hunter like a big cat is a completely unsuitable candidate for domestication and life in a family home
Zoos with Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation will generally not accept big cats from private owners due to their unknown genetic history. The responsibility of rehoming unwanted wild big cats often falls upon animal sanctuaries, burdening them with expensive rescue operations and lifelong care of the animal. Many cats arrive with existing health conditions, requiring specialized care and expensive medications that further inflate rehoming costs.
In conclusion
Requiring a special diet, care, and housing, along with a maintenance regimen that an ordinary household would struggle to provide, big cats do not make good pets. When private owners realize they can no longer care for their pets, they often turn to zoos and sanctuaries for help. However, with so many exotic pets being abandoned by their owners, it would be impossible for such accredited institutions to accommodate all of these unwanted animals. Consequently, most of them are abandoned, euthanized, or left to live in deplorable conditions.
For those in the United States with concerns about captive big cats, Born Free USA offers an online reporting form on its website, as well as useful guidance on who to contact and how.