Big Cat Fight

The number of tigers in captivity is growing as wild tiger populations decline. Can private owners help save a species?

March 15, 2008

Brian Werner, a leading advocate for private owners of tigers and other big cats, is founder and president of the Tiger Missing Link Foundation—its motto, “Saving Tigers One By One”—and director of Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge, which houses and educates the public about over 40 rescued big cats in Tyler, Texas. THE EFFECTIVENESS of tiger conservation programs should be rated by the numbers of living tigers. Are the numbers of these animals increasing? The answer is clearly NO; in fact, they are decreasing in numbers. This shows that the monetary "investment" and the current trend of conservation planning are NOT successful, and that it is time for a change. Continue . . .

Philip J. Nyhus, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Colby College, has published over 40 scholarly articles and book chapters on human-wildlife conflict and endangered species conservation.  Ron Tilson is director of conservation at the Minnesota Zoo and coordinator of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's captive breeding program for tigers. They have worked together  frequently in the field in Asia. THROUGHOUT Asia, wild tiger populations and their habitats are in peril. Recent studies suggest the world's wild tiger population may have declined by half in the past quarter of a century, and tigers today occupy only about 7 percent of their historical range. Continue . . .

(Annie Gottlieb)

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“Big Cat Fight” Comment Received:

Falco, from Indiana, USA, writes:

     Looking over the Tiger Link website, I was astounded at how little information there was. It’s merely a place to listen to pretty music and look at pretty pictures. Oh, ... you can donate money there too. Where is the information on tiger genetics? Where is ANY information?

     As for the current argument... Mr. Werner states: “Private holdings represent 97 percent of the tiger genomes, but they are not being properly documented or managed.” Therein lies the crux of the issue. First off, if DNA testing has not been done on the vast majority of privately held tigers, where does the number of 97% come from? A guess...? I agree that the privately held animals are “...not being properly documented or managed.” This is THE problem, and it is not going to change. It is a fantasy to expect this to change. “Pet” and circus owners are not going to be spending money to DNA test their animals. Most of them can’t even afford decent food and housing for their animals. Even if they did, is Tigerlink going to be making breeding recommendations? How would they discourage or encourage private owners to mate genetically significant animals to the correct animals? How many private owners would realistically be willing to send their “pets” off for breeding (perhaps permanently) as is done with the populations controlled by the AZA? How many circuses are going to send off their trained cats? There is no impetus to encourage any of this.

     The author admits “Many of the current captive tiger populations suffer from hip dysplasia, cross-eyes, weakened immune systems, abnormalities, and birth defects.” Add in all of the “White Tigers” and you probably have a majority of genetically useless animals. Do you think the owners will be willing to allow these animals to be removed from the captive gene pool? Of course not. People will still be inbreeding and crossbreeding for fun and profit. There can, and should be, only ONE organizing body to test for genetics and control pairings. It already exists. Rather than try to reinvent the wheel (and a bad one at that), Brian Werner should bring what very (very) few genetically pure tigers he can find, and incorporate them into the existing AZA, SSP breeding program. Likewise, the AZA needs to get over its self-importance and take these animals into account. There are a few good facilities out there, even if they have [not?] become AZA certified. The AZA needs to realize that the world doesn’t revolve around it. Just like they learned with the elephant sanctuary fiasco, they aren’t necessarily the only game in town. It’s time to put the animals first, not the personalities. (03/22/2008)