Sent a letter to President Obama re: Generic Tigers

The Humane Society of the United States asked me to collaborate on a letter to the POTUS.

 

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

 

Dear President Obama:

 

On behalf of Big Cat Rescue, one of the largest accredited sanctuaries in the world dedicated entirely to abused and abandoned tigers and other exotic cats, I write in strong support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal to remove mixed lineage, or “generic”, tigers from the list of animals that are exempt from registration under the Endangered Species Act Captive-Bred Wildlife (“CBW”) regulations. 76 Fed. Reg. 52297 (Aug. 22, 2011); 50 C.F.R. § 17.21(g). The generic tiger exemption has led to a proliferation of tigers in unqualified facilities, undermining animal welfare, public safety and conservation efforts. Additionally, the sanctuary community has been left to take in and care for numerous abandoned tigers that are often cast aside once they grow too large to be used for direct contact with the public and are therefore no longer considered profitable. As this rule would provide the requisite federal oversight needed for thousands of generic tigers who are bred and housed in substandard conditions, Big Cat Rescue urges the Administration to take swift action to finalize the rule.

 

Big Cat Rescue is a non-profit educational sanctuary devoted to rescuing and providing a permanent home for exotic cats who have been abused, abandoned, bred to be pets, retired from performing acts, or saved from being slaughtered for fur coats. As part of its mission, Big Cat Rescue works to educate the public about these animals and the issues facing them in captivity. Big Cat Rescue is home to the most diverse population of exotic cats in the world, with 10 of the 35 species of wild cats represented. Currently, Big Cat Rescue is housing 90 residents.  These include tigers, lions, leopards, cougars, bobcats, lynx, ocelots, servals, caracals and others, many of whom are threatened, or endangered.

 

By best estimates there are more tigers living in the U.S. today than exist in the wild, though the total number of captive tigers is unknown (in part because of the CBW exemption for generic tigers, which has facilitated rampant breeding by unqualified entities and eliminated necessary oversight). Nearly all of these generic tigers are held at unaccredited breeding facilities, roadside zoos, traveling zoos, pseudo-sanctuaries, circuses and private menageries. Many roadside zoos and traveling menageries in the U.S. profit from a constant supply of infant tiger cubs used for public contact exhibition (petting, play sessions, bottle feeding, photo ops, and swim with tiger cub programs).  At just a few months of age, the tigers can no longer be used for these types of ventures, whereupon they are often discarded and sanctuaries, like Big Cat Rescue, are called upon to provide care for these generic tigers.

 

The breeders and dealers do not contact Big Cat Rescue for placement directly, because they know it is our policy to require that anyone giving up a big cat never own one again, so it is the hapless private owner who ends up calling us.  After cubs are no longer profitable they are often given away to people as pets.  By the time the cats are a year old and twice the size of their owners, is when we get the call to rescue them.

 

Big Cat Rescue is currently home to 13 tigers and has been the final home for 17 more tigers over the years.  Proper care for one big cat at Big Cat Rescue requires a financial commitment of approximately $10,000 per year, with tigers in captivity living for approximately 20 years. This places a large financial burden on sanctuaries that care for these animals.  Just these 30 tigers have meant a commitment of resources exceeding five million dollars.  We have been asked to rescue an additional 42 tigers during the same time frame (1999-2015) but