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Hi, I'm @rachael_bale, executive editor of Nat Geo's animals desk. I'm taking over @natgeo to answer your questions about #TigerKing 
, exotic animals in the U.S., and the wildlife trade. https://on.natgeo.com/2R3hSeG
, exotic animals in the U.S., and the wildlife trade. https://on.natgeo.com/2R3hSeG
There are more tigers in captivity in the U.S. than there are left in the wild. Most are privately owned, in roadside zoos, pseudo-sanctuaries, and backyards. This is a problem for a number of reasons. Our feature by @sguynup and @swfoto does a deep dive https://on.natgeo.com/2X4YKRA
Places like Joe Exotic's make their money by offering cub-petting. Who wouldn't want to play with a baby tiger? But that requires a constant supply of cubs—and in the end, there are a whole lot of adult tigers to feed. Then what?
Cubs can only interact with visitors from eight weeks old to 12 weeks, the law says. What's next? A life of breeding or exhibition maybe. There's evidence that some surplus tigers are killed.
One question I've gotten a lot is: What's the difference between Joe Exotic's zoo and Big Cat Rescue? A real sanctuary is a rescue organization. It doesn't breed or allow hands-on interactions, and it doesn't make animals perform or entertain.
Pseudo-sanctuaries abound, as @natashadaly and @kirstenluce found in their investigation of wildlife tourism around the world. https://on.natgeo.com/2R3KtAL
There's a wide range of zoos, too, from shabby roadside menageries to state-of-the-art parks like the San Diego Zoo. If you're not sure how to judge, we have some tips here. https://on.natgeo.com/2Rlndyn
You may have noticed all the white tigers in the show. DYK the white tiger is not a separate species? It's just a tiger that's white. They're extremely uncommon in the wild, but because people love the novelty, they've been intensively bred in captivity. Inbred, actually.
Joe Exotic isn't just in prison for plotting to have someone killed. He was also convicted on charges related to killing five of his tigers and illegally trading wildlife. https://on.natgeo.com/2wWHe7g
Elsewhere, tigers are bred in captivity to be slaughtered for the illegal trade in their skins, bones, teeth, and claws. Sometimes the facilities are legal, sometimes not. The illegal wildlife trade is one of the biggest threats to tigers in the wild. https://on.natgeo.com/2UZetPl
All of this captive-breeding of privately owned tigers in the U.S. is not considered useful for conservation, scientists say.
There are several tiger subspecies, each adapted to its specific habitat. But because most captive tigers are "generic"—of mixed bloodlines—they are not allowed to be part of the captive-breeding conservation programs that accredited zoos participate in.
