In the wave of Really Bad Takes I keep seeing after Tiger King, I want to talk about some big cat facts.

There is a reason that zoo tigers, bred for profit, can only die in a cage and can't be returned to the wild.
They're all HYBRIDS.

But wait? They're not ligers?

Nope, but they're still hybrids. There are MULTIPLE sub-species of tigers (NINE, 3 are extinct). If you go to an accredited zoo, and see a tiger, it'll specify which type of tiger it is. For example, there are only about 20 South China tigers LEFT.

Profit based cub breeding schemes don't actually give a shit about conservation, so don't bother to understand it. They'll say "We're saving tigers, look, we bred so many!" but they aren't. There's still only 20 South China Tigers. They almost certainly will go extinct.

When your only focus is "more tiger babies" you don't care where you get your boy and girl tigers. One is a bengal. One is a Siberian (Amur), who cares. they're both tigers?

Even WORSE, most of these are then in-bred farther to produce genetic mutations. White, strawberry, etc.

You know that roadside zoos are the reason people think white tigers are legitimately their own species and not basically the pug of tigers, right? They crafted that lie.

Wait, "pug of tigers?"
Meet Kenny.

Kenny is famous, because he wasn't KILLED as a cub for being deformed. Like MOST white tigers. Yes, the white tiger gene is recessive, so to get white tigers you're breeding mother to cubs, to siblings, etc, and a good portion come out cross eyed and disabled. Most are culled.

The same goes for all of the other "AMAZING" color morphs you see of wildlife in these roadside zoos.

To even PRETEND that these tigers could return to the wild IF they weren't extreme hybrids would be like pretending you could save a wolf population by introducing Bulldogs.

So, I bring all this up because places like Big Cat Rescue, which has a top score in Charity Navigator, exist to take these absolutely garbage genetic animals that have ZERO benefit to conservation, and give them a home. They don't SHOOT them. https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=8804

Is it sad that these tigers have been bred to be such hybrid messes that their only happy ending is being in a good enclosure that feeds them and doesn't abuse them until they die? Hell yeah it is.

That's why it's important to end cub breeding for profit.

I'm just ANGRY that that docu-drama series didn't touch on this at all. It left with people going "Well Doc, Joe, and Carol are ALL equally bad VILLAINS" when only one of them is fighting for conservation, and actually trying to STOP anti-conservation via breeing junk animals.

I get it, she's a woman who dresses funky with animal print. hahaa, just as bad as those sex/animal traffickers, amirite?

And before any one even brings it up

ACCREDITED ZOOS
OPERATE
ON VOLUNTEERS

My local zoo's volunteer program I'm desperate to join. https://www.oregonzoo.org/get-involved/volunteer-zoo

I just have a lot of emotions about big cats, and I am tired of hearing people thinking Carol is as bad as everyone else before of made up reasons, half of which "She just lets the cats DIE and doesn't try to return them to the wild!" she can't. They can't.

Also, if you ever have friends who are flying to Thailand, PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE warn them about Tiger Temple/all other versions of tiger petting schemes/etc, because those places are actually even worse than Joe Exotic, because they actually put a very pretty lie on top.

Tiger Temple pretends it's run by Buddhist monk conversationalists who care and love the tigers, look how HAPPY they are. You can even pet ADULT tigers! Not even Joe Exotic had people pet adult tigers, because you have to DRUG them which I guess is harder to get away with.

There are exactly ZERO institutions where you can pet a tiger that aren't abusive to the animals. If you pet a tiger? Eh, that's okay. you didn't know. Just don't do it again, and don't share that picture.

And DEFINITELY don't equate conservation facilities with roadside zoos.

One more thing:
"Yeah, Carol helps tigers but she killed her husband"

Bc a skewed docu-drama series only interviewed people who hated her said so?

... because no one working to start an international animal trafficking facility and loaning money to criminals...ever disappeared.

Just to clarify something I noticed: My first tweet I said "zoo tigers" but I meant "Roadside zoo tigers"

Accredited zoos with breeding programs and a focus on conservation actually have incredibly strict rules governing which cats can breed and when with a focus on genetics.

I guess since this is getting bigger:
Big Cat Rescue DOES have problems, and none of those were addressed in the docu-series. (They seem to be against the very existence of regulated and accredited zoos, too)
But equating them to Doc and Joe is harmful to conservation.

Muting to focus on me today.
Please dm me if you have any info I should add to the thread.

And a hint of self promotion as I lost most my income through July...
I make big and wild cat pins plus lots of other cat and wildlife art and plush. https://twitter.com/KikiDoodleTweet/status/1239355147219644416?s=19