From small to big cats: they're "Not A Dog On A Chain"!
"Right now, there are more tigers in captivity in the United States than there are in the wild. You’ve probably seen people on Instagram petting or bottle feeding an exotic cat cub. Often, the handler makes a really compelling case about how it’s helping conservation but it’s not. At all.
Exotic cat cubs can only be used for public interactions during a small window of their early lives, so the mother cats are ‘sped bred’ so they constantly produce new babies. And the babies are often starved so they’ll drink on command for the camera. When they are no longer profitable they’re often sold to a roadside zoo to live out their lives as a tourist attraction confined in a cage, or they’re killed.
No matter what the person taking your money says – if you’re allowed to touch an exotic cat, you are not at a true sanctuary and that animal is not being properly cared for. ...
That’s why true sanctuaries are so important to support.
I met Maverick – a tiger rescued from a famous musician who didn’t have proper permitting or the training to raise a 400lb tiger.
I met Hank – who spent the first decade of his life in prison-like conditions at a breeding facility. He’s a white tiger which isn’t a species that occurs naturally in the wild. It’s a result of inbreeding fathers with daughters and granddaughters often resulting in chronic health issues, mental impairments and facial malformations.
I met Shadow – a black leopard rescued from a “sanctuary” that had to be shut down after a tiger mauling. Shadow was declawed, resulting in lifelong pain and trouble walking.
The Big Cat Public Safety Act will make any interactions with exotic cats illegal – immediately protecting so many animals from a life of torture. It is so important to contact your representative and urge them to support this bill.
You can also encourage your friends and family to support true sanctuaries like Lions Tigers and Bears and steer clear of places that perpetuate a lifetime of suffering for these beautiful creatures".~ Minka Kelly, Ambassador, IFAW