Key facts that 'Tiger King' missed about captive tigers
Netflix’s recent documentary miniseries Tiger King has wild animals, ex-felons, a brief presidential campaign, polygamy, a murder-for-hire plot, and a huge cast of eccentric characters. It follows Joseph Maldonado-Passage, better known as “Joe Exotic,” the owner of Oklahoma’s Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, which was, in its heyday, a prominent cub-petting, tiger-breeding operation and private zoo. Now Maldonado-Passage is serving 22 years in prison for plotting to have a critic murdered, killing five tigers, and illegally selling tigers across state lines.
Because the series is character-driven, it doesn’t spend a lot of time on the animal welfare and trade issues that surround the captive-tiger breeding industry. Exotic pets, captive wildlife, the illegal wildlife trade, and even Joe Exotic are topics National Geographic routinely covers, so here’s some contextual information.
Is tiger breeding conservation?
Some private tiger breeders argue that they’re helping shore up tigers, which are endangered in the wild. But their cats will never be released into the wild, both because they wouldn’t know how to fend for themselves and because of their genetics. There are multiple subspecies of tigers in the wild, each adapted to live in a certain part of the world. A Bengal tiger is not a Siberian tiger is not a Sumatran tiger. Most privately owned tigers in the U.S. are of mixed or unknown lineage and therefore are excluded from participating in captive-breeding efforts at accredited zoos and institutions that seek to preserve the subspecies.
What makes a good sanctuary or zoo?
According to the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, an accrediting organization, a true sanctuary exists to provide lifetime care to animals that have been abused, neglected, discarded, or are otherwise in need of help. A true sanctuary does not breed or allow hands-on interactions with animals, and it maintains high standards of care and operation.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/03/captive-tigers-joe-exotic-tiger-king/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=crm-email::src=ngp::cmp=editorial::add=Animals_20200402&rid=FB26C926963C5C9490D08EC70E179424
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