Big Cat Captivity Essay

Sarah Sosa
Jamie Buehler
English 100B
May 12, 2023
The Problem with Big Cat Captivity
In America alone, many big cats like lions, tigers, cheetahs, and leopards, are being held in captivity where they are abused and mistreated instead of being in the wild where they belong. Owning a big cat has become very common especially because many people use them to make a profit. Many private zoos claim to be sanctuaries but do not care for the cats as they should be cared for. Many people pay to take pictures or even just to pet big cats, especially cubs because of how cute people think they are. Big cats are even being killed so that people can buy and sell their body parts not only for profit but also for certain medicine practices. These animals

A real big cat sanctuary aims to help big cats and make sure they are living a healthy lifestyle while still being in captivity. Those that falsely claim to be sanctuaries exploit the big cats and profit from them by using them for entertainment, breeding them, and selling or trading them. For example, an article called “The Dark Side of Big Cat ‘Sanctuaries’” by Terry Mukera mentions Joe Exotic from the documentary “Tiger King” who bred his big cats which is the opposite of what real sanctuaries would do. According to an article by the Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance titled “Q&A Big Cats in Captivity”, real big cat sanctuaries are non-profit organizations that help big cats in need and “do not breed, buy, sell, or trade animals” and do not let them come into contact with the public. The article also explains that many of the big cats at sanctuaries are held in captivity for a special reason. For example, big cats that are born in captivity will not survive if released into the wild; therefore they must be kept in captivity. There are also big cats with genetic mutations that lead to many health issues, which is why many of them are held at these sanctuaries. If big cats need to be held in captivity, like those with genetic mutations, it is important that they are being kept in real big

By helping big cat conservation, we would also be helping the environment as big cats play a huge role in our environment. According to an article called “Want to save the planet? Focus on wild cats” by John Goodrich, “jaguar range, which overlaps with most of the Americas' tropical forests, provides 17 percent of the world's carbon storage and sequestration, directly benefiting 53 million people in Latin America.” The habitats of these big cats are helping both the environment and people. The article also claims that big cats also help other ecosystems. By killing animals they also feed insects, birds, and other animals. Without big cats, other animals that rely on them and their ecosystems will also suffer. John Goodrich mentions that programs that help protect big cats and their environments will also help our environment because they “know how to protect, recover and monitor them, and… [t]hese programs have increased biodiversity, carbon storage, water availability and livelihoods. Areas with tigers are better protected from poaching and illegal activities that result in habitat degradation.” With more big cat conservation programs, more big cats will be protected and safe as well as their environments which also help us and our environments. Not only will these programs benefit big cats but humans as