Big Cat Rescue Letter to LSU Vet

Dear David,

I am sorry to hear of the death of the LSU tiger. Even more disappointed to hear of your plans to replace the tiger with a cub. Living creatures should not be used as props for our entertainment. Tigers are creatures of amazing strength, their symbolism is magnificent. As part of an accredited university, I would think that you would be up to par on the attitudes of the new generation regarding the life of these magnificent animals in captivity.

Tigers in the wild roam territories that expand hundreds of miles. Life in captivity is an unjust jail sentence. A one acre cage does not even compare to a 400 square mile territory. These animals are predators, existing only to do what their instincts tell them. They are hunters, always on the prowl, protecting their territory and keeping nature in balance.

By filling your empty cage with a cub, you are just perpetuating animal abuse. A tiger in a cage serves no purpose for conservation of the species. A tiger in a cage is just a prop, for your own entertainment. Entertainment at the expense of many lives. There are hundreds of adult tigers in need of homes because people unwittingly acquired them as cubs and realized later that they did not have the means to care for such an animal. If you wanted to do something for the species, you would offer sanctuary to one of these soon to be euthanized animals. You might only purchase one cub, but what fate did the littermates suffer? Any buying, selling, or trading of animals creates a market for them, leading more and more animals who suffer injustices.

Not only are there many unwanted adults, but the problem of discarded cubs is often even greater. Tigers are bred for entertainment, only a very small percentage of tigers that are born can actually be used for this purpose. Most are exploited as cubs, put on public display as cute and cuddly babies. As they grow, which happens very quickly, they become unmanageable and are no longer of use. Zoos sell them to brokers, who sell them to the public to be pets, breeders, targeted in canned hunts, or killed and harvested for their parts.

An accredited zoo would not offer you one of their tiger cubs. Their animals are registered to participate in species survival plans. Their genes are necessary for their species preservation efforts. The only places that would offer you a tiger cub for sale are back yard breeders and pseudo-sanctuaries who breed to make a profit, not help the species.

There are no tiger cubs born to real sanctuaries. Sanctuaries are here to clean up the mess created by irresponsible breeding. People acquire tigers as cubs, then realize within the first year that they can not take care of such a creature. The mission of a true sanctuary is education. Through education, we can stop the suffering and abuse of animals, as well as create conservation efforts.

Please take a moment to research your decision. The attitudes of this generation are ever evolving, thus you will find that society no longer supports the use of tigers as props.

www.BigCatRescue.org/lawsbigcatbans.htm

For the cats,

Tiffany Deavor of Big Cat Rescue
an Educational Sanctuary home
to more than 100 big cats
12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL 33625
813.493.4564 fax 885.4457
http://www.BigCatRescue.org MakeADifference@BigCatRescue.org