Private ownership of wild cats

Arizona Docent

Arizona Docent

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Check out the top video on this link, titled "An In(Cat)venient Truth." It is put out by the Feline Conservation Federation as a defence of private wild cat ownership. It is a bit lengthy, I think around 15 minutes, so you will have to be interested in the subject to watch it. He makes some very good points. Here are a few I like:

- The last 20 year average (1990-2009) of deaths by big cats in the U.S. is one per year.

- All of these deaths were people willingly involved in interacting or seeing cats. No one has ever been killed in this country because a pet cat escaped and wandered into their neighborhood.

- Many more people are killed by kites and vending machines than by wild cats.

- Zoos do some good breeding but do not have the space or resources to fully maintain the numbers needed for effective breeding populations.


Unfortunately, he makes one statement (twice) that is incorrect. He says all 36 species of cats are threatened or endangered, which is absolutely wrong. At least half a dozen are listed as Least Concern by IUCN.


For those of you with the stamina to watch this, what do you think?

http://www.felineconservation.org/organization/video-media.htm
 
They are good points. the whole consevation side of that is ridiculous though. 99.9% of those big cats kept privately would have no genetic value toward saving a species.
 
Also if everyone that used a chair, kite or vending machine also owned a big cat I am confident the number of deaths would be significantly higher.
 
I wouldn't trust anything being produced by an organization that accredits facilities that exploits exotic animals for their owners well-being. For instance, this organization accredited T.I.G.E.R.S, one of the most notorious animal training compounds in the US. Animals should not be exploited for human gain and certainly should not be owned privately.
 
Another comment on the breeding issue. Zoo's do have a stable breeding population, they have not only working professionals, but genetic and conservation experts with P.h.D's working on figures for breeding, zoo breeding is based on solid science. Breeding by organizations that this particular organization accredits is done for profit, either selling cubs to more private owners, or using their cats to make money in the entertainment industry and breeding more to keep the money flowing in. Any facility that breeds white tigers, tawny tigers or Ligers is clearly not trying to contribute to conservation, as they are not true species, just inbred individuals that suffer from a myriad of physical disorders. This "film" had a lot of propaganda in it to try to further their ability to breed privately for monitary gain and not for the good of conservation and certainly not for the well being of the cats they own.
 
Some questions:

- Many people die doing sports, would you prohibit skiing, sailing or parachuting?

- Suppose keeping of big cats is banned. What would happen to 1000's of cats already alive? How many would be killed?

- Would private keepers be interested in fundraising for conservation in the wild?

- Are zoos sufficently open-minded to cooperate, or they prefer to ignore/attack?

- Are private breeders interested in breeding plans at all? Would they keep to strict plans about eg. exchanging animals? Could zoos modify these plans in parts related to eg. outside inspection or approval?

- Could cats raised in zoos live as pets and vice versa? I guess zoo cats are raised with little human contact, and pet cats are often castrated.

- Are spaces in breeding plans really avialable/needed ? I think private breeders are mostly interested in lions, tigers and pumas, and these have enough spaces in accredited zoos. In contrast, there is lack of place in zoos for breeding pure leopard subspecies.
 
Jurek7 said:
Some questions:

- Would private keepers be interested in fundraising for conservation in the wild?

- Are private breeders interested in breeding plans at all? Would they keep to strict plans about eg. exchanging animals? Could zoos modify these plans in parts related to eg. outside inspection or approval?
Click to expand...

Yes, the Feline Conservation Federation actually does contribute money for nature reserves where wild cats reside.

Yes, private breeders can contribute to coordinated breeding plans (not that most do, but they can). There is a privatized equivalent of an SSP in place for geoffroy's cat, a species the AZA is not working with at all.
 
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