US Bear and Cat Species

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Atrox1214

Member
10+ year member
Hello All,

I was thinking recently that, off the top of my head that it seems like all of the black and brown bears, as well as all the cougars, that I've encountered in zoos have either been orphans or animals that were injured and couldn't go back to the wild. Are there breeding programs for any of these species in zoos? What about smaller species like bobcat? I guess I could ask the same question about grey wolves, are most of them captive bred?
 
My understanding is that at least in AZA accredited zoos, the answer is that there are not breeding programs for any of those five species (exempting Mexican Grey Wolves for grey wolves obviously), primarily because they are not currently seen as conservation risks in need of a captive population, unlike other species that could occupy the same spaces (this may change with respect to black and brown bears given the issues with the viability of the polar bear population, the main population that would use the same spaces). Additionally, there is a regular need for space for animals that have to be re-homed (either unreleasable orphans or nuisance animals).

All that being said, however, many unaccredited zoos (and I assume some AZA zoos) do regularly breed these species.
 
@Okapi Lover is exactly right. Pumas (aka cougars) are bred in the private sector and at non-AZA facilities, but the AZA only works with orphans (there was at least one litter born a few years ago at an AZA zoo, though I forget which one). The same is true for American black bears. Wolves I think are bred more often. In the AZA it is mostly Mexican gray wolves or red wolves, but generic gray wolves are bred at non-AZA facilities. Brown bears (aka grizzly bears) I think are all orphans. I don't know of anyone breeding them in USA, though there may be a couple non-AZA places that I do not know of.

One place that regularly breeds North American predators is Triple D Game Farm, a facility that provides animals in natural settings for photographers and film makers (and charges hefty fees for the privilege). They do baby photo/film sessions every spring/summer with both large and small predators, whatever they happened to have that year. Species available can include puma (cougar), bobcat, Canada lynx, skunk (striped?), raccoon, badger, black bear, gray wolf, coyote, etc. They also have a couple non-American predators (tiger and snow leopard), but I don't think they breed those.

This begs the question of what happens to those babies when they get older. I know some are placed at reputable non-AZA zoos, because I have seen a couple of their gray wolves at Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Obviously animal rights extremists don't like game farms like this. Even some zoo supporters find them questionable because they are raising babies for profit with no guarantee there will be space for them when they get older and they are not part of a coordinated breeding program like SSP. Also it is believed the animals live in very sparse quarters when they are not being filmed or trained. I have mixed feelings about it myself, though I have never done one of their photo workshops largely due to the cost involved.
 
There's a few non-AZA places that breed both bear species, primarily for cub photo-ops with visitors. All of the ones in AZA are orphans, nuisance animals, or confiscated pets. There's never enough homes for the animals that fit into those three categories.
 
Okapi Lover said:
My understanding is that at least in AZA accredited zoos, the answer is that there are not breeding programs for any of those five species (exempting Mexican Grey Wolves for grey wolves obviously), primarily because they are not currently seen as conservation risks in need of a captive population, unlike other species that could occupy the same spaces (this may change with respect to black and brown bears given the issues with the viability of the polar bear population, the main population that would use the same spaces). Additionally, there is a regular need for space for animals that have to be re-homed (either unreleasable orphans or nuisance animals).

All that being said, however, many unaccredited zoos (and I assume some AZA zoos) do regularly breed these species.
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Probably Fish and Wildlife prefers zoos do not breed such species due to the need for homes for orphans and problem animals. There is a constant stream of such animals and there is never enough spaces. If zoos were regularly breeding black bears, grizzlies, and puma there would quickly be no more spaces to hold them. I know F&W imposed the no-breeding moratorium on Sea Otter to make sure there were spaces for any unreleasable pups. Given that with the animals in question here (with the exception of Mexican Gray Wolves, as noted earlier) are not of any conservation concern, I think the situation of generally no breeding is not a problem.
 
TinoPup said:
There's a few non-AZA places that breed both bear species, primarily for cub photo-ops with visitors. All of the ones in AZA are orphans, nuisance animals, or confiscated pets. There's never enough homes for the animals that fit into those three categories.
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Can you name facilities that breed brown bears?
 
Arizona Docent said:
Can you name facilities that breed brown bears?
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In North Carolina there's Cherokee bear zoo. Hollywild currently has cubs you can "cuddle", they call them "Syrian" brown bears so who knows if they're eurasian or even american. Santa's Land Fun Park just has black bears, I think.

I'm not sure of locations further west, I've been focused on east coast zoos lately, but I imagine there's others.
 
Arizona Docent said:
Yes but a lot of these ads are scams, so the cubs may or may not actually exist. There are also ads for cheetah cubs online but I guarantee you cannot buy a cheetah cub in the USA.
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Legally anyway at least. However, the more difficult breeding habits of the cheetah doesn't lend itself to private breeders I imagine. It wouldn't surprise me for the odd cub to pop up knowing the habits of the exotic animal trade, but I would guess extremely rarely at most.

Curious @Arizona Docent , you seem to have visited a number of big cat sanctuaries; how often do you see cheetah rescues? I can't imagine there's many if they're even around?
I recall seeing some recent pictures you took at some place way out of the way that had cheetahs, but I don't remember the name of the place to look it up.
 
I don't think you can really compare the species. The cheetah is an endangered species, and has been for a long time. The brown bear isn't, and is much more easily obtainable and easier to breed.
A few refuge type places in the USA have a cheetah or two, but they are all animals from zoos or directly imported from Africa to go to a zoo. It is absolutely impossible to get one as a pet, none are true rescues.

It's another story in the middle east, where the laws have been lax. The #1 problem cheetahs currently face is no longer hunters/farmers or environment related, it's people taking them to keep as pets. Primarily rich idiots who get cubs, feed them starbucks and mcdonalds all day, then have them die at a few months old, just to turn around and get another.

They are sometimes sold on social media, but it's not something you'll easily come across.
 
Arizona Docent said:
Yes but a lot of these ads are scams, so the cubs may or may not actually exist. There are also ads for cheetah cubs online but I guarantee you cannot buy a cheetah cub in the USA.
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I've seen lots of Black Bears for sale before, most of them being adults. I don't think they're as uncommon as you think. Brown Bears seem to be more uncommon, though. Mountain Lions are common as well, there's one for sale near Green Bay right now. :p
 
EsserWarrior said:
I've seen lots of Black Bears for sale before, most of them being adults. I don't think they're as uncommon as you think. Brown Bears seem to be more uncommon, though. Mountain Lions are common as well, there's one for sale near Green Bay right now. :p
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I was referring specifically to brown bears.
 
Single Vision in Florida has cubs that were born a couple of weeks ago. Not sure if they're black or brown bears, they have both species and don't seem to really separate them. Security Check Required
 
Never heard of Single Vision, but the link you supplied above is reading on my screen as "security check required" so I am afraid to click on it.
 
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