Why Do Big Cats Trade Illegal
MA4 Essay- The Illegal Big cat trade The illegal trade of big cats is leading them and the entire world towards annihilation. This is because they keep herbivores from taking over and decimating plants. Not only that, but what they are used for is sickening. They are pointlessly killed for “medicine” that has not been scientifically proven to work, trophy pets, and for cash grabs towards tourists that are none the wiser. This business needs to be stopped or at the very least become so minuscule that the effects are not as rampant as they are today.
According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife, the illegal trade of big cats and their parts is a worldwide, multimillion dollar business. While this detestable practice may not be completely eradicated, …show more content…
An article by a student in the University of Lincoln and others stated that circus animals were poorly fed, kept in too small cages, given low stimulation, subjected to human interaction which is not natural for wild animals, constant movement, and much more. Those that only have big cats as pets to show off to others are not going to provide the best care for the animal as they are not an expert in big cats. They either don’t care or have a misguided sense of what is best for the cats. Individuals who get big cat cubs are more than likely to give them up as they get older because they don’t realize either how big the cat gets or how difficult it is to care for big cats. Disreputable cub pettings/ photoshoots are a horrendous procedure that takes a cub away from their mother and forces the cub to stay awake and be handled by strangers. Methods to keep the cub awake as shown in a video by Big Cat Rescue include shaking, bouncing, making sure their head stays up, and rubbing their stomachs which for cats is a weak point thus why most don’t like to be touched there. They are also fed a poor diet of formula and raw meat which is like trying to feed a newborn steak. Big cat hybrids may look cool, but many suffer from numerous health …show more content…
“The Black Death : Cures.” BBC, BBC, 2014, www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/history/middle_ages/the_black_death/revision/5/.
Big Cat Allies. “Big Cats in the Wild.” Big Cat Allies, Big Cat Allies, www.bigcatallies.org/programs/wild/.
Big Cat Rescue. “Interaction with Big Cats Leads to Illegal Trafficking.” Big Cat Rescue, Big Cat Rescue, 12 Sept. 2016, bigcatrescue.org/interaction-big-cats-leads-illegal-trafficking/.
Big Cat Rescue. The Horrors of Cub Petting. YouTube, Big Cat Rescue, 3 Oct. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iq4kAOT0NM.
D'Cruze, Neil and David Macdonald. "Clouded in Mystery: The Global Trade in Clouded Leopards." Biodiversity & Conservation, vol. 24, no. 14, 15 Dec. 2015, pp. 3505-3526. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s10531-015-1010-9.
Iossa, Graziella, et al. “Are Wild Animals Suited to a Travelling Circus Life? Animal Welfare.”Research Gate, Research Gate, May 2009, www.researchgate.net/publication/228662205_Are_wild_animals_suited_to_a_travelling_circus_life_Animal_Welfare.
Lion Alert. “Africa Needs Lions.” Lion Alert, Lion Alert, lionalert.org/page/about-us.
“Ligers Health Problems.” Ligers – Part Lion, Part Tiger, Ligers, 18 Oct. 2012,
According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife, the illegal trade of big cats and their parts is a worldwide, multimillion dollar business. While this detestable practice may not be completely eradicated, …show more content…
An article by a student in the University of Lincoln and others stated that circus animals were poorly fed, kept in too small cages, given low stimulation, subjected to human interaction which is not natural for wild animals, constant movement, and much more. Those that only have big cats as pets to show off to others are not going to provide the best care for the animal as they are not an expert in big cats. They either don’t care or have a misguided sense of what is best for the cats. Individuals who get big cat cubs are more than likely to give them up as they get older because they don’t realize either how big the cat gets or how difficult it is to care for big cats. Disreputable cub pettings/ photoshoots are a horrendous procedure that takes a cub away from their mother and forces the cub to stay awake and be handled by strangers. Methods to keep the cub awake as shown in a video by Big Cat Rescue include shaking, bouncing, making sure their head stays up, and rubbing their stomachs which for cats is a weak point thus why most don’t like to be touched there. They are also fed a poor diet of formula and raw meat which is like trying to feed a newborn steak. Big cat hybrids may look cool, but many suffer from numerous health …show more content…
“The Black Death : Cures.” BBC, BBC, 2014, www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/history/middle_ages/the_black_death/revision/5/.
Big Cat Allies. “Big Cats in the Wild.” Big Cat Allies, Big Cat Allies, www.bigcatallies.org/programs/wild/.
Big Cat Rescue. “Interaction with Big Cats Leads to Illegal Trafficking.” Big Cat Rescue, Big Cat Rescue, 12 Sept. 2016, bigcatrescue.org/interaction-big-cats-leads-illegal-trafficking/.
Big Cat Rescue. The Horrors of Cub Petting. YouTube, Big Cat Rescue, 3 Oct. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iq4kAOT0NM.
D'Cruze, Neil and David Macdonald. "Clouded in Mystery: The Global Trade in Clouded Leopards." Biodiversity & Conservation, vol. 24, no. 14, 15 Dec. 2015, pp. 3505-3526. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s10531-015-1010-9.
Iossa, Graziella, et al. “Are Wild Animals Suited to a Travelling Circus Life? Animal Welfare.”Research Gate, Research Gate, May 2009, www.researchgate.net/publication/228662205_Are_wild_animals_suited_to_a_travelling_circus_life_Animal_Welfare.
Lion Alert. “Africa Needs Lions.” Lion Alert, Lion Alert, lionalert.org/page/about-us.
“Ligers Health Problems.” Ligers – Part Lion, Part Tiger, Ligers, 18 Oct. 2012,