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Due to their limited status, many tigers are in captivity.\u00a0 This is to help researchers learn more about them, as well as allowing a way for humans to see them up close and personal.\u00a0 The hope is that bringing people to see them will get them interested in protecting these animals (Tigers-world.com, 2009).\u00a0 The majority of tigers in captivity are found in both zoos and belonging to circus acts.\u00a0 Others are in captivity due to being injured in the wild (ie. sanctuary).\u00a0 Those that can be cared for and successfully returned to their natural habitat are.\u00a0 Many people are also purchasing tigers as pets.\u00a0 It is estimated there are around 10,000 to 15,000 tigers now kept as pets or in private facilities in the US.\u00a0 Experts estimate that there are at most 7000 wild tigers (Bethge, 2006).<\/p>\n
Since less than half of the cubs survive in the wild, there are proper techniques in place to help ensure their survival in captivity.\u00a0 Some tiger cubs are removed from their mothers and cared for by humans to ensure they get adequate nutrition and even medical care that may be necessary (Tigers-world.com, 2009).\u00a0 Tigers-world.com also states that the environment in captivity to be as close to what a tiger would experience in the wild.\u00a0 It helps them to be able to survive as nature intended and to reduce stress levels.\u00a0 This is even more important if the tiger originally lived in the wild.<\/p>\n
Taking care of a captive tiger is no easy task.\u00a0 Big cats are unique to their nutritional requirements.\u00a0 They require diets very high in protein and fat, considerably higher than that of other large carnivores or domestic carnivores (Hines, 2012).\u00a0 Vitamin A is also important to a tiger\u2019s diet, as like their small domestic cousins, tigers have also lost the ability to convert carotenoids into vitamin A.\u00a0 The amino acid taurine, is also essential into a tiger\u2019s diet.\u00a0 If they do not receive sufficient amounts of taurine, they will lose their vision and have a short life-span.\u00a0 The lack of taurine leads to vision problems, heart failure, immune system dysfunctions, and blood clotting disorders.<\/p>\n
Amino acid deficiencies don\u2019t occur in the wild, when large cats eat fresh, whole prey animals (Hines).\u00a0 But it does happen in captive tigers since the meat fed to them are usually not fresh, since meat for zoo animals is usually meat that has been diverted from human consumption because it has partially spoiled.\u00a0 In the wild, various field studies have estimated that mature wild tigers consume between 10 and 25 pounds of prey a day (4-7% of their body weight).\u00a0 In the wild, tigers will gorge up to one hundred pounds at one sitting, and fast for many days.\u00a0 In captivity, tigers eat considerably less because of sedentary life styles that burn fewer calories (Hines).\u00a0 Captive large cats should eat 9-18 pounds of meat (4-6% of their body weight) when fed five times a week.\u00a0 Because temperature, habitats, and exercise differ at every facility, they should be fed no more than the minimum amount that keeps them in lean condition.\u00a0 Ronald Hines has a PhD in DVM, and he encounters much more obesity among captive cats than excessive thinness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Due to their limited status, many tigers are in captivity.\u00a0 This is to help researchers learn more about them, as well as allowing a way for humans to see them up close and personal.\u00a0 The hope is that bringing people … Continue reading