Tigers for sale – 2022 – it needs to be banned

Here is another odd thing. A sick thing really. These cubs are described as “used” in the advert. Ah well, they are products aren’t they. No different from a used car and a similar price actually. A car is easier to maintain though. And it is dead.

In the UK there is an advert that is still on the internet (Oct 2009 but posted: 26 Jul 2008) advertising Home raised Tiger Cubs for sale. They are

“AKC registered, current on shots and dewormed records and are from champion blood lines and pedegree” (the spelling is as is).

They sell for £1,000 and a Google map shows that they are or were (see advert – this might end up a broken link – it has at mid-July 2010) in London (Lewisham, which is south-east London). There is a warning under the ad that warns visitors that a person(s) has already complained.

Finally, I’d like to refer to a one-page website dedicated to selling tigers online Buytigers.com (new window). They proudly claim to be the first real tiger store and “breedings” come from India, they say. A “pack” that includes a tiger cost $13,400 (at Oct 2009). Very consumer orientated. Just like buying a car. The website is still online on January 2022. It is a one-page website. They provide an email address where you simply contact them for details. They are still selling tigers.

Let’s try and figure out why it is bad to advertise tigers for sale, to sell tigers. These are my reasons; there must be others:

1. The tiger is badly endangered in the wild. Selling tigers creates a culture that gives the impression that a tiger is a commodity no different to any other product. It cheapens an animal that is very valuable to the world. The tiger is an asset to the world.
2. Selling tigers encourages trade in tigers, which can only be detrimental to their survival in the wild.
3. There are many thousands of captive tigers in the USA but far less living naturally in the wild. Some captive tigers live in totally unsuitable conditions (see Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse, LA). Selling tigers to anyone as if they are domestic cats is wrong as it ignores all the maintenance and legal issues of keeping such a large wild animal. Are there any legal requirements in the USA or is it that laissez faire? Some states ban keeping exotic animals while others have very loose regulations it seems. The legislation seems to be in a mess.
4. The whole sordid business feels like a reflection of what is wrong with the “consumer society”; the throwaway society and these tigers are not infrequently thrown away (see Texas tigers are unwanted)
5. The people who advertise tigers for sale (like the person above) have a complete disregard for the tiger and must have a low level of probity and decency. They completely lack respect for this animal.
6. They make no mention of their breeding program, of inbreeding, of health problems etc.

Note: there were a huge number of comments which I have deleted as they were very old and of poor quality. They were difficult to handle in terms of loading.