Tiger Sanctuaries and Roadside Zoos: The History You Won’t See in Tiger King

The Netflix series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness continues its reign among the streaming platform’s most popular titles, and it’s understandable why it’s so popular: the story of Joseph “Joe Exotic” Maldonado-Passage, a zookeeper who is revealed to be running a dangerous tiger breeding business, takes viewers on a wild ride.

But for experts, including National Geographic’s resident tiger reporter Sharon Guynup, hysteria behind the controversial characters and their mistreatment of wildlife are a huge problem. “One of the most glaring omissions from Tiger King was that none of the seven episodes explained how the tiger entertainment industry works,” Guynup told Teen Vogue.

Throughout the series, viewers are introduced to a collection of roadside zoos across the country and one animal sanctuary. Roadside zoos are described as “smaller, unaccredited zoos” by the Animal Legal Defense Fund. But as Guynup pointed out, Tiger King failed to explain to viewers the differences between roadside zoos and sanctuaries.

“Pretty much across the board, roadside zoos do not adhere to the highest standards of animal care,” she said. “In the worst cases, animals live under disturbing conditions, which I observed firsthand.”

The reporter added that many roadside zoos bring in “huge amounts of money” for cub petting and claim they’re sanctuaries while not actually meeting the criteria.

So, how exactly did this all start? And what can someone do to make sure they’re supporting tigers and not causing more harm? Teen Vogue caught up with conservation and animal welfare experts to find out.

How did we get here?

Tiger showcasing isn’t a new concept. In fact, it dates back to the early 1800s. According to Guynup and National Geographic, animal trainer Isaac Van Amburgh was one of the first to bring tigers onto a stage back in 1833.

“Van Amburgh reportedly beat his cats with a crowbar as a way to train them — and to be able to climb into their cages for performances,” Guynup told Teen Vogue. “So for nearly two centuries, there has been this embedded notion in the American psyche that tigers are vicious beasts that must be dominated and subdued by macho trainers.”

In the 1870s, tigers were introduced to zoos — with the United States’ inaugural zoo opening in 1874 — and hundreds of circuses were starting to pop up.

“Tigers have been featured in zoos and circuses in the U.S. for more than a century,” said Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. “The first federal law to regulate the treatment of animals used in exhibition, the Animal Welfare Act, was enacted [more than] 50 years ago. Unfortunately not much has changed in the law since, despite all that is known today about the extraordinary needs of captive wildlife.”

According to Block, most tigers are bred to produce cubs for people to pet, play with, or take selfies with in exchange for money. Cubs are pulled from their mothers immediately after birth and, at just a few months of age, when they are too big and difficult to handle, are put in small cages for the rest of their lives or are passed into the pet trade; some are killed. Then, more cubs must then be produced to take their place for this money-making scheme, perpetuating this cruel cycle.

The selfies even sparked a crackdown on Instagram. In 2017, following investigations by National Geographic and World Animal Protection on the wildlife tourism industry, the platform set a pop-up warning about wildlife exploitation when searching for certain hashtags, including #tigercubselfie and #slothselfie.

“People need to understand that posing with a tiger cub may seem harmless, but it fuels an industry that inflicts enormous suffering on the animals and does nothing to enhance conservation efforts for threatened and endangered species,” Block said.

There are a few situations in which breeding in captivity is all right, according to conservation biologist Imogene Cancellare—but there are certain parameters that need to be met.

“Breeding tigers is only OK for accredited zoos that are part of Species Survival Plans, which is a conservation program designed to manage the genetic diversity and demographic distribution of a population to ensure its health in the wild,” she said. “When private citizens own and breed tigers, they are essentially creating ‘mutts’ that cannot be released into the wild due to a lack of knowledge about their genetic health.”

What unfortunately happens often is inbreeding. As noted by Newsweek, every American white tiger has descended from a single father. Due to this limited genetic pool, many cubs are born with ailments such as shortened tendons, club foot, kidney problems, malformed backbones, contorted necks, and twisted faces. Additionally, genetics play a huge role in regard to how a tiger will adapt to its surroundings. Tigers who are inbred likely won’t succeed in the wild.

“For example, we wouldn't want to put a tiger from India in snowy Russia because that cat is less likely to be well adapted to the environment,” Cancellare told Teen Vogue. “This is why no privately bred tiger has ever been released in the wild.”

Lack of regulations

Though it’s not exactly clear how long roadside zoos have been operating across the United States, their bad reputation dates back to at least 1990, when an L.A. Times article referenced them as one of the worst places experts said animals could end up. According to Guynup, undercover investigations by the Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have exposed multiple cases of animal abuse. Still, it’s pretty easy for those roadside businesses — and private owners — to get exotic animals. Easier than experts say it should be.

“The lack of regulations has allowed the unfettered breeding of tigers, which has produced a surplus of captive big cats,” Block said. “Lax laws have also resulted in unqualified people acquiring tigers for their roadside zoos or private menageries or as backyard pets.”

Even though trade is legal, as shown in Tiger King, the sale of big cats across state lines isn’t, but breeders exploit the choppy rules that vary by state and find loopholes to keep selling cubs.

There are more captive tigers in the United States than there are in the wild — it’s a fact that Tiger King mentions at the end of the series too. National Geographic notes that there are 3,900 wild tigers versus an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 in captivity.

“No one knows how many big tigers live in cages in the U.S.,” Guynup said, noting that only a “few hundred” of the tigers live in accredited zoos. “There is no overarching federal law regulating big-cat ownership; it’s regulated by patchwork state laws.”

Ligers (the offspring of a female tiger mixed with a male lion) or tigons (a female lion plus a male tiger) are unnatural crossbreeds that don’t exist in the wild. They have no conservation value and usually suffer from health problems because of the inbreeding. As noted by National Geographic, the number of ligers and white tigers seen in the docuseries were examples of problematic overbreeding. Whatsmore, because ligers and tigons aren’t pure tigers, they’re not protected by endangered species regulations.

“This is a problem because there is truly no regulatory body on the care, treatment, or management of tigers in captivity, and these privately bred tigers are considered ‘generic tigers’ by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service,” Cancellare said. “As a result, they are currently exempt from the captive-bred wildlife registration program under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. There is talk of changing this exemption, thankfully, but until then, it means it's still really easy to get and breed tigers.”

In general, Guynup said the overbreeding leads to poor care and living conditions for the captive tigers. She said issues have included rodent-infested enclosures, animals living in “putrid” standing water, uncared for injuries and illnesses, and inadequate food. The tiger cubs can legally only be used for petting until they’re about 12 weeks old, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department. That short window of time for petting also becomes an incentive for overbreeding. After that, they become too dangerous.

“It presents a public safety issue because big cats are powerful predators who retain their natural instincts,” Block said. “They can — and do — injure and kill people, and they take every opportunity to escape. There have been many dangerous incidents involving privately owned big cats. Wild animals do not belong in captivity.”

How can you tell if a sanctuary is legit?

So, how can you know if a sanctuary is legit or just a roadside zoo using buzz words? It comes down to the venue’s goals.

“A legitimate wildlife sanctuary or rescue center does not breed, buy, sell, offer any public contact with or take animals off-site for exhibition,” Block said. “Tigers and other wild animals have unique and complex needs. Providing decades of appropriate care requires substantial resources.”

Additionally, tigers at sanctuaries are provided with proper nutrition and vet care. The animals at these facilities are also kept for life.

As Guynup puts it, venues accredited by the Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance the Global Federation of Animals meet the criteria for a true sanctuary. You can check a facility’s certifications for yourself by visiting their respective lists of sanctuaries or members. To qualify as a member of the Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance, establishments have to provide “lifelong care for abused, neglected, unwanted, impounded, abandoned, orphaned, or displaced wild cats.” The Global Federation of Animals’ requirements are even more extensive: Standards are spelled out depending on the breed but include specifications regarding the quality of the applicant’s enclosure, sanitation, temperature control, nutrition, veterinary care, and more.

Tiger King’s Carole Baskin’s Big Cat Rescue is certified by both groups, but that isn’t mentioned throughout the series. Unlike the roadside zoos Baskin’s place is pitted against, Big Cat Rescue is a legitimate sanctuary, according to National Geographic and the Washington Post.

According to Block, in addition to sanctuaries accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, only zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums should have wild animals. The association’s accredited zoos and aquariums are considered leaders in protection of endangered species and focus on conservation, according to its website. It also provides an updated list online of accredited facilities.

Cancellare added that visitors should also consider if the facility has a constant supply of cubs — a sign that breeding is happening — and how large the enclosures are. She also noted that several tigers shouldn’t be in the same enclosure together and that facilities should provide educational materials on animals in captivity or conservation efforts.

“Remember, legit sanctuaries and rescues work to alleviate animal suffering by providing safe havens for animals in need, and these efforts usually include educating the public to help tigers,” she said. “Some facilities even support wild conservation efforts, or collaborate with governments on local or national efforts, like Big Cat Rescue.”

“Ultimately, if you can't find these answers on your own, or someone who works there can't answer them, the facility is not being transparent and you should be critical [of the fact] that they are calling themselves a ‘sanctuary,’” Cancellare said.

As for how to help, Cancellare suggests encouraging friends and family to never pet cubs, ride elephants, or pay to take photos with wild animals.

“You can reduce the demand that supports wildlife exploitation,” she said. “By being more critical of photos on social media and of places claiming to be ‘helping’ wildlife, we stand a better chance at reducing animal cruelty and changing people's minds on who should own a tiger.”

Related: Tiger King Was Wild, But So Are These Streamable Documentaries

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue