The World Behind 'Tiger King': Inside America's Captive Tiger Trade | American Tiger | Real Wild

With estimates numbering around 5,000, the US has more captive - privately owned - tigers than are currently left in the wild. This documentary explores America's captive tiger trade, speaking to advocates and activists alike.
The World Behind 'Tiger King': Inside America's Captive Tiger Trade | American Tiger | Real Wild
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[@rachelschwebach7566]

It breaks my heart to see these majestic cats in small cages with no grass.

[@williamsteele1409]

move them to a state where grass is legal

[@voodoodolly]

Indeed, this is a horrible and revolting tool of narcissism and HPD. And of course the tigers suffer because people have ugly egos.

[@gabe.ch5555]

​@@williamsteele1409Bingo!!!😂🤣🤣👍🫡

[@Frenchylikeshikes]

The fact that the tiger is even considered and called "American" says a lot about the state of conservancy of this animal in his natural habitat.

[@For-Fox-Sake]

The fact that they have the nerve to call this conservation. True conservation means to protect wild species - this includes breeding programmes that aim to better the overall health of the species, increase their genetic diversity and increase their numbers. All these guys are doing is breeding for pretty colours and breeding subspecies that would never normally come into contact with one another in the wild.

[@catherine8579]

This breaks my heart. These people treat them & expect them to behave like pets, then when they behave like the wild animals they are, the outcome is awful & the animals get punished for it. They don't deserve to be treated like pets, its not fair.

[@denisemcadams4045]

These tigers are not a back up plan. The reason being is that none of these will ever be released in the wild because they aren't capable of surviving in the wild.

[@skinksinthecity]

True, but their offspring possibly could. Humans suck either way & I have little hope for change in that regard.

[@pattihainline1573]

I am a big lover of Tigers they are beautiful strong & very unpredictable! Would I own one no! Why would you want to own something that should be free? My biggest goal would be to observe them in the wild! Not in a cage! Or a trained circus act! Their meant to be FREE! Truely free!

[@imle9279]

@@skinksinthecity All the tigers in private housing in America are inbred, either to get the color they want, or because they only care about money and not the genetics. If these are the tigers we are gonna have in the wild? I would rather us not having any. Inbred genes are not something we want in the gene pool in the wild

[@JadedLady]

If they are sent back to their "native region" they will just end up in some "natural remedy" for limp dongs and other B.S fake medicine.

[@yankeetherebel]

Captive tigers a back up for the purpose of having tigers exist. No one is saying that captive tigers are a back up for having tigers that exist in the wild. The US ultimately has no say in what happens to tigers in the wild because there are no wild tigers in the US. If countries that have wild tigers choose to or even just unintentionally happen to cause their wild tigers to go extinct, there's nothing any other country can do about it. We know that's true because it's already happened in many of the countries that USED TO have wild tigers. Therefore, the question for Americans is, is it better to have tigers existing because they're being preserved by private owners OR to ban owning tigers and just let them all go extinct so that tigers no longer exist anywhere or in anyway?

[@aurorawolfe6060]

Did anyone else notice the tiger from Tippi Hedren's tiger sanctuary who's missing his canine teeth??? The previous owners mutilated that poor tiger's teeth! How someone can be so cruel and selfish, I can't understand...

[@CatCaffeine]

I was hoping they would mention it in the video but I suppose it's a bit off track for the purpose of the video.

[@tangosmombell9901]

I volunteered for a big cat sanctuary for 8 years. (Not Carole Baskin's😉) People who buy these amazing animals for pets often have them mutilated. Our rescues with teeth filed and claws removed had the worst health issues because of it. They also crack their teeth on cages when extremely bored, anxious or if the cages are too small. They don't belong in people's homes.

[@imle9279]

Sometimes their teeth break and gets damaged easily, not because the owners removed them, but because of bad nutrition and care. And as people take the cubs when they're so young, their bodies don't get to develop with the right amount of their mom's milk. The lack of nutrition and Kalsium that is in the milk, just ruins the tigers on a long term basis

[@DMitch-]

I can….Black Americans BEEN getting treated like this and worse 🙄 And notice it’s the “usual suspects” that’s mistreating these animals just like they do ppl. And IDC about anybody opinion about MY post 🖕🏾in advance 😆

[@NikkieRoxxx]

Americans do that, and their dogs ears and tails, and even their sons'..........

[@breAnnasmama]

Those cats belong in the wild... away from human intervention And intrusion. Just like every other wild animals but selfish/ ignorant people don’t ever learn that much

[@MarcFun]

these private owners who call themselves conservationist disgust me, they use these majestic animals for their personal greed and profit, and pretend they are helping the animal. tigers should not be in the cage, they deserve much better than that. Wish all governments ban these abusive behaviours someday.

[@winterrain1947]

Also it's really nerve racking to realize that your neighbor has several Tigers

[@pc-easy]

Really ...true

[@catherine8579]

Every single private owner of wild animals i've seen or heard about, loves attention, they love showing off how "lucky" they are, how "great" they are for these animals to trust them, look what they can do with them, they almost always mention how much they cost to "look after" them etc. They use these animals to get attention, they need to feel important, impressive, powerful & owning & having "control" of these animals gives them that sense of grandiose. It's disgusting.

[@kiwi6421]

I've met several people who do it for the animals, but very rarely do I see that with the large and fierce exotics like tigers. It would seem that quite a few smaller exotic keeps are very appreciative and caring of their animals, things like parrots, reptiles, hedgehogs, ferrets, etc. Sometimes also raccoons, skunks, and foxes. It certainly seems that people who own tigers generally do it for the wow factor. None of them are really doing anything to encourage the natural behavior of the tigers or enrich them.

[@catherine8579]

@@kiwi6421 Exactly

[@GypsyGirl317]

@@kiwi6421 kia ora 🇳🇿. I agree with you too.

[@HeyThatsInteresting97]

Well said

[@wendyking2865]

Pitbull owners aren’t sny different

[@keithwhite5657]

you need lots of Acres not Feet for theses big Cats the trouble is there just as much corruption in this expensive hobby as there is in Politicians , its all about money and breeding its cruel to certain degree theses cats in the wild have huge areas and in captivity its extremely small .

[@gillianmuspic2337]

I am very angry that you did not add the link to The Big Cat Safety Act so viewers in the USA to contact their representatives to vote on and pass this act to ban private ownership

[@queencobra2787]

Say no to the big cat safety act- the bill should be dismissed as it will cause mass extinction and it is very deceiving. Oppose this crap act and don’t fall for big cat rescues bullshit. It’s all just a plan to further their agenda financially, and absolutly serves no benefit at all to any big cats- this also involves a lot more than “big cats” be informed and say NO. DO NOT SIGN OR TRUST THEM.

[@gillianmuspic2337]

@@queencobra2787 how exactly will it cause mass extinction?

[@Lizlemon101]

I am very angry that you haven’t utilized Google and did it yourself .. genius

[@gillianmuspic2337]

@@Lizlemon101 so funny. I know about the Act but many people watching this video do not

[@stormnyarko2094]

@@gillianmuspic2337 In big cat rescues they do not breed so if all the big cats there die and the ones in the wild die there will be no more big cats on earth, I'm not saying it is going to for sure happen but it's a possibility.

[@ponckk]

so depressing how humans abuse other species :(

[@OwlCat]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpfZi56MmdVqh80

[@jediknight73]

If tigers were bipedal and smart as us animals would do it to us to

[@HeyThatsInteresting97]

I love the long pauses in this documentary. It’s like “okay….”

[@rohan_gmuzic]

That's a dangerous animal to have inside the home..

[@akshaysinghania5565]

These Captive Tigers are not big but i have seen in wild In India, in Russia they are much bigger than they are here in American jails. You can't even judge the strengths of wild Tiger and Tigress when they r in forest

[@lindsayclark6453]

I hope we succeed in saving these incredible animals in the wild…I pray 🙏

[@Aylaaylaayla]

Seeing that tiger in the house is like watching a ticking time bomb

[@KamarFennane]

thanks for sharing

[@edchanful]

so this documentary to let people know, its okay to own exotic wild life??!! WTF?! -_-

[@OwlCat]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpfZi56MmdVqh80

[@Tadicuslegion78]

US Government: Maybe we should finally do something about this Crazy rich people: wHy ArE yOu OpPrEsSiNg Me? I hAvE rIgHtS!

[@diniak47]

Ive always loved that photo of Tippi and the crow

[@elaineglendinning9297]

The video was about tigers held in captivity not Tippi and a crow fro m s film. What did you think of the tigers being held in inappropriate environments,inbreeding resulting in disease and stress for those animals? Not so pretty or endearing.

[@lenoremeyers6907]

Excellent video

[@NourKLI]

However you spin it then don’t belong in cages….

[@wittle5788]

Better they be in a protective park unless in extreme case and they would survive in a park . This dumb ass that think they are pets should be put in a cage .

[@aimeylewis25]

Such beautiful animals just so sad that they get locked up in cages

[@leeholmes9962]

What sense dose banding pit bulls dog but tiger's na you can have one of them, that's nuts on many levels pure NUTS

[@OwlCat]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpfZi56MmdVqh80

[@sidraabbas3637]

They deserve freedom

[@gophersk]

This was scooped from CBC .. David Suzuki

[@stevehartz4615]

I can't imagine hunting such magnificent creatures

[@tammytaylor482]

I just hope we aren't too late to protect the tigers of the wild. If it takes keeping them in captivity verses having pochers kill them then so be it!! It's a tough call no matter what side you are on.

[@MS-iv9ct]

How could you still say USA is civilized!

[@OwlCat]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpfZi56MmdVqh80

[@Specogecko]

My man David Suzuki

[@MonkyDollqueen]

Wow

[@marilynwillett804]

THEY DON'T BELONG IN CAGES, so wrong.

[@saveournsrey2018]

Wild animals belong in the wild PERIOD!!! That being said.. any wild pet owners get chew up and killed by these pet, than they deserves every bits of it. I don’t feel bad.

[@veronicazawodniak9412]

We must find a healthy balance

[@morganmarcella47]

Why can't people leave well enough alone Tigers deserve to be in the wild like they were meant to be

[@HeyThatsInteresting97]

It should illegal to privately own tigers. Change my mind

[@veronicazawodniak9412]

We do need a private own breeding Shelters for the Tigers and other endangered animals

[@elaineglendinning9297]

Owners can call themselves whatever they wished conservationists,helping an endangered animal etc, but these people are keeping a wild animal in captivity which is totally unacceptable and unnatural. A tiger will still have some wild,predatory instincts and we can only imagine what happens when a tiger decides he wants to play with his human owner, hardly the same as a domestic cat playing. People are so foolish and their level of arrogance is amazing.

[@eldenreel7412]

likes like carol baskins got ahold off a ashley furniture catalog lol

[@gbosonnet]

Even the sanctuaries with the poor tigers pacing in a compound really saddens me. And the lady walking the tiger on a leash I mean its like walking around with a loaded machine gun which can fire at random without pulling the trigger.

[@bobipapy2404]

I hope we can save them

[@OwlCat]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpfZi56MmdVqh80

[@sanchaychoudhary6676]

The Americans talking about extinction of the tigers have not seen the conservation efforts made in india

[@Dolphnmagic]

is this narrated by david suzuki?

[@OwlCat]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpfZi56MmdVqh80

[@juliapalomo5139]

Beautiful animals i love big cats

[@radioraffa]

Thanks for trying to cash in on the Tiger King movement with old outdated footage of documentaries prior to the Tiger King nonsense. There is many options to debate with the zoos versus private ownership. The point that was made about the tigers in Africa being trained to be returned to the wild is well over 10 years old and has done zilch. Not one tiger from that project has returned back to its natural habitat in Asia. The place is called tiger Canyon and is basically become a another private Zoo for profit period with a vague looming notion that they will return a tiger back to Asia. Those Tigers were actually started from a captive population from Canada. In the private ownership there are some good people with good Hearts who are taking care of these animals. But there are also many egomaniacs and Psychopaths who like to own big animals to make up for their shortcomings in real life. This in the long-term is not good for the animals. There are some good genes left in the private ownership, but there is also many designer genes for human entertainment and serves no real purpose in the wild.

[@Bangladeshiessence]

This a Bengal Tiger! Renowned as "ROYAL BENGAL TIGER"

[@winterrain1947]

I got a good look at a zoo baby tiger at a special exhibit. She was a two month old milk baby, but her paws were as big as the paws of my 65 lb dog. But she was so cute!

[@xerk4504]

7:49 y’all know what kind of puppy that is?

[@I_am_BiG_Al]

David suzuki

[@lazydaze9947]

Why didn't Fish and Game just use tranquilizer darts and relocated all the animals instead of killing them all as the only option??

[@maureengilroy2658]

Tranqs don't take immediate effect especially when the adrenaline is coursing through their bodies. You have to know how much an animal weighs to tranq them safely, not overdose or under dose. No one could have been prepared when no one knew how many animals were on the property. As sad as it was there was nothing else that could be done safely under those circumstances. Those situations are an accident waiting happen for the animals & humans.

[@leeholmes9962]

Money

[@helen6717]

@@maureengilroy2658 I too was wondering about that, thank you for the information ❤

[@NourKLI]

@@maureengilroy2658 they knew how many tigers….. The owner of the property was known by police and animal service.

[@songbirds3712]

While you see the animals all together in the yard, they were put there after being killed so they could know how many were still loose. The owner had opened all of their cages, then committed suicide. The animals had time to move and spread out before law enforcement even knew what had happened. So these animals were loose and on the prowl, putting the lives of humans as well as livestock in extreme danger. Shooting them with tranquilizer guns was not an option.

[@debbieharmon6739]

They are not pet's they are wild animal's you should feel terrible for keeping them locked up they want to be free

[@OwlCat]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpfZi56MmdVqh80

[@mandacole8703]

I wonder if you could slip a newborn baby tiger from captivity into the litter of a new tiger mom on a reserve to re-teach them to survive 🤔. Obviously you would have to make it smell like the other babies or she will kill it, but idk maybe it would work.

[@Boyland8692]

Holy Crap this is disgusting to watch how selfish mankind can be in what they find acceptable and justifiable to ensure they can show off their status symbols. Those type of people make me sick to my stomach it’s so appalling. 🤯🤯🙀🙀🙀🇦🇺🇦🇺

[@predragbrankovic960]

This blonde woman has smiling face expression when she talk about how many people died from tiger attack every year.

[@julio0943]

Biologist and Tiger Expert RON TILSON Who Work in Minnesota zoo Foundation: Tiger Is the Most Powerfull Cat.

[@voodoodolly]

AMERICA- WAKE UP! STOP ALLOWING PERMITS, STOP TAKING BACKHANDERS FOR PERMITS.

[@leeholmes9962]

The biggest issue for the tigers are being hunted and being eaten by China the amount of species that nearly gone extinct but being eaten in China is unbelievable an early enough the more near to extinct the species is the more value is worth in China

[@HeyThatsInteresting97]

“There are more and more regulations/restrictions all the time…” as there gosh darn well should be! You crazy cat owner

[@NoOne-gk8go]

A tiger in your backyard is not a tiger it needs to be banned.

[@johnmcevoy1038]

Hey pal,,there's no such thing as an American Tiger 🐯???...so stop calling them that...they may have been born in America but you cannot start calling them American Tigers..... They are Siberian Tigers or whatever else their called but not American Tigers..

[@catherine8579]

They say "American tiger" because many owners claim they're a "domesticated" breed of big cat, hoping that gullible people will believe it & also to try to get past the potential future laws of banning private ownership.

[@generalgringo9887]

They're American tigers dude. They've never even seen Siberia. They're mutt tigers. The term American Tigers is correct. Chill out

[@NikkieRoxxx]

​@@generalgringo9887 americans think everithing belongs to them...

[@ashokseshadri8331]

​@@generalgringo9887 Oh yeah? Show me their passport a55h@le

[@ChellyJ]

@@NikkieRoxxx I can’t argue with that sentiment because you’re right. However, the other Commenter is also right, in that the reason why they would be calling them American tigers is that they’re not pure bred (insert country here) tigers anymore. A lot have been born and bred by random mixes on American soil… hence the term “American Tigers”.

[@13juju]

People should be in cages or a small area to live

[@andreadelao500]

*So beautiful animals* 🥰

[@I_am_BiG_Al]

You aren't too shabby yourself

[@mangoking787]

Sanchay, I do understand that India is doing its best, but I know there is corruption too. I would love to keep a pair of tigers on my property. I did have the permission if I could build everything accorfing to the specification required. But I have got to be nice to my neighbours, because they all have horses. But a lot of the land gets cleared without the Govts. approval and that is where problems starts in India.

[@128789842]

All big cats especially Tigers toward the naturewild. No cage. No entertainment. Tiger don't have to be fed with milk! Don't play with predators.!

[@ericdrummond3925]

Such a shame that they felt there was no other way to deal with these beautiful animals. How would you guys have dealt with a wild tiger?

[@OwlCat]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpfZi56MmdVqh80

[@juliapalomo5139]

Big cats are beautiful

[@sidraabbas3637]

Permanent ban on exotic pets should be provided

[@tiger3343]

Tiger is my favorite ❤️❤️❤️😍❤️

[@Silvio.S.Arruda0044]

Tigers is one of my favorites ... excellent video ... congratulations

[@COACHWARBLE]

Does anyone else see anything wrong with calling the American Tiger a "lower species" not worthy of time and money? Thats way too close to the term "undermensch"

[@daveyates8113]

I see you have people trying to find out how many private owners there are. It should be made immediately illegal for anyone refusing the declare they have exotic pets and that immediate seizure of said exotics can be done without lengthy court battles. Let the owner prove that they aare in the right

[@igorsvacic217]

dunno how old is this, but the old nine subspecies of tigers was changed long time ago, and its considered there are just two subspecies of tigers

[@user-rm5ld9cd1o]

world is going to control... More control and safety, pleaseeeee....

[@CatCaffeine]

It sounds like licensing all the tigers and breeders would be a good start.

[@tombowers536]

Banning private ownership would be better

[@HeyThatsInteresting97]

I know we want to maintain stable populations of these animals, but do we really want 100,000 tigers running around the forests of Asia? I mean, seriously. Maybe like 50,000 is good? Idunno, with just under 4,000 tigers in the wild and many human deaths every year, maybe we don’t want pre-1900 levels of tigers out there. Just sayin

[@delorasledge2492]

I don't understand the real benefit of breeding captive animals. Half the issue is that they are part of the jungle landscape and their loss impacts the environment. How does having thousands in captivity help?

[@proudjember]

I hear a Rumors America have Javan tiger

[@AmyBaby954...]

PLEASE STOP BREEDING THESE ANIMALS.U ARE NOT THE CREATOR,KNOW UR POSITION IN LIFE & STAND THERE! SMH😥

[@tomsummer5336]

This is so sad

[@starstepney2332]

It sucks that people get these big cats and barely feed them ...let alone have the space or funds to accomomdate those big cats. Or to have petting zoos knowing in the wild you wouldnt be able to access a cub without dying or critically injured. The captive tigers or big cats they claim cant survive.. i say take those same big cats put them into their natural habitat and be amazed by them.

[@shannonhedden]

The best way to deal with the question of conservation value for the captive cats is to legislate manditory DNA testing for all of them and mandate spay/neuter for the mutts that have no conservation value so they stop breeding/ inbreeding captive felines and make a stewardship to make sure the purer specimens are always well cared for with the option to remove them from owners that abuse or neglect their needs. If the DNA testing was done worldwide, they might find specimens of the extinct subspecies still alive in unknown captive populous. It is sensible but won't likely be done because there are too many people that make money out of the exotic pet trade.

[@i.s4703]

2:53 these little girls are so cute. The whole video contains much cuteness.

[@marilynwillett804]

OBVIOUSLY, YES THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL.

[@KLeo-ss1kn]

I have 3 or 4 tigers myself. The average American has at least 2. That's right. Picked mine up at a flea market.

[@shaunnewbedford736]

I hope to God we can stop them from beingb exstinct in the wild.... BUT IT SHOULD BE ILLGAL TO OWN A TIGER OR ANY BIG CAT PRIVATLEY Especially bc if that animal hurts someone they have to be killed and its not there fault. Thhey should put down here OWNERS!

[@morganmarcella47]

How many of these people were eaten

[@madelineschultz4968]

Oh, they're so adorable! Until they mutilate or kill someone! Its absolutely obscene to keep these animals as pets.

[@cryptoqueen7055]

In Dubai, 2 of my friends own tigers and lions. Theres no rules…. No laws but do anything unethical? Like inbreed or don’t care for them appropriately? Other owners will shame you. The system is working the way it is. They spay and neuter when there’s no plan to breed.

[@urszulagromadzka9880]

Rea gli?

[@almafayecousin165]

If you can't take care of the tiger 's you shouldn't own any tiger..

[@akshaysinghania5565]

Just save tigers

[@mangoking787]

If people are well off, and are able to look after these majestic creatures. I am all for it. It is the Govts. in India, that have a hand shake under the table. If the poachers in Africa and India are shot at sight. These animals would live peacefully in the wild. But man is greedy, and nothing will satisfy his needs.

[@sanchaychoudhary6676]

Please india is doing its best for tiger conservation with the limited space it has where tiger numbers are increasing..the issue is not only poaching it is about space too...u cannot have 100,000 tigers running round...and the tigers that found are natural and are able to hunt with a slight fear of humans...if human contact is given to tiger cubs then there are high chances of human animal conflict which is never good for both sides

[@Geoplanetjane]

There are actual tiger farms in China.

[@bootsss1063]

Why they kill animals.

[@OwlCat]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpfZi56MmdVqh80

[@sallyclay1974]

Tigers don't belong in a populated area! They need wide open spaces , not flimsy cages. These private large cat owners r irresponsible

[@michellejones5541]

It never fails to astonish me how absolutely stupid some people are, these animals are NOT pets

[@jennyharris2993]

Watch BigCatRescue on KZbin. You will find out a lot of info and will change your mind about owning tigers

[@homerotorres8822]

you have no idea about Carole Baskin do you? lol

[@jennyharris2993]

@@homerotorres8822 It’s not about her-it’s about the tigers

[@edchanful]

wild cat sanctuary too

[@queencobra2787]

That place is a joke

[@queencobra2787]

Not advised. They are frauds and scammers just looking to further their agenda with peta

[@bluetears9788]

Freedom for wildlife animals 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡

[@traciemarsh1611]

no there is a choice you dont have to kill them, try darting, no wild animal is a pet

[@kiwi6421]

A pet is more than something you just throw food at. This guy's idea of what separates a tiger from a conventional pet is whack

[@paulinehutchings8366]

Of course they do, ln their eyes only Americans can do it ..