Before we get started, the big cat trade is basically the trade or abuse of wildcats including circuses, wildcats at carnivals, and having these cats as pets. The big cat trade also includes canned hunting and trophy hunting. It is a horrible cycle where cats are either killed or abused.
And the answer to the question is yes. The big cat trade, unfortunately, is still going on. However, we can end it if we become educated on it and do our best to stop it.
Circuses
One of the main abusers of wildcats, or just wild animals in general, is the circus. The circus may seem like a fun place for people to laugh at clowns and have a good time, and if it wasn't for the animal abuse, it might be. But the animal abuse is so unbelievably cruel that it is hard for us to enjoy ourselves.
Animals there are brutally abused and treated like their only purpose in life is to perform. Instead of rewarding animals for their triumphs, circus trainers strip them of their wild instincts and freedom. Big Cat Rescue states, "Often the cats are beaten, starved and confined for long periods of time in order to get them to cooperate with what the trainers want." These animals either spend time performing unnatural acts or waiting for up to twenty-two hours in their cages. "...life on the road means that most of a cat’s life is spent in a circus wagon in the back of a semi-truck or in a crowded, stinking box car on a train or barge," Big Cat Rescue truthfully tells us.
One way you can stop this kind of trade is just saying no to the circus. Circuses have already lost their elephants, and this will bring less and less people to the cruel show. Now, all you have to do is say no.
Cute Cubs at the Carnival
Seeing those adorable tiger cubs at the local fair or carnival is a classic way to enjoy yourself. However, many people don't know how abusive and cruel this actually is. By even touching one of these majestic cats, you are unknowingly supporting animal cruelty and maybe even giving this cat a horrible life. Big Cat Rescue states, "The truth is that by petting the cubs you are unknowingly participating in a business that results in a lifetime of misery for these animals and has a negative impact on conservation of these majestic animals in the wild."
I know this may seem confusing, because the cats are "rejected" by their mothers or are orphans. Unfortunately, the story is twisted. The cats are usually taken from their mothers and live a horrible life when they grow too big to remain at the carnival.
After their time at the fair is up, they are usually sent to canned hunters or circuses. Big Cat Rescue tells us, "If they survive, they typically end up living in tiny, barren cages." Since the cubs have underdeveloped immune systems, many do not survive, and if they do, they live a life full of gloom.
Canned Hunting
Our last issue of petting cats at carnivals leads to our next issue, canned hunting. Canned hunting and trophy hunting are probably some of the most disturbing examples of the big cat trade. Canned hunting is essentially taking "tamed" and helpless wild animals, such as the tigers and lions at the fair, and shooting them in cages.
Big Cat Rescue states, "The term 'canned hunt' refers to the shooting of exotic animals on game farms or hunting ranches that are in the business of breeding or buying exotic animals so that 'hunters' can pay to be guaranteed a kill." This is especially horrible because the cats are unsuspecting and unafraid of the "hunter" since they have usually been around people their whole lives.
What can we do to end the trade?
There is one very simple thing we can all do to help end the trade. Just say no. Say no to circuses and to the oppurtunity of petting a cute lion club at the fair. There are terrible consequences to these forms of the big cat trade, but if we just say no to them, there will be nothing to protest in the future.
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