Please enjoy this article from the latest issue of our magazine, PETA Global. To begin your subscription, become a PETA member today!
PETA Saves 39 Tigers in Just One Year
Noelle was born in a cage at a Florida tiger-breeding mill, an outfit notorious for keeping females pregnant, churning out cubs, and separating them from their mothers so that they can be used in profit-making “public interactions.” Later forced into a pool with tourists at Dade City’s Wild Things (DCWT), she was eventually shipped off to another sleazy roadside zoo in Oklahoma, even though she was pregnant. It was a long trip in sweltering heat, but she was given little water, and the truck was not temperature-controlled. Inside the vehicle, she gave birth to three cubs, and all three died.
Then there’s Pearl, a white tiger forced into public encounters at DCWT when she was only a few weeks old. She was robbed of her chance to live as a carefree cub. There was no cuddling with her mother or learning how to be a tiger. When she was shipped to Oklahoma, she was so parched by the end of the long journey that she desperately sought out a tiny mud puddle to drink from.
White tigers are not a distinct species but rather an aberrant color variation of Bengal tigers. Unethical exhibitors breed them in order to attract paying crowds. Most captive white tigers are inbred, which has led to such serious congenital defects as cataracts, club feet, and painful hip dysplasia.
Rescued Tigers Thrive
Today, because of PETA’s persistence in the courts, Noelle and Pearl are living well at The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado. PETA is currently suing DCWT and another of the worst offenders, Wildlife in Need. For all the tigers PETA has rescued over the years, including two from a dilapidated junkyard, life went from unimaginably bad to blissfully sweet. They went from cages that prevented them from taking more than a few steps in any direction to large, comfortable habitats. At sanctuaries, they can swim whenever they want to – without being compelled to interact with humans – and they can explore, relax, and play.
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PETA is campaigning hard on this important issue and determined to get as many tigers as possible released from cramped roadside zoos. A major goal is to set a precedent in a US court making it clear that cub encounters violate federal law.
Take Action Now
Never visit any exotic animal “attraction,” participate in a cub photo op, or pay to interact with wild animals. Let your friends and family know that buying tickets to such activities perpetuates cruelty. And help support more rescues by visiting PETA.org/Rescue.
