Issues of captivity and conservation surrounding pantherine cats with a focus on the lion (Panthera leo) and the tiger (Panthera tigris)
Publication Type: |
Thesis |
Year of Publication: |
2009 |
Authors: |
Karen R. Lovely |
Publication/Journal: |
The Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University |
Publisher: |
Harvard University |
Keywords: |
captivity, conservation, lion, panthera, thesis, tiger |
Abstract:
Thousands of lions and tigers live in captivity in the United States, residing in zoos, private exhibits, sanctuaries, research facilities, and family homes. As a result of limited federal and state management of the captive exotic cats, the total combined population of lions and tigers in the United States is unknown but estimated to be in the tens of thousands. Lions and tigers reside in captivity in staggering numbers, but the wild populations are in decline due to habitat loss and fragmented home ranges. Through population management, public education, and biological research, caretakers and conservationists hope that the captive population can assist in future wildlife
conservation.This thesis investigates the practices of the zoological facilities affiliated with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species, four large cat rescue sanctuaries, and multiple private owners. I sought to understand how the captive felines in each facility benefit public education, behavioral and physiological research, and in building a self-sustaining captive gene pool to serve as a backup population for the threatened wild species. The results of my research display that lion and tiger caretakers are dedicated to conservation, but that there is a lack of collaboration between captive feline handlers. Keepers disagree on the importance of maintaining subspecies distinctions, the methods to pair mating partners, the techniques to prevent inbreeding, and on the priorities of captive populations to best aid conservation. Few captive facilities will publicly share medical records, data on reproductive success, or information indicating captive lion and tiger population dynamics. Without these records, it is difficult to assess which practices build stable populations. Furthermore, there are no records indicating the number of exotic felines in captivity in the United States, where they are housed, and in what conditions they live. Before further legislation is passed regulating captive exotic feline ownership, research investigating successful caretaking methods must be pursued, and collaboration between all captive Panthera owners must ensue, enabling the captive population to aid the preservation of the wild populations in the greatest possible way.