More tigers live in captivity than in the wild. Understanding the spectrum of captive tiger welfare — from accredited zoos to commercial tiger farms — is essential for effective advocacy.
Captive tiger welfare varies enormously. Accredited zoos with large naturalistic enclosures, enrichment programmes, and professional veterinary care can provide reasonable welfare for non-releasable individuals. Tiger farms, private ownership facilities, and petting operations represent the opposite extreme: animals confined in barren concrete cells, subjected to chronic stress, and kept in conditions that prevent any natural behaviour. The existence of legal captive tiger populations in some jurisdictions creates cover for illegal trade in tiger parts and undermines wild tiger conservation.