Wild tigers face extinction pressure from habitat loss and poaching, while captive tigers in various settings face serious welfare challenges. Both wild and captive tiger welfare require urgent and distinct interventions.
Tigers present a dual welfare crisis: wild tigers face violent deaths from poachers and slow population decline from habitat loss, while captive tigers in inadequate facilities experience chronic confinement stress, behavioral deprivation, and exploitation for tourist entertainment. The two are connected — the legal captive tiger industry provides cover for illegal trade in tiger parts and demand signals that sustain poaching of wild tigers. Addressing tiger welfare therefore requires simultaneous action on wild habitat protection, poaching, illegal trade, and the regulation of captive facilities. The passage of the Big Cat Public Safety Act in the US represents meaningful progress on captive welfare, and effective enforcement of existing anti-poaching laws in range countries represents the highest-priority intervention for wild tiger welfare.