Thousands of tigers live in captive facilities worldwide, many in poor conditions on tiger farms in Asia that fuel illegal trade in tiger parts and provide minimal conservation value.
Captive tigers in commercial facilities face severe welfare deprivation. Farm tigers are often housed in concrete enclosures without enrichment, unable to perform natural hunting, territorial, or social behaviors. Breeding facilities maximize reproduction, leading to chronic stress from high-density housing and frequent maternal separation. Private ownership tigers may receive better individual attention but are fundamentally unsuited to captive life and represent a conservation liability. Ending tiger farming would remove a key demand driver for illegal trade while eliminating significant animal suffering.