Lions, tigers, leopards, and other large felids are kept in thousands of facilities globally — from accredited zoos to roadside attractions — with welfare conditions varying from adequate to severely inadequate.
Captive big cat welfare spans an enormous range — from accredited facilities with naturalistic environments and professional veterinary care, to roadside operations where cats live in barren concrete cages without enrichment or appropriate social contact. The cub petting industry represents a particularly acute welfare harm: cubs are separated from mothers at birth, subjected to constant human handling during critical developmental periods, and typically discarded into inadequate facilities when they grow too large for safe contact. Legislative progress including the US Big Cat Public Safety Act addresses some of the most egregious practices, but enforcement and the fate of existing animals in inadequate facilities remain challenges.