Tiger farms across Asia hold thousands of captive tigers, raising serious welfare concerns and debate about whether they help or harm wild tiger conservation.
Tigers are large apex predators with complex spatial, social, and behavioural needs. In farming conditions, they are typically confined to small cages or enclosures that bear no resemblance to the vast territories they would naturally roam. Stress-induced stereotypies such as pacing are widespread. Social conditions in farms often involve incompatible groupings that cause chronic aggression. Slaughter conditions for tigers used in traditional medicine products are rarely regulated or monitored. Whether tiger farming reduces pressure on wild populations - as proponents argue - or stimulates demand that fuels poaching remains deeply contested.