Thousands of tigers are kept in exploitative captive facilities worldwide for tourist entertainment and body part trade, causing serious welfare harm and undermining wild conservation.
The captive tiger industry exists on a spectrum from accredited conservation zoos to exploitative farms and tourist operations. At the worst end, tiger farms separate cubs from mothers immediately after birth, use them for paid public interaction until they are too large, then slaughter them for parts. Cub petting causes stress in young animals deprived of maternal care and subjected to constant handling by strangers. Tourist facilities offering tiger bathing, photo opportunities, and walking experiences cause chronic stress through confinement, noise, and forced proximity to humans. Accredited zoos with genuine conservation programs represent a fundamentally different welfare context from commercial exploitation facilities.