THE FINE LINE BETWEEN TIGER FASCINATION AND TIGER ABUSE

Tigers are my favorite animal. They are one of the most beautiful animals that were ever created on Earth. Whether the orange — black or the white striped, they have never failed to fascinate human beings with their beauty and charm. Tigers are greatly admired in Asia. In a country like South Korea, where tigers have now extinct, people still use tigers as symbols to signify superiority and are believed to exorcise evil spirits. 

In India, it is believed that the Hindu God and Goddesses use tiger as their 'vahana' which literally means a vehicle, but metaphorically represented as companions. In modern times, tigers have appeared in, “Winnie the pooh” stories, and in, “Calvin and Hobbs” comic strips. 

Tigers have always been a poetry weapon, fascinating poets since centuries. Like in the William Blake’s poem ‘The Tyger’, the poet talks about the imagination and skills behind creation of a magnificent creature such as tiger. Explaining human’s fascination with tigers, the renowned biologist, E. O. Wilson once wrote “We’re not just afraid of predators, we are transfixed by them, because fascination creates preparedness and preparedness, survival. In a deeply tribal sense, we love our monsters.” 

However, the United States has a disturbing tiger fascination. The country with the largest population of tiger is not India, Russia or Africa that currently occupy ancient ranges of the massive cats. It’s the United States with the largest tiger population. The private ownership of tigers in the United States is so vast and extensive that the estimated population of tigers there be higher than the total global tiger population. There are plenty of horror stories on how these big cats are kept as pets and brutally treated. Private owning of tigers include declawing and putting them in small pens and cages. Selling cubs has become a business in the United States. There are sellers who sell tigers, who then later butcher them  for parts or ranches where they are killed in hunts. Tigers in the western culture has been accounted to be used in gladiator battles and as mascots. 

Moreover, there is a blooming culture of tiger — selfie cruelty. Tigers are endlessly jabbed with metal sticks as endless stream of tourists take turns and pose with them for pictures. Tigers are man — handled, thrown from lap to lap, forcefully hugged and even sat on. These animals are forcefully tied, caged and even drugged for the sole purpose of human entertainment. Tourists or people in general need to realize that their once in a lifetime experience of being pictured with a tiger means a lifetime cruelty for the tiger.

A large fraction of tiger population is kept in captivity. These big cats are featured attractions in many circuses around the world, where they are often forcibly kept in tiny cages, their maternal bond is broken at the earliest stages of their lives, their basic social and physiological needs are denied. They are punished when disobeyed with food deprivation and are terrified with fire and sometimes these poor creatures get electrocuted. They are bound to perform against their will, to entertain the audiences. For young children, the circus is a magical place where they get to see and experience wild animals. But under the façade of harmless entertainment, patrons are unaware of what it takes to coerce these animals into performing elaborate tricks they see and the level of abuse these animals endure when the circus’ curtains come down. 

This is how people’s fascination for tiger has slowly turned into tiger abuse. Cruelty towards animals is neither a source of entertainment nor a fascination. Tigers are solitary animals. They have certain behavioral needs. They need to hunt their own prey, grow and live in the wild and enjoy their lives as much as any living being. I applaud and appreciate various Wildlife sanctuaries and Zoological parks for their substantial amount of involvement in the conservation of such animals, and their efforts in maintaining a wild habitat for them.

 Moreover, I support various non-profit organizations such as Panthera, WWF (Worldwide fund for nature), WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) for working towards protecting these animals and for their commitment to spread the truth about life of captive tigers and other animals. But local people should not just sit and wait for only the legal organizations to work. We as public can contribute in this cause, by either donating or volunteering at organizations. We can be responsible tourists. We can write letters to lawmakers, form organizations of our own. The Government can take up steps to strengthen Wildlife Protection Acts and Laws. 

Taking a few minutes to support this worthy cause not only will help the animals, it will also make you feel proud about standing up for something so important for the society.