AdvoCat 2012 10

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Top 5 Most Shocking Incidents of Big Cat Exploitation

We hope by sharing this list with you each month you will join us in speaking out for the wild animals that are exploited across this country each and every day. We encourage you to take one small action today and reach out via phone or email to contact the offenders listed below and politely express your concern. Together we can be the voice for the voiceless…together we can make a difference. Please join us in our mission of Caring for Cats & Ending the Trade.

No. 1 The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo (Alabama) regularly offers tiger cub “encounters” where guests pay for photos with the cubs and to pet them. In order to continuously profit from this sort of exploitation they have recently acquired two new cubs. Have you ever wondered where these cubs go once they are too large and dangerous for public contact? The law currently permits contact with tiger cubs for only four weeks of their life. Can you imagine what the next 20 or so years of their lives must be like once they are no longer profitable props? Please speak up for these defenseless cubs! Phone: (251) 968-5731 Email: info@alabamagulfcoastzoo.org

No. 2 The Hotel at Auburn University (Alabama) had the two tiger cubs from the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo at their football season kick-off event two weeks ago. Guests had the opportunity to hold and pet the cubs – there are even photos of one of the poor cubs being forced to wear an Auburn Tigers football helmet that are circulating the internet! If you do not agree with tiger cubs being exploited in this way, please let Hans van der Reijden, Managing Director of the hotel, know. “Renting” cubs like these only adds to the overwhelming number of abused and abandoned adult tigers, whom have outlived their usefullness, seeking refuge across the country. Phone: (334) 821-8200 Email: hans.vanderreijden@auhcc.com

No. 3 Zootastic Park of Lake Norman (North Carolina) offers “cub encounters” and “safari encounters” that allow guests to “interact” with tiger cubs for an entire hour! In addition, the park owner Scottie Brown brings his tiger cubs to local malls and charges people to have their photos taken with them. It seems there is very little rest for these tiny cubs so that their four-week window of usefulness is maximized. Phone: (888) 966-0069 Email Owner Scottie Brown: info@zootasticpark.com

No. 4 King Richard’s Faire (Massachusetts) continues to promote the explotation of tigers, lions and a liger until the end of October. You may have already responded to our alert last month (Thank you!) about this seven-week festival, but it’s so important we wanted to remi