Information Resource on Big Cats

The citations in this bibliography pertain to the health, care and housing of big cats. This information will be of use to research facilities, zoos, circuses and conservation programs to assist them in the care, breeding, husbandry and conservation of these beautiful animals. It may also be of interest to those who would like additional information on the care and preservation of these seven big cats.

The Federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) regulates the care, housing and treatment of warm blooded animals used for research, public exhibition, transportation in commerce, or sold in wholesale pet trade. Big cats are exhibited in zoos and circuses, used in some areas of research, used in conservation projects, and occasionally sold or transported in commerce and thus fall under the AWA. USDA, APHIS, Animal Care provides answers to Commonly Asked Big Cat Questions as well as a position statement entitled Large Wild and Exotic Cats Make Dangerous Pets on its website.

For this document, the compiler searched for citations from multiple sources published between the years 1958 to 2008. The sources of information include peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, theses, annual reports, dissertations, books, monographs, and reviews. Some URLs are provided for documents available as eDocuments. The searches provide information in 14 different subject areas from anatomy to veterinary medicine, including information on conservation programs. Readers are cautioned as to the dynamic nature of the internet and the fact that Web addresses and content are subject to change. All sites are current as of November 2009.