Siberian Tigers
By Gabby Zibell
How would you like to be trapped in a small boring place with a hard concrete floor? Well, for Siberian Tigers there’s no choice. They’re forced to live in small compact rooms where they’re put on display for our entertainment. These tigers need space to run and play and yet they’re trapped and only get to go outside when the weather is nice. They’re the largest cat on the planet but zoo Tigers are typically much smaller than healthy ones found in the wild since they do not develop muscle mass due to their limited activity. Siberian Tigers shouldn’t be kept in zoos because they’re so big and they need space to hunt and run and they of course shouldn’t be trapped in a tiny space for us too see.
Since Siberian Tigers are the largest in the cat family they need quite a lot of space to hunt, run, and play. In zoos they’re stuck in small compact rooms and pens. The usual space a tiger needs for their territory is 120 square miles. If the tigers in the wild were to come back from being endangered and we released zoo raised tigers back into the wild they would likley not survive. In zoos they are losing their health and instincts needed each time a new generation is born. Zoos say they are helping animals to escape from extinction but all they’re doing is dooming these poor animals further.
Since their muscle mass is reduced considerably they look sick. We could possibly fix this problem by making bigger areas for them in zoos or by releasing them into the wild and making sure we don’t hunt them down to extinction. People hunt tigers for their furs so that they can make money. A picture of a living tiger is more beautiful than their fur stretched out on a wall for decoration.
Siberian Tigers need help. We aren’t doing anything except reducing their chances for survival in the wild. These animals are huge so their enclosures should be too. They live in tiny rooms put on display for us to enjoy. Tigers should be free or at least have bigger enclosures with live animals to hunt in them. They would then be able to build up muscle mass and also learn some survival instincts. If their numbers in the wild change so that they are less endangered they could then possibly be released at some point and survive in the wild without our interference.
