Ethical Animal Tourism: The Truth About Cub Petting

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There’s not much cuter than a lion or tiger cub. From their fluff and cute round faces to their kitten-like personalities, it’s easy to forget they’re a wild animal. Unfortunately, a lot of tourist activities take advantage of this vulnerable stage of development and offer cub petting or photo experiences. Even worse, these are often disguised as ‘volunteer opportunities’ where unsuspecting tourists are actually participating in larger breeding and hunting schemes without their knowledge. Read on to learn the truth about cub petting.

In the wild, lion and tiger cubs would spend several years with their mother, socializing and learning to hunt. For cubs to be available for tourist experiences during their cute phase, they have to be separated from their mother at an early age…often at just a couple days old. While they are often referred to as ‘orphans,’ very few of these animals are true orphans. Instead, they are intentionally separated from their mothers and raised on a bottle for the specific purpose of tourism. Not only does this practice provide adorable cubs that can be acclimated to human interaction, the mothers will then quickly return to cycling so that they can be bred immediately again for their next litter.

During their cute, kitten-like stages, cubs are used in a variety of ways. Photos. Petting experiences. Even paying to volunteer to help raise the cubs. However, they don’t stay small and adorable forever. Eventually they grow up into big cats. In fact, in the US (where the USDA regulates lion and tiger cub experiences), these animals are only able to be handled by the public for approximately 4 weeks…between 8 and 12 weeks of age. After that, they are no longer useful for their intended purpose.

Chilling on a hot day at the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge

What happens to cubs after they’re no longer cute and cuddly? The lucky few end up in true sanctuaries to live out their lives in relative peace and comfort. (However, there are many unethical sanctuaries out there…check out this blog post on identifying a true sanctuary) Unfortunately, though, most of these animals find themselves in less than ideal circumstances. Some are funneled back into breeding operations to produce the next generation of cubs for petting. Others are sold off as private pets where they often do not receive appropriate care and veterinary attention. Many are further exploited in additional experiences such as lion walks and eventually canned hunting experiences where people pay to shoot and kill a captive and/or drugged large cat.

While it may seem harmless to pet an adorable cub and snap a photo or two, keep in mind the larger impact that your decision has on the animal’s eventual fate…and just say ‘no’ to cub experiences.