Big Cat Conservation

Conservation programs have depended on the development of wildlife sanctuaries and organized breeding programs. There are organized breeding programs for many types of wildlife that endeavor to preserve purebred species and avoid the health problems that occur with inbreeding.

In the case of leopards, laws prohibiting the sale and importation of leopard skins have helped to increase the population of the species, but they remain endangered.

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Wild tiger populations initially saw an increase due to breeding programs and the development of wildlife sanctuaries. Many of these tiger habitat sanctuaries have been established by "Project Tiger", a cooperative effort with the Indian government and the World Wildlife Fund. In these cases the wildlife sanctuaries are preserves for wild tigers, not sanctuaries for captive tigers. However, the wild tiger situation is now dire due to an increase in poaching, with Bengal tiger population estimates running as low as 1200, and the Siberian tiger at around 500 individuals.

Most captive tigers of any color do not participate in any organized conservation-breeding program due to a lack of space in zoo settings, or they are not pure subspecies, or they are too closely related. Even purebred offspring can't be released into the wild due to the current threats from humans.

View a map of current and historical populations of Big Cats in the wild.

For more information about conservation efforts you can help with, visit www.worldwildlife.org.