REXANO The Historical Role of Big Cats in Captivity Tim Stoffel

The Historical Role of Big Cats in Captivity

By Tim Stoffel, Winter 2007/2008

'Why do you want to have a large carnivore as a pet?' is a question frequently asked by animal rights folks, and others who wonder why anyone would want to be around big cats. Although this issue has been explored in a number of different ways on this site, here is a look that may shed some light on why people have come to own big cats. And indeed, along the way, we will see where a lot of our captive and domestic animals came from.

Recently, I was watching a part of a PBS documentary series entitled 'Guns, Germs and Steel', a series that explores the issues of how modern society came to be. Part of this series explored what happened when mankind went from being hunter-gatherers to being farmers, and it from the ideas presented there that I get my inspiration to explore this concept.

As hunter-gathers, mankind had a preference for eating meat. But, the game had to be caught before it could be eaten. For plant-based foodstuffs, it had to be found and collected. But, early humans quickly learned that there were some plants that grew quickly, yielded lots of edible fruit or seeds, and could be deliberately cultivated. Thus was the birth of farming. But of the countless millions of species of plant life on earth, only a few hundred species of plants made for good crops.

Humans still loved their meat, though and continued to hunt it. But over time, certain animals were found that could be kept by humans. Then, they could have meat whenever they wanted. But like the plants, there were only a few species of animals that were suited for being farmed as meat animals.
These animals had to have a number of characteristics. First, they had to be comfortable being around man. Second, they had to be herd animals so they could live in groups. Third, they had to reproduce fairly rapidly so they could replenish themselves as they were consumed. Fourth, they had to be good to eat. Few animals could make this list of requirements. At first, it was sheep and goats. Then swine. Then cow-like species.

The animals enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with the farming humans. They could eat useless crop remains or plants that that had no farming value. In addition to meat, they could provide renewable sources of protein (milk, eggs) as well as fiber (pelts, wool, etc.). Animals could also be used as beasts of burden, although all cultures did not for some reason adopt animals as beasts of burden.
Then over time, the suitable animals became domesticated.

As mankind grew socially and technologically, there arose new uses for animals. Elephants were used, and are still used as beasts of burden in the Far East. However, elephants were not farmed in the normal sense of the word. Small carnivores became companion animals because in addition to controlling pests, they desired being around humans. Thus, we have to origin of our modern pets. Some of these pets could also being working animals, like guard dogs, sheep dogs, etc.

A pattern of animal usage began to emerge. For each possible application that an animal could be used for, there was just a small range of the 2 million or so animal species that could do the job. Just as many animals are specialized in the wild, they are equally specialized in captivity. Take the silkworm, for example. For each of these specialty animals, a group of people arose who knew how to keep them.
So, where do big cats fit in? The actually have a somewhat different history than most animals used by humans.
The big cats have always been admired for their beauty and power. Thus they began to fill an interesting niche in human society-- status symbols. (A very few people used big cats-- cheetahs, especially-- to hunt with. But even that was a sport of Kings, who alone could afford their high upkeep costs.) It turns out that big cats were relatively easy to keep in captivity, and generally thrived in captivity. I am sure the early cat keepers learned just as big cat keepers today, that these animals can be quite happy in captivity if they have 'friends' in the form of other cats and/or humans.

Somewhere along the line, it was learned that big cats were highly trainable, and they could be trained to a point where they liked doing their routine. Thus, we have the beginnings of what would become the circus. This dates back to the Roman times, when big cats were also used for blood sports, and turning Christians into lion dung. Why were other species of animals less used for performing? Because they were difficult or impossible to train. We do a lot better today, but we have thousands of years experience in training animals. The big cats were ready from day 1.

It was also discovered that big cats can fit into small spaces. Coupled with their trainability, this led to their use in magic shows. It was a powerful combination for magicians. Powerful, charismatic animals, who could also be trained to do complex tricks or behaviors. And actually enjoy doing it.
Although nearly every animal has been used sometime for movie work, there is a predilection for big cats, again because they are highly trainable.

The bottom line: big cats are where they are today in our society because they are beautiful and powerful, and highly trainable. Few other animals meet these two criteria, so they are used less as performing animals. It is as if the big cats, fragile in the wild because they are top predators, have found a way to live happily with man, who saved them all the work of hunting, and gave them stimulating things to do in return for food or attention.

The relationships that these complex animals can build is another tailor-made feature of big cats that makes them continue to be a part of our society. As large brained or even 'spiritual' animals, they can build deep bonds with humans. Although most large animals can do this, there seems to be a special ability of cats and humans to bond. About the only animals that can build deeper bonds is primates-- the animals most like humans. (that said, one researcher has said that humans have more in common genetically with a tiger then they do with a chimpanzee!)

We also see this in the smaller carnivores we keep as pets, namely dogs and cats. In general, there is something that attracts humans to carnivores, even if they aren't powerful or charismatic. (most people do not think much about the fact that their pets are in fact carnivores.)
The major difference between small and big cats in terms of human relationships, is the strength of their bonds. The closer to the wild the cat is, the stronger the bond. Thus a serval can generally build a deeper bond with a person than a similar-sized domestic cat. Not all cat species are like this, but a couple of the small species, and the larger big cats are.

This gives big cats an important place in modern society. The proper precautions taken, they can be incredible human companions. They can entertain us, not only by virtue of their strength and appearance, but because they can be trained to perform, and actually enjoy performing. Finally, this is beginning to be recognized.

The big cats are all in trouble in the wild. But in captivity, as history has shown, they can thrive quite well. So, here, we have a rare opportunity to protect these stunning and incredible animals before its too late. But it can only be done if the forces trying to remove animals from our world are stopped. This especially concerns the animal rights groups. In the case of the big cats, the most dangerous animal rights organizations are the Humane Society of the US (HSUS), The Animal Protection Institute (API) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) (And there are many lesser groups). They target big cat people because they tend to be high profile, and relatively few in number. Some people who run animal sanctuaries are also strong advocates fro removing big cats from the world of human beings. They have been led to believe that everyone that owns these animals abuses them, a viewpoint not supported by real world statistics.

So, what can the average person do to protect our captive big cat population? First, do not support the animal rights groups. They will put on a strong case as to why you should support them, but if you study their position carefully, you will see it falls apart under scrutiny. Instead, support you local small zoo, circus, magician, educational facility, or anyone else who has and cares about the big cats!