Only 6% of US captive tigers are in accredited facilities

An estimated 5,000-7,000 tigers live in captivity in the United States — more than the approximately 4,500 remaining in the wild globally — yet only about 6% reside in AZA-accredited facilities. The remaining 94% live in private backyards, roadside attractions, and breeding operations where there is no standardized veterinary care, no genetic management, and no contribution to conservation. These tigers are often inbred, cross-bred between subspecies, and have zero conservation value for wild population recovery. The Big Cat Public Safety Act of 2022 banned new private ownership but grandfathered existing owners, meaning thousands of tigers remain in unregulated private hands with no sunset provision forcing transition to accredited sanctuaries. The people affected include neighbors with a 500-pound predator next door, emergency responders who face escaped big cats, and the animals themselves who receive amateur veterinary care. This persists because enforcement of the new federal law requires resources that USDA/APHIS does not have, and because state-level exotic animal laws remain a patchwork where some states still have no permit requirements at all.