One of the world’s largest populations of tigers exists not in the wild—but in captivity in the United States. With an estimated 5,000 tigers, the U.S. captive tiger population exceeds the approximately 3,200 tigers in the wild.

In October 2011, an exotic pet owner let loose his dangerous menagerie into the local community in Zanesville, Ohio. First responders were forced to shoot more than 10 captive tigers and other animals.

On the first anniversary of this tragedy in 2012, WWF was among several conservation and welfare organizations to submit a joint petition to the USDA asking for a ban on public contact with tiger cubs. This will help ensure public safety, slow the breeding of captive tigers, make them easier to track and stop wildlife crime by preventing captive tigers from leaking into the illegal wildlife trade.