“It is not part of a true culture to tame tigers, any more than it is to make sheep ferocious.” — Henry David Thoreau

In a Nutshell

Believe it or not, there are currently more tigers in the United States than anywhere else in the world – combined. Over 5,000 tigers are currently kept in captivity in the US, far more than the approximately 3,200 anywhere else.

The Whole Bushel

Tigers are always mentioned on the endangered species list, and the World Wildlife Foundation is constantly working to save the giant, ferocious cats before they are wiped out. These days there are an estimated 3,200 tigers living in the wild around the world.

Amazingly, this means that there are currently more tigers being kept in captivity in America than there are wild tigers everywhere else in the world combined. There are more than 5,000 tigers being kept in the United States, generally in zoos but occasionally as private pets if your name happens to be Mike Tyson.

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Just remember that the next time you travel across the continent of Asia and start worrying about when, not if, you’ll be mauled by a tiger just keep in mind that you have a greater chance of coming face to face with one of those big cats in the United States than anywhere else in the world. And it’s by a really, really wide margin.

Show Me The Proof

WWF: More Tigers in American Backyards than in the Wild

National Geographic: America’s 5,000 Backyard Tigers a Ticking Time Bomb, WWF Says

Big Cat Rescue: Tiger Facts