Drink acquired.
Conversation
From the opening montage: I already hate it, have seen numerous animal welfare violations.
But
just said “This is what the guy wanted all along- to be on the big screen with tigers.”
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OH HOLY HELL
There’s a snow leopard in a kennel
Snake dealer is wrong: they can’t “acclimate” to Florida because they were bred there. That’s not how evolution works
I’m reminded of this wild snow leopard I saw in China. She was panting at 55F (the cat is in a van at 110F ).
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This is why private, for-profit breeding facilities don’t do anything for conservation: under no circumstances should it be this easy to buy a snow leopard.
If they aren’t accredited, they’re selling snow leopards to snake dealers in Florida.
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(Sidenote it is WILD how little snake venom it takes to kill a person. I also appreciate it was featured in what appeared to be a martini glass. Classy)
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The tigers are chuffing with Joe- it’s a friendly greeting, which means they “like” him as much as a wild animal is capable. This affection is conditional based on humans providing resources, and in my opinion does not demonstrate an emotional connection.
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I wasn’t prepared to make this a drinking game re: how many times he says Carole Baskin
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Now enter Big Cat Rescue, which has done exceptional work advocating for ending private ownership of wild cats
I worked at a similarly accredited facility for a year, and I have great respect for their work with state, federal, and private agencies
Replying to
Umm, and I’m not sure this is necessary
But sex gel for humans is not part of any conservation program that I’m aware of
I was not prepared to type this
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There is a difference between animal welfare (AW) and animal rights (AR)
AW advocates want basic needs met for animals in captivity, and AR activists generally believe animals have the same rights as humans. There can be overlap but they are not the same
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In my experience, for-profit breeders of big cats love to conflate the two to avoid addressing animal welfare violations- if it’s just a “crazy” animal rights activist, the argument is invalid and you don’t need to change anything.
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Doc Antle blocked me online last year because I called him out on his YouTube videos claiming that lions and tigers naturally hybridized millions of years ago.
The best available genetic data and geographic distribution of these extant species does not suggest this.
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I have never seen tigers run through chutes like cattle
Oh my god
That many apex predators competing for food is SO dangerous to those cats
This is exploitation and I hope those watching understand why conservationists decry this kind of private ownership. It’s DISGUSTING.
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Put this on my tombstone:
“Anyone who poses with a baby tiger is part of the problem.”
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The baby tigers are squawking because they are starved for their mother’s touch and care, they’re overstimulated by humans, and they likely have diarrhea.
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This episode really highlights a correlation between mental health issues and private, for-profit exotic wildlife ownership.
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Big Cat Rescue (BCR) is different from Joe Exotic and Doc Antle’s operations because BCR uses the best accepted practices in captivity, they do NOT breed, they do NOT allow human interaction, and funds help support political action against animal exploitation .
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The facility I worked at, Carolina Tiger Rescue, had a similar setup and offered a place for captive cats to live the rest of their lives. Other than euthanizing them (which is a separate argument), no-touch facilities are the best alternative for animals that can’t be released.
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My favorite line so far is Joe Exotic saying, from prison, “I’m in a cage.”
First episode down. I’m invested, going to the second.
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Good grief, one of Joe’s employees had her arm ripped off by a tiger and he said “I’m never going to financially recover from this.”
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Of course Doc Antle has a damn elephant
And a bunch of infant tigers on his couch
It is indeed all about elevating the status of the person. It is never about conservation or individual animals.
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Dude w/ a lemur is saying people should donate to his facility because he breeds tigers, and more tigers = good for conservation
False
Only captive animals of known genetic origin are beneficial for ex situ conservation efforts. This is known as Species Survival Plans (SSP).
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SSP animals are usually of known origin with a traceable pedigree, which matters for local adaptation- eg, it doesn’t make sense to put a tiger from the Sundarbans of Bangladesh in Siberia. A tiger is not just a tiger in this case. It’s not a numbers game.
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Conservation is about populations, not individuals, so breeding cats w/out any attention to pop of origin doesn’t help animals in the wild. Backyard breeding often crosses unknown and/or geographically separate lineages, which eliminates these cats from SSP programs.
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I had to pause and get another drink
Some of y’all in my mentions have wild opinions
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PEOPLE SURGICALLY STUFF DRUGS INTO LIVE SNAKES OH MY FREAKING GOD
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The illegal wildlife trade generates an estimated $20 billion annually and is the 4th most profitable criminal enterprise behind drugs, arms and human trafficking according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
These people are out here mixing them together.
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Oh my god the abuse these young impressionable women endure from Doc Antle under the guise of loving tigers and other wildlife is truly horrific.
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All the music videos are terrible regardless of the organization creating them
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These dudes are complaining that BCR has weeds in their enclosures as if wild animals want to live in grass-less enclosures LMAO this jealousy is wild.
Also, not all cats can handle people, which is why so few cats are on the tour route at BCR.
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Holy shit I know this series is about Joe but I didn’t think I could dislike Doc Antle any more, then:
He coerced a woman to get implants because he brainwashed, sexualized, and abused his female staff and she cited wanting to sleep as reason enough to have the surgery
AHHHH
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Wow Joe is one-upping him by paying his staff so little that they rummage through expired and donated meat to feed themselves.
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Ok I’m starting a third episode
I’ll try to refrain from ruining it for those who want to watch it and stick to comments about conservation and fact-checking, but y’all this shit is wild
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Yes, breeding wild cats to sell as pets is wrong
This includes backcrosses with domestic cats
It doesn’t matter how much you love them- you can’t love away the exploitation and lack of proper care
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These people are loving on “friendly” bobcats.
I’ve worked with wild bobcats, and I’m here to tell you: they will mess you up. This photo was taken in Montana, and this juvenile could have rendered my hand useless.
Wild cats, even the short ones, aren’t safe or happy pets.
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Pivot:
Bird bones are hollow. Mammal bones are compact, dense, and heavy.
Yes, carnivores break bones into pieces and swallow them, but usually leave behind the larger, weight-bearing bones.
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