The Black Jaguar-White Tiger Foundation (or BJWT) was an unregistered and unlicensed non-profit 501(c)(3) wildlife facility located in Mexico that hosted big cats as well as dogs and other animals. [1] [2] BJWT was shut down by Mexican authorities on July 5, 2022, due to a viral video showing the cats eating themselves alive. [3] [4]
In 2013, BJWT was founded in Monterrey, Mexico by businessman Eduardo Serio. [2] [1] The organization's big cats come from circuses, breeders and zoos. [1] [5]
Numerous celebrities visited the facility, including Lewis Hamilton, [6] [7] Khloe Kardashian and Kendall Jenner in a 2015 episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, [8] [9] Paris Hilton and The Backstreet Boys. [2] Concerns over unsafe contact between humans and big cats garnered criticism from animal rights advocates. [9] [10] Both PETA and Wild Welfare criticized BJWT for exploiting and mistreating the wild cats, keeping them in small enclosures and promoting wild cats as pets. [11] [12] PETA also raised concerns about the large amount of cubs, who were likely torn away from their mothers and don't have their basic needs met. They also claimed that when the animals get older, they were typically cast aside. [12]
The foundation was never accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. [9] [13]
In July 2022, footage was released of animals, particularly the big cats in "deplorable" conditions, struggling to stand, emaciated and gnawing off their own tails. The Association of Zoos, Breeders and Aquariums of Mexico AC (AZCARM) also filed a complaint with the Attorney General as well as a lawsuit against Serio, claiming that the facility was no longer licensed or registered after the animals were moved from the original approved habitat to a smaller, unsuitable space. [14] [15] [16] Former employees and activists have filed complaints, alleging that the animals are put down if they are too big for their enclosure and often die due to exposure to the elements, lack of food and water and lack of access to veterinary services. [17]
The facility was shut down on Monday, July 4 after being raided by Mexican officials. 177 felines, 17 monkeys, 4 canines, 2 donkeys and 2 coyotes were removed and placed with various Mexican zoos. [18] According to prosecutors, Serio is wanted for "extreme abandonment and mistreatment of hundreds of large felines." [19] [20] Mexico's Attorney General alleges that the "Animals devoured themselves to avoid starvation." Documentary filmmaker Arturo Allende, who has been working on a documentary about Black Jaguar-White Tiger Foundation, stated that it was: “a holocaust for the animals". [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]
The liger is a hybrid offspring of a male lion and a tigress, or female tiger. The liger has parents in the same genus but of different species. The liger is distinct from the opposite hybrid called the tigon, and is the largest of all known extant felines. They enjoy swimming, which is a characteristic of tigers, and are very sociable like lions. Notably, ligers typically grow larger than either parent species, unlike tigons.
Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo, located in Bridgeport, Connecticut, is the only Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)-accredited zoo in the state of Connecticut. The zoo includes one of the few carousels in the state. The zoo has around 500 animals, from over 100 species, and welcomes about 280,000 visitors a year.
The Oakland Zoo is a zoo located in the Grass Valley neighborhood of Oakland, California, United States. Established on June 6, 1922, it is managed by the Conservation Society of California, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of wildlife both locally and globally. The zoo is home to more than 850 native and exotic animals and is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
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The Tri-State Zoological Park was a 16-acre (6.5 ha) zoo located in Cumberland, Maryland, United States. The nonprofit zoo opened in 2003, and contains mainly exotic animals rescued or in need of homes, including lions, tigers, primates, various exotics, birds and reptiles.
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The Phoenix Zoo opened in 1962 and is the largest privately owned, non-profit zoo in the United States. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the zoo was founded by Robert Maytag, a member of the Maytag family, and operates on 125 acres (51 ha) of land in the Papago Park area of Phoenix. It has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride.
A felid hybrid is any of a number of hybrids between various species of the cat family, Felidae. This article deals with hybrids between the species of the subfamily Felinae.
The Wildlife WayStation was a 160-acre animal sanctuary (65 ha) in Sylmar, California in northern Los Angeles County dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating wild and exotic animals. A charitable corporation located within the boundaries of Angeles National Forest, the facility was founded in 1976 by animal activist Martine Colette, who resigned in May 2019 as president and chief operating officer.
Woburn Safari Park is a safari park located in Woburn, Bedfordshire, England. Visitors to the park can drive through exhibits, which contain species such as southern white rhino, elephants, tigers and black bears. It is part of the estates of the Duke of Bedford that also includes Woburn Abbey and its 3,000-acre (1,200 ha) deer park. The Safari Park itself covers 360 acres (150 ha).
Carolina Tiger Rescue is a nonprofit wildcat sanctuary in Pittsboro, North Carolina, that offers public tours and field trips and is home to rescued tigers, lions, cougars, leopards, caracals, servals, bobcats and other wild animals. Over 20,000 visitors come to the sanctuary each year for guided tours, field trips, summer camps, volunteering and corporate work groups. Their mission is saving and protecting wild cats in captivity and in the wild. They work toward a day when wild cats are living in their native habitat and are not exploited by humans. Carolina Tiger Rescue is Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) and USDA accredited. The Executive Director is Kris Marino.
The Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, previously known as the Isle of Wight Zoo and Sandown Zoo, is a wildlife sanctuary on the coastline of Sandown, Isle of Wight. At 8.5 acres, it is the largest collection of exotic animals on the Island.
The Manila Zoo, formally known as the Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden, is a 5.5-hectare (14-acre) zoo located in Malate, Manila, Philippines. First opened on July 25, 1959, it was recently renovated and reopened on November 21, 2022.
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The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, alternatively known as the G.W. Zoo, Tiger King Park and formerly the Garold Wayne Exotic Animal Memorial Park, was an animal park displaying predominantly tigers and other big cats in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, United States. The park garnered substantial public attention due to the 2020 Netflix documentary series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, which focused on park founder and owner Joe Exotic.
The Wild Animal Sanctuary is a 1,214-acre (491 ha) animal sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado, United States. The sanctuary specializes in rescuing and caring for large predators which are being ill-treated, for which their owners can no longer care, or which might otherwise be euthanized. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a state and federally licensed zoological facility.
Fatal Attractions is a recurring documentary program that was broadcast on Animal Planet. First aired in 2010, the show focused on humans who have kept animals as unconventional pets that have turned out to be dangerous and sometimes fatal. The program's last new episode aired in February 2013.
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