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Why Captive Tigers Can’t Be Reintroduced to the Wild | WIRED

Netflix’s “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” has opened up the world’s eyes to big cat ownership in America. Outside all the headlines-generating drama, the documentary casts some light onto the big cat black market. In the US, Tigers are illegally being sold, bred and kept as pets. Dr. John Goodrich, Chief Scientist and Tiger…

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Netflix’s “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” has opened up the world’s eyes to big cat ownership in America. Outside all the headlines-generating drama, the documentary casts some light onto the big cat black market. In the US, Tigers are illegally being sold, bred and kept as pets. Dr. John Goodrich, Chief Scientist and Tiger Program Director for Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization, sits down with WIRED to talk about these concerns. Can these captive animals be reintroduced into the wild? Is it ever possible for a tiger to actually make a good pet?

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Why Captive Tigers Can’t Be Reintroduced to the Wild | WIRED

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36 Comments

36 Comments

  1. burnsloads

    April 23, 2020 at 3:47 pm

    So I shouldn’t own a malamute in SoCal? I’ve got money down, that in 15 years this dude will be saying that they are gene banks to help replenish stock.

  2. jack smiths

    April 23, 2020 at 5:22 pm

    people are afraid of what tigers looks, if u are the family member, tigers don’t attack you, they are more like bigger cats

  3. Jolly Arena

    April 23, 2020 at 6:08 pm

    To be honest that is true.

  4. Aziz K

    April 23, 2020 at 6:19 pm

    How do they know they can’t survive in the wild? Do they have any data on it? They don’t know if they don’t have any data backing up their point.

  5. JCrewCutie

    April 23, 2020 at 7:00 pm

    This is so gross.

  6. Wade Tisthammer

    April 23, 2020 at 7:55 pm

    9:17. How I look in the morning.

  7. Jesse O

    April 24, 2020 at 12:49 am

    Genuine question: when he asks what the difference between private and accredited zoos are, do you think the difference is big enough to be justified or is it just a way for us to feel better in keeping wild animals in captivity for profit? Of course it’s not a one-to-one equivalence, and yes, the animals in “proper” zoos have a better environment, aren’t being inbred for private sale etc but aren’t they ultimately still wild animals being kept in captivity for the entertainment and profit of people? What are the benefits for the animals themselves to be in a zoo? I would legitimately like to know… I’m not a vegan PETA nut but right now I just can’t bring myself to see how animals in commercial zoos are justifiable or really how people see it as entertaining… why do humans have to be able to directly see or hold/touch something to feel close to it, why isn’t knowing it is healthy and happy where it should be good enough? Shouldn’t our focus be on preserving natural habitat through land preservation and mitigating climate change as well as combating poaching be the things we should be putting all our effort toward? Would like to hear people’s thoughts and opinions

  8. Ethan Collum

    April 24, 2020 at 4:30 am

    Hi my name is boring

  9. branden hickerson

    April 24, 2020 at 9:12 am

    Everyone cries about joe exotic but everyone takes their kids to the zoo

    • Hella Planty

      April 24, 2020 at 1:15 pm

      you’re really comparing a disgusting animal abuser to zoos when like 90% of zoos are completely fine and actually care about their animals.

    • branden hickerson

      April 24, 2020 at 3:02 pm

      @Hella Planty yes i am. Their doing the same thing. One cleans up a bit better. They’re showing wild animals to people for money.

  10. Feroz

    April 24, 2020 at 6:37 pm

    Hi Wired, watch a VOX made video and learn some stuff about video making and keeping the viewers engaged. cheers

  11. Matthew B

    April 24, 2020 at 11:05 pm

    I think we all can agree on two things:

    1. Having big cats as pets is wrong
    2. Carole Baskin killed her husband

  12. Erizenn

    April 25, 2020 at 6:33 am

    everybody gangsta until a hurricane destroys the fences and all the tigers get out

  13. JCElzinga

    April 25, 2020 at 3:23 pm

    What difference does it make then. Does it make them less endangered or more or is this a problem with tiger range disappearing?

  14. Partha Biswas

    April 25, 2020 at 7:04 pm

    Wild Animals Need To Be In Wild Surrounding . Please Care & Respect Them ..

  15. 1234 1234

    April 25, 2020 at 7:29 pm

    Y don’t they breed the wild cats with the wild wild cats

  16. Planet Shel

    April 26, 2020 at 3:36 am

    Interesting video

  17. Anna Burgdorf

    April 26, 2020 at 6:30 am

    I know someone that has a few wild cats he keeps them in cages in Houston it’s sad he is rich and has connections in Dubai to get the cats

  18. Mel Gibson

    April 26, 2020 at 2:33 pm

    Maybe I’m stupid but I think they would be ok returning to the wild. There only predator would be bears in the USA

  19. Mel Gibson

    April 26, 2020 at 2:34 pm

    I say release them bitches into Alaska and let nature correct itself frfr plenty of prey

  20. Adur Pandya

    April 26, 2020 at 6:56 pm

    This guy is a menace to tigers around the world and has no idea what he’s talking about when it comes to genetics. The entire process of conservation is so messed up and harmful to the species they are meant to save.

  21. C N Ah Theivagt

    April 26, 2020 at 11:40 pm

    the smudge on his camera lense is bothering me

  22. Matthew Guimac

    April 27, 2020 at 3:30 am

    You know what? Let’s make a list called: Joe Exotic Must Die

  23. Jacob Levesque

    April 27, 2020 at 7:39 pm

    Answer “money” people don’t care they just want money

  24. Gweniver boo

    April 27, 2020 at 7:57 pm

    What about that story in the 70s of these guys who owned a lion and they set him free and he was okay. So why not these tigers??

  25. Kanika Cortes

    April 28, 2020 at 8:53 am

    ❤️ sulfic.myprofiles.online/profile.php?xx-photosulfic ❤️

  26. bob ryan

    April 30, 2020 at 6:38 am

    LIES DECEPCIONS, RELEASE THEN

  27. juila williams

    May 1, 2020 at 3:02 am

    How about mentioning the TIGERS THAT WERE KILLED shot in the head by joe exotic. Because the hide is worth more without the tiger in it he felt he had to remove as many tigers as possible and didn’t have enough people who wanted tigers so he executed some say 60 others say way more than that. I just love how some people think just because some animals belong in the wild they think they can just be set free and live happily ever after. Except there’s a 100 percent chance they will be dead in the wild within a few short months if not a couple weeks.

  28. Kishore S

    May 3, 2020 at 11:08 am

    The questions were very good
    The interviewer & the guy answering are Top Notch

  29. Lexi Martinez Vlogs

    May 4, 2020 at 12:33 pm

    Tik Tok, “tiger king” CAROL BASKET

  30. Adventures with Addi

    May 4, 2020 at 12:33 pm

    Tik Tok, “tiger king” CAROL BASKET

  31. Aurliya

    May 5, 2020 at 1:20 am

    Why did I think this was carol baskins husband?😂

  32. aimee harborne

    May 7, 2020 at 12:48 am

    Boooooooo morten booooooooooo morten

  33. j g

    May 15, 2020 at 11:20 am

    TLDR: they forgot how to hunt

  34. Patsy

    May 15, 2020 at 5:48 pm

    I stopped watching the show minutes in & was infuriated/befuddled by the public’s glamorized admiration of that awful man. Thank you for this.

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If you love watching TED Talks like this one, become a TED Member to support our mission of spreading ideas:

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The TED Talks channel features talks, performances and original series from the world’s leading thinkers and doers. Subscribe to our channel for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.

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TED’s videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy: . For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at

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Check out Romain’s book here:

[…]zcCI6IjEuODcifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=romain+pizzi%2Caps%2C76&sr=8-1

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Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen
Assistant Editor: Diego Rentsch

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