How Many Big Cats in the U.S.?

In 2004 USDA published the first ever census of tigers in USDA facilities.  This did not include pets, and it was only tigers.  In 2004 there were 4,845 tigers in 666 USDA facilities.

USDA never published another census, so from 2004 until 2019 the only way we could update the numbers was based on news stories where a census was mentioned, or from the websites or social posts of the owners.

We are able to access some counts via ZIMS which is a product used by AZA accredited zoos and Big Cat Rescue.  The service costs $10,000 a year for managing medical records and the census, so it is not used by private owners or backyard zoos.

This sheet represents 15 years of gathering census data and an intensive six month period of organizing it into the best representation possible of the number of big cats in the U.S.  The question on everyone's mind is: How many big cats are in the United States?  The answer is, we still don't know because unless a privately owned big cat makes the news, there is no accurate way to count them.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_cwMh8PmdRUoYjEIN9EgXsVCATWL5Wo5KPKN1EVPzGY/edit?usp=sharing

The totals as of January 2019 are, according to what we have been able to document in 814 facilities:

Tiger   2642

Lion    393

Leopard 115

Snow Leopard  168

Clouded Leopard   100

Jaguar  10

Cheetah 347

Cougar  277

Bobcat  228

Canada Lynx 69

Caracal 35

Fishing Cat 35

Geoffroy Cat 3

Jaguarundi  10

Jungle Cat  1

Margay  5

Northern Lynx   22

Ocelot  90

Pallas Cat  46

Sand Cat    32

Serval  144

Wildcat 8

Black Footed Cat    37

Hybrid  9

Total cats we know of in cages in the U.S. in Jan of 2019 = 4,826

Hi, I’m Carole Baskin and I’ve been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views.  These are my views and opinions. If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story.  The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/

I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story.  My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet.  

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Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion.  Closing graphic with permission from https://youtu.be/F_AtgWMfwrk