Exactly How Many Big Cats ARE in the US?

For the past few decades, an unsubstantiated narrative which suggests as many as 10,000 big cats are living in backyards across America has been repeated without evidence. The poorly understood and tracked presence or absence of so many endangered and dangerous felines has implications for policymakers and conservationists alike. To help shed some light on these issues, frequent Zoo Logic contributor, Rachel Garner discusses her recent peer-reviewed paper on the number of big cats found in USDA licensed facilities throughout the U.S.  

A Census of Federally Regulated Big Cat Populations within the United States as of December 2020.

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