This contributes to the large tiger trade in the United States. Breeders sell cubs over the Internet or at auctions. A tiger can produce three to five litters a year with three to five cubs each, which are sometimes shipped out in a matter of days.
The Humane Society is lobbying for a federal law to shut down the interstate trade in big cats. It is also pushing for bans at the state level on ownership of big cats as pets. Nineteen states currently have such bans, and other states should adopt them as well, especially Florida, Texas and Nevada, where tiger ownership is practically as popular as owning hermit crabs.
Apologists for the private ownership of tigers argue that it keeps tigers alive for possible reintroduction into the wilderness. But most private tigers are too inbred to be reliably viable in the wild. The tigers that would be appropriate for reintroduction are those in accredited zoos, where they are kept on a rigorously controlled breeding program.
Tigers and other big cats are indeed fascinating and awesome creatures. But the best way to "show our love" is to keep them out of private hands.