South Africa breeds and trades a wide variety of exotic species, including predators like tigers, pumas and jaguars.

 

Tigers once occurred throughout central, eastern and southern Asia but in the past 100 years they have lost 93% of their historic range.

This charismatic species is now listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with only an estimated 3 500 tigers surviving in the wild.

 

Jaguar’s native habitat is the South American continent and is the only living representative of the genus Panthera in this part of the world.

Their population decline is significant. It is suspected that we have lost at least 20-25% of mature individuals in the last 21 years. Jaguar are now listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.

 

The puma’s historic range is the largest of any terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere and its distribution was all the way from Canada through the USA, Central and South America to the southern tip of Chile.

The puma is also a highly adaptable big cat and is found in a broad range of habitats – in all forest types, as well as lowland and montane desert. It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.