Striped Reckoning charts the shocking history of exotic big cats in the United States and chronicles how the struggle to drive a trio of breeders out of business and rehome their nearly two hundred captive lions and tigers led to a momentous new law protecting these majestic animals. Through the years big cats have been used in circuses and movies and paraded onto television talk shows, encouraging ordinary Americans to think of these apex predators as docile and adorable. Breeders made small fortunes selling cubs and charging customers to pose for photos with them, only to neglect and abuse them behind the scenes. Striped Reckoning explores how animal advocates worked to drive modern-day Tiger Kings Joe Exotic, Tim Stark, and Jeff Lowe out of business. After Exotic was convicted of trying to arrange the murder of a sanctuary owner, his story exploded on Netflix, and the federal government moved in on Stark and Lowe. Then sanctuaries across the country stepped in to rescue and rehabilitate the big cats that were left behind. Citește tot Restrânge
ISBN-13:9781496247957 ISBN-10: 1496247957 Pagini:236 Ilustrații: 20 photographs Dimensiuni: 140 x 216
mm Editura:BISON BOOKS Colecția Bison Books Locul publicării:United States
Notă biografică
Carol Bradley is a former journalist who studied animal law as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. She is the author of three previous books about animals, including Twisting in Air: The Sensational Rise of a Hollywood Falling Horse (Bison Books, 2024), winner of the 2025 Will Rogers Medallion, and Last Chain on Billie: How One Extraordinary Elephant Escaped the Big Top.
Cuprins
List of Illustrations 1. An Unnatural Life 2. The Thrill of the Wild 3. Trying to Improve Lives 4. The Lifelong Lesson of Roar 5. America’s Original Tiger Kings 6. Dangerous New Pets 7. Joe Exotic Gets His Start 8. Tim Stark’s Bogus Refuge 9. Things Sour for Exotic 10. A Sanctuary Blooms 11. From One Rescue to Many 12. A Sanctuary in the Cold 13. Putting a Stop to Tiger Swims 14. Problems Escalate for Joe 15. Enter Jeff Lowe 16. Busted! 17. Bad News for Stark and Lowe 18. Rescues Get Underway 19. New Lives for Jeff Lowe’s Cats 20. Stark’s Cats Arrive in Arkansas 21. Vast New Home in Colorado 22. Changing the Law Epilogue Acknowledgments Notes on Sources
Recenzii
“An engrossing and dismaying account of the business of big cats in America. Sadly, more tigers are now in captivity in the U.S. than in their native habitats. Carol Bradley takes us on a wild tour through the backyard and roadside zoos and faux sanctuaries where people besotted with big cats store, breed, and destroy lions, tigers, cheetahs, and others. Recent federal laws give her hope, but the underlying problem remains: people’s lust to own wild creatures.”—Virginia Morell, author of the New York Times bestseller Animal Wise: How We Know Animals Think and Feel
“Striped Reckoning chronicles the astonishing brutal mistreatment and rescue of lions, tigers, and other big cats in America and tells how the downfall of ‘Tiger King’ Joe Exotic helped give them some hope and new lives. This heartrending book belongs on the shelves of animal lovers everywhere and surely will capture the hearts of anyone who has ever loved an animal. It’ll make you think twice about seeing any lion or tiger in captivity again.”—Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy—and Why They Matter
“In her not-to-be-missed Striped Reckoning, Carol Bradley has once and for all put to rest the notion of a ‘humane’ treatment of the magnificent big cats caught and forced to perform or to serve as pets. The book provides an unflinching, sometimes disturbing, yet ultimately hopeful account of the efforts of big cat activists to discredit the activities of a seemingly endless array of unscrupulous showmen, misguided collectors, and ill-intentioned zookeepers oblivious to the welfare of an amazing set of creatures never meant to live in captivity. It is a fascinating and touching work.”—Les Standiford, author of the New York Times best-selling Last Train to Paradise
“Carol Bradley has kidnapped me. I am locked inside her new book. What a gripping, confounding revelation full of twists as good as your favorite detective novel. Except, of course, this time it’s true. Brilliant!”—Luis Alberto Urrea, author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Devil’s Highway: A True Story
Descriere
Carol Bradley chronicles the untold story of exotic big cats in the United States and how the struggle to drive breeders out of business and rehome their lions and tigers led to a momentous new law protecting these majestic beasts.
