Four Paws, a global animal welfare organisation, has come out with a new documentary Dethroned that highlights the urgent plight of big cats all over the world. The documentary exposes the global crisis impacting species like lions, tigers and jaguars and also highlights the devastating consequences of humanity’s growing disregard for these apex predators, who are increasingly seen as commodities rather than living, breathing creatures deserving of protection.
The film, which will be screened online on November 26, 2024, follows photojournalist Aaron Gekoski as he embarks on a harrowing journey across the globe to capture the beauty of big cats — and reveal the grim threats they face from poaching, exploitation, and the illegal wildlife trade.
Four Paws is using the film to rally governments worldwide to impose an urgent ban on the commercial trade of big cats and their parts before these majestic animals are driven to extinction.
In Dethroned, Gekoski travels from the jungles of Peru, where jaguars are brutally hunted for their pelts, to Pakistan, where big cats are kept as status symbols by wealthy individuals seeking social media fame. The documentary also exposes the shocking conditions of private zoos and breeding farms in Thailand, where tigers are crammed into tiny cages and subjected to cruel treatment for the entertainment of tourists.
“This is the first in-depth documentary looking at all the different big cat species, and the multitude of threats they face. We were shooting for 18 months and following the story wherever it took us, which ended up being all over the world. This was a hardcore and sometimes dangerous investigation and an investigation into what happens when we destroy something sacred,” said Gekoski, in a statement.
The documentary delves into the global scale of the illegal wildlife trade — an industry that is now the fourth largest criminal enterprise in the world. South Africa, in particular, has become a major hub for the commercial trade of big cats. Tens of thousands of captive lions, tigers, and other big cats are bred and trafficked, with their parts exported to Asia, where demand for traditional medicine and luxury goods made from big cat body parts remains high.
“If the status quo continues, endangered big cat species will only exist behind bars in the future,” Vanessa Amoroso, Head of Wild Animals in Trade at Four Paws and one of the film’s key experts, said in a press note.
In South Africa alone, it is estimated that around 10,000 lions are held in captivity, along with over 600 tigers, a species not native to the country. Four Paws argued that ending the commercial exploitation of big cats in South Africa would have a ripple effect that could protect all big cat species globally. The organization is calling on the South African government to fully implement its 2021 commitment to end the captive lion breeding industry and to extend that ban to all big cat species.
“The scope of the big cat trade is internationally significant, and the exploitation of big cats is a highly lucrative billion-dollar business. Countries like Vietnam, where tigers are native, import live animals because they have already become extinct in the wild locally,” Amoroso said. “Participating in direct interactions, tourist attractions, or consuming products made from big cats fuels this cruel industry and adds to the suffering of the animals.”