Our assignment was to come up with a way to change the public’s perception about petting a tiger cub and getting photographed with them. We wanted to give people the real picture and educate them on why it’s not as cute and innocent as they may think or have been previously told. It is actually the beginning of a lifetime of cruelty and abuse, in which the tiger cubs are continually exploited for a profit. It also inhibits tigers from being where they really belong -- in the wild.

Our client, Big Cat Rescue, is one of the world’s largest accredited sanctuaries for big cats and is home to over 100 abandoned, abused and orphaned cats, including lions, tigers and other species. They are on a mission to save wild cats from extinction and ultimately preserve the species in the wild. We came up with this compelling image of a photo (with prison bars) in order to convey the real picture. That is, that breeding tiger cubs for petting and photo ops is not the ideal life for them. Sadly, it could even lead to a tiger’s death once they got too big for cub petting and photo ops. That’s because there is no tracking how many ultimately end up being killed in order to sell their valuable fur, bones and other parts on the black market.

This powerful poster is stimulating a lot of talk and discussion. It is enticing people to visit CubTruth.com to learn the real truth. This has brought more attention to the issue of cub petting and helped educate the public on this deceptive way of exploiting exotic animals for a profit. In addition, we are also running digital banner ads, pre-roll video, and PSA spots that further expose the truth about cub petting. Ultimately, we want people to support a ban on cub petting and help pass the Big Cat Public Safety Act -- the most important piece of legislation ever introduced to protect exotic wild cats.