Our assignment was to create a high impact poster for the Big Cat Rescue Sanctuary that educates people on some of the seemingly innocent ways in which people exploit tigers. Big Cat is home to over 100 abandoned, abused and orphaned exotic cats (such as tigers, lions and many more species.) They give guided tours of the facility and, in the process, wanted to inform the general public on why getting your photograph taken with a tiger cub or petting them is not a good thing. It actually can lead to the further exploitation of these cats and accentuate a vicious cycle of misery– all for someone else’s profit.

We wanted to tell this story of abuse in a simple but powerful way, so that it would get people’s attention and resonate with them. Ultimately, we hoped to intrigue people enough to go to CubTruth.com to learn the whole story and exactly what they can do to help stop this terrible cycle of abuse that often ends with tigers being killed for their parts and sold for big money through the black market. We thought the Tiger Bar Code imagery symbolically showed how they were being treated like a number throughout their life and even killed and sold for their fur and body parts to the highest bidder.

The poster has generated lots of attention and really resonated with those who have seen it. It has increased traffic on the website at CubTruth.com and helped to educate people on this very important issue, which often starts with something as seemingly innocent as tiger cub pettings and photo ops. Big Cat Rescue thought the image was so powerful that they wanted to use it on t-shirts and other items to further bring this issue to light.