Disney tiger exploitation
Disney tiger exploitation was on full display as Animal Kingdom celebrated the first birthday of Bakso, a Sumatran cub born in captivity. Disney frames it as conservation. In truth, Bakso was bred to entertain visitors on Maharajah Jungle Trek, not to save wild populations.
The financial contrast is brutal. In 2023, Animal Kingdom welcomed 8.77 million visitors, with average tickets at 61 US dollars. Add merchandise, food, and drinks, and turnover approaches one billion dollars a year. Against this, Disney boasts of donating 4.5 million dollars to tiger projects since 1995—about 150,000 dollars annually, or just 0.015 percent of its park revenue.
This is not generosity. It is tokenism. While real Sumatran tigers fight for survival against palm oil destruction, Disney markets birthdays and photo ops. Captivity dressed up as conservation is still exploitation. Disney needs to get serious about tiger conservation, not sell BS-stories to visitors. Until then, their celebrations remain a billion-dollar illusion.
The Disney tiger exploitation article:
Based on Disney Parks Blog, USA.
Photo via Disney Parks Blog.
