Buying illegal wild animals in Kuwait is, as one local puts it, “as easy as acquiring a cupcake.” Exotic pets have long been used as status symbols around the world, but citizens of the Gulf take pride in keeping big cats in particular. In Big Cats of the Gulf, VICE investigates the area’s flourishing trade in animal trafficking and how it impacts the diminishing wildcat populations of Central and East Africa. As Adam M. Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA and Born Free Foundation, explains, “I think, for many of us, there’s something that stops us from going that extra mile and saying we’re actually going to acquire [a big cat], because we realize it’s wrong.”
Link: Vice