This report reviews the trade routes and commodities from the following big cats: cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatis), clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa), jaguars (Panthera onca), leopards (Panthera pardus), lions (Panthera leo), pumas (Puma concolor), snow leopards (Panthera uncia), and tigers (Panthera tigris).

This report draws on CITES trade data, both from the CITES Trade Database and the CITES Illegal Trade Reports, as well as on seizure data from TRAFFIC’s WiTIS (Wildlife Trade Information System) database. This trade data is supplemented by literature, surveys, and interviews across multiple countries including main big cat product consumer countries.

Almost every country in a particular big cats’ range becomes a source of illegal trade in that big cat. Human-wildlife conflict increases where habitat loss pushes human habitation closer to big cat habitat, and laws allowing for protection of livestock and property have allowed people to kill big cats while claiming human-wildlife conflict. Where in most cases the carcasses must be destroyed, they may be sold opportunistically on the market or to intermediaries where they are then sold on. In many cases, authorities meant to stop the trade are aware that an illegal shipment will be crossing their borders but have been bribed to turn a blind eye. Demand for tigers in Asia has led to big cats that have been captive-bred being sold commercially, even where prohibited by law or regulation; and ‘canned’ hunting of captive-bred big cats has led to laundering where species such as tigers are part of ‘canned’ hunts or ‘canned’ hunted lions and other big cats are passed off as tigers.