The Global Decline of Big Cats - FOUR PAWS

For about 20 years, photojournalist Aaron Gekoski has documented the complex relationship between humans and wildlife. However, few of his productions have stirred him as emotionally as 'Dethroned'. 'I wish I never had to make such a film. Given the threat that big cats now face, it might be the most important documentary I've ever worked on,' says Gekoski, whose team filmed in eight countries over 18 months to take viewers on a journey into the depths of the cruel handling of these animals.

The global animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS involved in the film is showing 'Dethroned' in Switzerland for the first time on November 10 during the Films for Future Festival in Zurich. 'With this documentary, we want to raise awareness that our relationship with big cats is at a very critical point. Very little is left of the former reverence. On the contrary, we enclose the animals, trade with them and their body parts, keep them as pets – in short, we systematically exploit them and rob them of their dignity. Our goal was to show how it got to this point and the consequences for animals, humans, and the environment,' explains Vanessa Amoroso, FOUR PAWS expert on wildlife trade.

The big cat trade has enormous dimensions. The commercial trade with big cats is legal in most parts of the world. Big cats can be bred in captivity, exploited for tourist attractions, kept as pets, and their body parts exported. However, this also partly occurs illegally. The use of animals and their body parts in traditional medicine and as so-called luxury items drives illegal wildlife trade, making it the fourth-largest criminal activity globally.

Breaking the vicious cycle in South Africa In South Africa, big cats are bred intensively. An estimated 10,000 lions and more than 600 tigers, a non- native species, live in captivity there. Over the last ten years, South Africa has become the world's largest exporter of big cats and their body parts. Demand is particularly high in Asian countries, where thousands of animals are smuggled to countries like China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. FOUR PAWS believes that once the exploitation cycle in South Africa is broken, a domino effect for the protection of all big cat species globally will ensue.

'Exploitation of big cats is an extremely lucrative billion-dollar business. Countries like Vietnam, where tigers are native, import living animals because they are already extinct in the wild locally. Participation in interactions and tourist attractions or consumption of products made from big cats fuel this cruel industry and contribute to the suffering of the animals. We urgently call on the South African government to implement their planned end to captive lion breeding announced for 2021, including all big cat species,' emphasizes Amoroso.

Information on the Swiss film premiere: - Date: 10 November 2025 - Time: 17:30 (doors open at 17:00) - Venue: Karl der Grosse, Kirchgasse 14, 8001 Zurich - Language: English (with German subtitles) - Registration for journalists by 7 November: presse@vier-pfoten.ch

After the premiere, Sarah Bartels (Campaigner for Wild Animals, FOUR PAWS Switzerland), Fiona Miles (Director, FOUR PAWS South Africa), and Vanessa Amoroso (Wildlife Trade Department, FOUR PAWS) will be available for a Q&A and/or discussion with the audience.

Media contact:
Oliver Loga
Press Manager Switzerland
FOUR PAWS – Animal Welfare Foundation
Altstetterstrasse 124
8048 Zurich
Tel. +41 43 311 80 90
presse@vier-pfoten.ch
www.vier-pfoten.ch

Editor's note: Image rights belong to the respective publisher.