Humane Society applauds big cat bill passage
by Katie Pfaff
The Humane Society of the United States has celebrated the passage of the Big Cat Public Safety Act (HR 263). The legislation, which prohibits having big cats as pets, was passed in the US House of Representatives by a vote of 278 to 134. The bill, which next moves to the Senate, would also prohibit public interaction with big cats, including cub petting.
“House passage of the Big Cat Public Safety Act, HR 263, is a giant step toward addressing a problem that has been festering for years—America's surplus of captive tigers and other big cats,” said Sara Amundson, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “It's the product of people like those in the series 'Tiger King,' who breed big cats to make money, not to provide any conservation value. Although most of the scofflaw breeders in ‘Tiger King’ have been held to account, as long as cub petting remains legal, nothing will prevent Joe Exotic wannabes from relentlessly exploiting, mistreating and dumping big cat cubs. With well over half of the House cosponsoring this bill, Congress should pass it without delay.”
Big cats have been kept captive in the US in roadside zoos or in homes, often in improper enclosures and not receiving adequate care. Several instances of big cats being held captive and escaping or being set free have resulted in them being shot by law enforcement. The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Michael Quigley, D-Illinois, and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pennsylvania.
“The big cat breeding and cub petting industry creates a cycle of never-ending misery for the animals involved. In an effort to control the true wild nature of these poor captive animals, breeders and exhibitors mistreat the cubs from the day they are born,” said Kitty Block, president and chief executive officer of the Humane Society of the United States. “One paying customer after another handles the cubs, day in and day out, until they grow too big and dangerous. Then they have nowhere to go. Sometimes they are sold to roadside zoos, where they pace the confines of their cages, or they end up in basements or backyards as 'pets.' Others simply disappear. 'Tiger King' showed just a glimpse of why we need a swift end to the big cat breeding and cub petting industry in the U.S. There are countless Joe Exotics out there. As long as cub petting remains legal, nothing will prevent the next generation of profiteering con artists from casting vulnerable big cats to an uncertain fate.”
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