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In 2020, audiences around the world became engrossed and outraged with the docuseries Tiger King. The Netflix original series stars Joe Exotic (Joseph Maldonado-Passage). Nicknamed the “Tiger King,” Joe owned a tiger zoo and was eventually arrested for a murder-for-hire plot and crimes against wildlife. Now, a bill called The Big Cat Public Safety Act can prevent another “Tiger King” from abusing big cats, and there is a way that you can help make it happen!
Before Joe’s arrest, he used to breed and sell tigers for pleasure and profit. One of the biggest attractions of his zoo was offering cub petting to the public. However, after a certain age, cubs are considered too big and dangerous to pet. This is why Joe would dispose of the cubs after they reached 12 weeks old. Some of the cubs were sold as pets and others went to other roadside zoos for breeding. The series revealed that some were even killed and buried by Joe himself.
What is The Big Cat Public Safety Act?
Despite the awareness that Tiger King revealed about the dangers of roadside zoos, big cats are still unprotected to this day. Now, a group of United States senators reintroduced The Big Cat Public Safety Act, which is a bill that prohibits unlicensed people from owning tigers and other big cats. The bill also forbids zoo owners from letting the public pet or hold the animals.
The Big Cat Public Safety Act actually passed the House with two-thirds of the votes in the 2019-2020 session of Congress. However, because voting happened in December 2020, it couldn’t make it to the floor of the Senate in time for a vote, which is why the process had to start over in 2021.
Why Should The Big Cat Public Safety Act be Passed?
Joe’s murder-for-hire target, Carol Baskin, is the owner of Big Cat Rescue. After Joe’s arrest, Carol was given control of his old zoo. Big Cat Rescue is a huge supporter of The Big Cat Public Safety Act. Their website explains that this bill needs to be passed because big cats used as pets usually end up living in inhumane conditions. For example, cubs are often ripped away from their mothers in order to have them participate in cub petting. Big cats also tend to be deprived of sleep, physically punished in order to “diminish their natural behaviors,” and discarded once they become too big for cub petting.
Under the reintroduced bill, it would be illegal for private individuals to transport, breed, or own big cats. It would also be illegal to transport them between state lines. However, zoos, sanctuaries, and other licensed organizations would be exempt. But, licensed organizations would still be banned from allowing direct contact between animals and the public. In other words, if this bill becomes law, it will help prevent another “Tiger King” from abusing big cats.
This bill would also help public safety, because many big cats escape captivity every year. According to leaders of The Humane Society of the United States, “more than 400 dangerous incidents involving captive big cats have occurred in 46 states and the District of Columbia” since 1990. As a result, hundreds of people have been injured and 24 have been killed.
How Can The Big Cat Public Safety Act be Passed?
In order for this bill to be made into law, the public needs to contact local lawmakers to let them know how important it is to vote “yes” to protect big cats from being abused and exploited. To contact your members of congress, you can call, text, or email them. Or better yet, you can do all three. To make things convenient, Big Cat Rescue has added a form to their website called “Make the Call of the Wild.”
On the form, you fill out your name, address, phone number, and email. After submission, the names of your local officials will pop up, along with the phone number that will get you in touch with them. The form also shares recommended talking points (which are just a few simple sentences). The process really can’t get any easier than that!
To make “The Call of the Wild,” go to:
https://p2a.co/7dPHsL6
Disclaimer: The Purring Journal is not associated with any mentioned organizations.
Resources
https://bigcatrescue.org/big-cat-act/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiger-king-big-cat-public-safety-act-passed-by-house/
https://www.netflix.com/title/81115994
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/20/us/politics/tiger-king-bill.html
Disclaimer: The Purring Journal is not in the medical field. This post is made for entertainment purposes only. Use the information presented in this article at your own risk. Always seek medical advice from licensed veterinarians.
