Sixteen years after Historic Colton Tiger Rescue, the big cat problem still persists
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM PAWS Performing Animal Welfare Society
June 2020

The Big Cat Public Safety Act has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. It would prohibit the private ownership of big cats and stop public contact with these animals, including in cruel cub petting operations.

Here is the status of the bill:

• House (H.R. 1380, introduced by Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Illinois): The bill passed the House Natural Resources Committee in September 2019 – the first time it has advanced the bill.
• Senate (S. 2561, introduced by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut): The Big Cat Public Safety Act is sitting in the Environment and Public Works Committee. It needs the public’s help to add co-sponsors and move the bill forward.

The most important way you can help: Contact your Congressional representatives and urge support for the Big Cat Public Safety Act.

Find your United States Congressional Representative
Find your United States Senators

In June 2004, PAWS undertook what was then the largest big cat rescue in U.S. history – saving 39 neglected and starving tigers from a roadside attraction posing as a refuge in Colton, California. For years, the inaptly named "Tiger Rescue" was a popular weekend destination offering public tours and photos with tiger cubs and other wild animals. What the public didn’t see was the horrific cruelty that led state authorities to arrest the owner, close the facility and confiscate the animals.

Watch the VIDEO 39 Tigers: The story of the largest tiger rescue in US history...

In 2002, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife seized 10 tigers from Tiger Rescue after finding them in filthy cages without water. They also suspected the owner of illegal breeding. Officials returned in 2003 to execute a search warrant at the owner's residence in nearby Glen Avon, finding tiger and leopard cubs in the home's attic, two tigers roaming a porch, two alligators in a bathtub, and, shockingly, 90 dead tigers, including 58 dead baby tigers in freezers. Many other big cats and exotic wildlife were found sick, injured and some barely alive. The State of California seized control of Tiger Rescue, where 54 big cats remained.

One of the rescued Colton Tigers at PAWS...

Homes were quickly found for the 15 big cats healthy enough to travel, leaving 39 of the sickest and neediest tigers. Sanctuaries around the country were at or near capacity, and most zoos do not want tigers of unknown genetic origin. So PAWS stepped in to take all of the remaining tigers. The rescue was an enormous undertaking, but we saved 39 lives and were honored to provide the tigers with a safe, natural, and healthy home for remainder of their lives.

The recent passing of the last of the Colton tigers, Alka, caused us to reflect on this historic rescue and the current – and future – state of tigers in the U.S. We wish we could say that the exploitation of big cats is behind us, but it’s not. In many states you can still pay to pet and take a photo with captive-bred cubs, including baby tigers as shown in the Netflix docuseries "Tiger King." Cub petting attractions are responsible for creating what has become a big cat crisis in the United States that threatens animal welfare and human safety.

The cub petting racket produces a large number of big cat cubs. Their operation depends on having cubs available at all times. To do this, they “speed breed” their females as often as three times a year (in nature females would have at least two years between litters), then tear the cubs from their mothers shortly after birth. The cubs can only be used for a short period of time, during which they are subjected to hours of rough handling, denied sleep, and may be slapped, dragged, and punched by handlers. By 12 weeks of age the cubs are too big and dangerous to handle. They are then sold to other roadside zoos, private owners, kept for breeding more cubs, or simply "disappear."

Fortunately, the tide may be turning. The Big Cat Public Safety Act has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. It would prohibit the private ownership of big cats and stop public contact with these animals, including in cruel cub petting operations.

Here is the status of the bill:

• House (H.R. 1380, introduced by Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Illinois): The bill passed the House Natural Resources Committee in September 2019 – the first time it has advanced the bill.
• Senate (S. 2561, introduced by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut): The Big Cat Public Safety Act is sitting in the Environment and Public Works Committee. It needs the public’s help to add co-sponsors and move the bill forward.

The most important way you can help: Contact your Congressional representatives and urge support for the Big Cat Public Safety Act.

Find your United States Congressional Representative
Find your United States Senators

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