An Entertainment Abuses Articles from All-Creatures.org


Share

Big Cat Public Safety Act Update

From PAWS Performing Animal Welfare Society
April 2023

The Act makes it illegal to own specified big cat species and hybrids of lions, tiger, leopard, snow leopard, clouded leopard, jaguar, cheetah and cougar. Those already holding big cats may keep their animals, but they cannot sell, breed, or buy more cats. To legally keep their cats, owners must register them with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) by June 18, 2023. Failure to comply can result in forfeiture of the cats.

Tiger Rosemary
Rosemary at PAWS Sanctuary

Thanks to everyone who took action and contacted their elected officials, the Big Cat Public Safety Act was enacted on December 20, 2022. The Act bans the private ownership of big cats as pets and prohibits public contact with big cats, including those used in cub petting operations.

For PAWS, this is personal. We care for eight tigers, and all except one were once subjected to the misery of cub petting operations where babies are torn from their mothers soon after birth, held in impoverished conditions, and constantly handled by paying customers. This includes tigers such as Rosemary and Morris.

Today, all of our tigers are cared for and treated with respect and dignity, with large and stimulating natural habitats to roam and explore, shady trees to stretch and scratch on, and pools for a cool dip.

So what does passage of the Big Cat Public Safety Act mean for big cats in the U.S. and the sanctuaries that often rescue them? And what can you do to help ensure this law is enforced? Read on!

rescued Tigers
Morris and Rosemary at PAWS Sanctuary

Private ownership

The Act makes it illegal to own specified big cat species and hybrids of lions, tiger, leopard, snow leopard, clouded leopard, jaguar, cheetah and cougar. Those already holding big cats may keep their animals, but they cannot sell, breed, or buy more cats. To legally keep their cats, owners must register them with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) by June 18, 2023. Failure to comply can result in forfeiture of the cats.

What you can do

 Once the registration date passes, it may take time for the FWS to identify and contact non-compliant owners. The public can then help by reporting people who possess big cat “pets” to [email protected].  Please let us know if you have filed a report; send an email to [email protected].

Public contact with big cats

The law prohibits direct contact between the public and specified big cats (see below) of any age, including young cubs. This aspect of the law is in place now.

What you can do: If a facility is offering cub petting with prohibited species (see below), you can report it to [email protected]. Please let us know if you have filed a report; send an email to [email protected].

How does the Act affect sanctuaries holding big cats?

We have high hopes for the law, but it’s too soon to tell how quickly things may change or how vigorously the law will be enforced. Like other sanctuaries, we look forward to the day when we will be out of business because wild animals are no longer exploited. But we’re not there yet.

Unfortunately, animal exploiters do not give up easily. Private owners may illegally acquire big cat cubs smuggled into the country. And exhibitors are already testing ways to get around the cub petting prohibition or turning to smaller species of wild cats such as servals and caracals. Until this can be stopped, cubs will be bred and exploited for profit, only to be dumped when no longer useful.

Sanctuaries will continue to play an important role in rescuing and advocating on behalf of these suffering animals used for public contact. We all need to remain vigilant and continue the necessary work to shut down those who use and abuse captive wild animals for entertainment.

Return to Entertainment Abuses Articles
Read more at Legislation/Policy Articles