Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak just signed the “Tiger King” bill, which bans public contact with big cats, elephants, primates, wolves, bears, and hyenas. It will go into effect on July 1st.
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas—except for cub-petting and
elephant rides, which are on their way out of the entire state of
Nevada! Gov. Steve Sisolak just signed the “Tiger King” bill, which
bans public contact with big cats, elephants, primates, wolves,
bears, and hyenas. It will go into effect on July 1.
Elephant Rides Are a Thing of the Past in Nevada
Elephants used for rides were abducted from their families when they
were just babies and endured cruel training to break their spirits
and force them into a lifetime of subservience. The babies were tied
down and beaten with bullhooks and other instruments to make them
fearful and obedient. Elephants are sensitive and intelligent
animals, and these beatings can cause lifelong psychological
distress. When they’re not being forced to perform grueling circus
tricks or made to carry riders on their backs under the threat of a
bullhook, elephants exploited for entertainment spend long hours
chained in place.
Nevada Says Goodbye to the Abusive Cub-Petting Industry
Tigers suffer when they’re exploited for public encounters. Mothers
are forcibly bred and made to have baby after baby, each of whom is
torn away shortly after birth. In nature, tiger cubs stay with their
mothers for the first two years of life—which is vital to their
health, development, and well-being. The infant cubs are then
shipped off to roadside zoos and exploited for photo ops, in which
they’re roughly handled and denied rest. When they’re not being
mistreated by strangers and exhibitors, they’re relegated to cages
and often denied basic vital care. After only a few weeks, they’re
considered too large and therefore dangerous for public contact, at
which time they’re sentenced to life in a cage at a roadside zoo,
circus, or backyard. Some are used for breeding in order to continue
the cycle, and others are killed.
Nevada’s Most Notorious Animal Exploiters Will Have a Hard Time
Carrying On
Thanks to this bill, the cruel cub-petting and circus industries in
Nevada—including abusive exhibitors such as Karl Mitchell, Jeff
Lowe, and Jordan World Circus—will have a much harder time
exploiting animals for a living. Here is how Nevada’s most notorious
animal exploiters will be affected by this new bill:
Karl Mitchell
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rarely yanks exhibitors’
licenses, but tiger exhibitor Karl Mitchell had so many egregious
animal welfare violations, including denying water to 5-week-old
cubs, that his exhibitor’s license was revoked 20 years ago and he
was fined $27,500. But that didn’t stop him from exhibiting big cats
and totally disregarding the law. The USDA has issued him three
cease-and-desist orders and assessed penalties in excess of
$100,000. And PETA has reported Mitchell’s apparently illegal
exhibition several times over the last decade. The passage of
Nevada’s bill may be just what is needed to shut this abuser down.
Jeff Lowe
In 2017, Las Vegas authorities raided Jeff Lowe’s home, seized two
big cat cubs and a lemur, and cited him for failing to have the
required licenses to operate a business and possess exotic animals
in the jurisdiction. He was ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution to
the city and was issued a suspended jail sentence and a “stay out of
trouble” order. When Lowe failed to show up for a status hearing, a
judge issued a warrant for his arrest. The warrant was quashed last
year, but the case is still ongoing with regard to Lowe’s apparent
violation of the court’s “stay out of trouble” order. Now,
exhibitors like Lowe who want to take tigers and primates to hotel
parties will be banned from not only Las Vegas but also the whole
state of Nevada.
Jordan World Circus and Other Circuses With Elephants
Jordan World Circus no longer holds a license of its own, but it
contracts with other abusive exhibitors. It is based in Nevada and
produces circuses that use elephants, including many Shrine
circuses. With the passing of this bill, Jordan World Circus and any
other circus traveling through Nevada will be banned from offering
elephant rides.
PETA has been setting the tone for victories like this since our
inception—from releasing Ringling Bros. circus whistleblower footage
and conducting a decades-long campaign that led to the 146-year-old
circus’ demise to winning a court case that banned Dade City’s Wild
Things (which subsequently closed) from owning or possessing tigers
following our investigation into its grisly cub-petting enterprise.
And in Nevada, we shut down Vegas entertainer and orangutan-beater
Bobby Berosini. Watch the video about our involvement. We did it
then, we’re doing it now, and we won’t stop until all the elephants,
big cats, and other animals are no longer being exploited and
tormented for human amusement.
At Dade City’s Wild Things, Luna was forced to participate in
“encounters” with visitors, even as she grew larger and began
regularly biting her handler.