WASHINGTON (February 26, 2019)—Today, the Animal Welfare Institute, Big Cat Rescue, Born Free USA, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society Legislative Fund and Performing Animal Welfare Society celebrate the reintroduction of the Big Cat Public Safety Act (BCPSA) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Championed by Representatives Michael Quigley of Illinois and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, the bill would ensure that unqualified individuals are prohibited from obtaining and keeping dangerous big cats like tigers, lions, leopards and cougars.
The public is increasingly concerned about the plight of captive big cats and the sponsors of the Big Cat Public Safety Act have made it clear that they are listening. By reintroducing the BCPSA, Reps. Quigley, Fitzpatrick and 52 bipartisan cosponsors are calling for an end to the unregulated trade and nationwide abuse of captive big cats—an issue that continues to garner national headlines. The most recent shocking incident that put the community and first responders at risk occurred just two weeks ago when officials in Houston, Texas, discovered an adult tiger in a small, filthy, unlocked cage in a back room of an abandoned home.
In addition to keeping dangerous big cats out of private hands, the bill would prohibit the use of big cat cubs for the public to pet, feed, take photos of and play with. Allowing the public to handle and be photographed with tiger and lion cubs is an unscrupulous practice that has caused misery for untold numbers of animals and is the primary cause of surplus tigers flooding the U.S. exotic animal trade.
The abuse begins when the babies are prematurely and forcibly separated from their mothers, usually during or immediately after birth. The cubs can be used for public handling until they are just a few months old, at which point they are often discarded. Some end up warehoused at poorly run roadside zoos and pseudo-sanctuaries, or in the hands of unqualified people with private menageries. More babies must be continually produced to fuel this lucrative business. The practice also poses a safety risk; even very young big cats have sharp teeth and claws that can inflict serious injury and a number of tiger cubs used for photo ops have been found with ringworm infections.
Surplus tigers discarded by cub-petting operations can also fuel the illegal market for animal parts used in traditional Asian medicine. The rampant breeding of tigers in the United States, the lack of a system for tracking them nationwide and the reality that tigers are often worth more dead than alive mean there are ample opportunities for these animals to enter the black market.
“The many tigers produced by the cub-petting industry damage the credibility of the United States in working with other nations on international tiger conservation,” said Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. “The inconsistency of our large population of captive tigers with our opposition to tiger trafficking and the abhorrent practice of tiger farming has not gone unnoticed by the countries that engage in them.”
“Big cats are some of the world’s most majestic wild animals. They should not be penned in as ‘pets’ or used for selfies for a fee taken from an unsuspecting public,” said Sara Amundson, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “We applaud Representatives Quigley and Fitzpatrick for their work to end this inhumane treatment of captive big cats, and look forward to the day when wild cats are just that—wild.”
Facts:
- Since 1990, there have been at least 375 dangerous incidents involving big cats in the United States. 24 people have been killed, including four children, and hundreds of others have sustained critical injuries. In many cases, the animals were shot and killed, often by first responders who were not equipped to handle these situations but needed to protect the public. Among the most dramatic examples was an October 2011 incident in Zanesville, Ohio, in which the owner of a private menagerie released dozens of big cats near a community, requiring law enforcement to kill the cats and risk their own lives.
- Big cats are wild animals and they suffer when kept as pets. They are often purchased as babies by private owners who are not able to manage them once they’re fully grown. Consequently, the animals often languish in grossly substandard conditions, deprived of sufficient space, adequate veterinary care, a nutritious diet and behavioral enrichment.
- Roadside zoos and other substandard exhibitors routinely separate babies from their mothers prematurely so they can charge the public to pet and play with the cubs. This is a cruel and unhealthy practice that can cause lifelong physical and psychological problems—or even death—for the cubs. Young cats, who very quickly outgrow their usefulness in the cub handling industry, end up warehoused at substandard zoos, sold into the exotic pet trade or possibly even killed and sold for parts. All the while, the vicious cycle of constant breeding churns out more babies to be exploited.
Media contacts:
Animal Welfare Institute: Marjorie Fishman, margie@awionline.org, (202) 446-2128
Big Cat Rescue: Susan Bass, susan.bass@bigcatrescue.org, (813) 431-2720
Born Free USA: Garrett Johnson, Garrett@BornFreeUSA.org, (202) 368-6833
Humane Society Legislative Fund: Emily Ehrhorn, Eehrhorn@hslf.org, (202) 779-1814
Humane Society of the United States: Diane Summers, DSummers@humanesociety.org, (301) 257-1456
International Fund for Animal Welfare: Rodger Correa, rcorrea@ifaw.org, (202) 536-1926, (202) 834-6637
Performing Animal Welfare Society: Kim Gardner, kgardner@pawsweb.org, (916) 539-5305
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The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. Visit us on all our channels: on the web at hslf.org, on our blog at animalsandpolitics.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/humanelegislation and on Twitter at twitter.com/HSLegFund.
