Urge Your Lawmakers to Support Bill to Protect Big Cats
Dear John,
Congress has recently taken some very promising actions on the Big Cat Public Safety Act (H.R. 1380/S.2561), a bill to prohibit private ownership of big cats. The Big Cat Public Safety Act would also restrict direct physical contact between the public and big cats, putting an end to "cub petting" operations and the vicious breeding cycles on which they depend.
The bill passed the House Natural Resources Committee in September--the first time it has advanced the bill. Meanwhile, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-OR) has introduced the bill in the Senate. We are very encouraged by this progress and need to keep up the pressure on lawmakers to ensure they continue moving the bill forward.
Thousands of big cats are estimated to be in captivity around the United States. Big cats are wild animals who suffer when people attempt to keep them as backyard pets. By the time they are fully grown, they are too difficult for private owners to manage safely and humanely. Consequently, the animals are frequently abused and left to spend their entire lives in barren cages with barely enough room to move.