Success! This bill has now passed the Senate. Ask Biden to sign it! @POTUS

Big cats are being denied their right to thrive in the wild. Lions, tigers, leopards, and more species of large cats are kept as household pets or drugged and exploited at zoos for selfies. These iconic species deserve better. The Big Cat Public Safety Act would eliminate private possession of big cats and would ban the public from interacting with vulnerable cubs. This bill has already passed the House. Now, tell your U.S. senators to protect big cats today!

Zoos exist for no other reason than to attract visitors to make a profit. Under natural circumstances, big cats do not seek out human interaction. In private zoos, young cubs are forced to take pictures with tourists for profit. The animals are drugged with sedatives to make them docile and easy to handle. Despite being drugged, there is a very real risk that animals may fight back against the strange, unknown humans clambering around them for a selfie.

These young animals would naturally stay by their mother's side in the wild. In captivity, they are torn away from their mothers too soon and manhandled by the public for vanity. These facilities create an endless cycle of breeding to ensure they have cubs on a consistent basis to keep the profits rolling in. If an animal does show aggression towards humans, they may be beaten, isolated, or otherwise punished by unthinkable methods, including zoothanasia. If they are deemed to no longer be profitable, they are sold for their body parts on the black market or to private buyers which ultimately enables wildlife trafficking.

Private possession of big cats being kept as “pets” also creates serious safety issues that put animals, communities, and first responders at risk. Big cats need proper socialization, room to roam, and the freedom to make their own choices. If these large, natural predators act on their natural instincts to hunt or protect themselves, humans will be faced with extremely dangerous situations. Once an attack occurs, humans will intervene, most likely by killing or trafficking the animal.

Success! This bill has now passed the Senate. Ask Biden to sign it! @POTUS