End of 'Tiger Kings': US passes bill to end private ownership of Big Cats

In a decision that will likely elicit plenty of purrs, the Big Cat Safety Act is headed to President Joe Biden’s desk for a final signature after the Senate passed it Tuesday night by unanimous consent. 

The law, which has been in the works for more than a decade, would close loopholes in the 2003 Captive Wildlife Safety Act, which banned the sale and trade of big cats as pets. The new resolution bans the private breeding and possession of tigers, lions, leopards, and panthers, making exceptions for zoos, sanctuaries, and colleges. 

The act received a significant boost in public interest and support following the premiere of the Netflix Documentary Tiger King.  The series documented the exploits of Joe Exotic (legal name Joseph Maldonado-Passage), who at the height of his cub-petting operation owned around 200 large-breed cats. Exotic was accused of euthanizing more than 100 of his animals once their profitability diminished. The series cast a spotlight on the dangers of private wildlife ownership, including animals biting and maiming Exotic and other employees. 

Exotic was sentenced to 21 years in prison on 17 charges of animal abuse and two counts of attempted murder-for-hire related to a plot to kill Big Cat Rescue sanctuary owner Carole Baskin, one of the most public supporters of the bill. “For me, this fight for the big cats was never personal,” Baskin said in a joint statement released by advocates for the bill. The coalition includes the nonprofits Animal Wellness Action, The Animal Wellness Foundation, and The Center for a Humane Economy. “This was always about developing a national policy to shut down the trade in these animals as props in commercial cub handling operations and as pets in people’s backyards and basements,” she added.

“Passing the Big Cat Public Safety Act into law is a worthy cause for celebration, both for the animals themselves and public safety,” House Committee on Natural Resources Chair Raúl M. Grijalva told Rolling Stone. “Treating tigers, lions, and other big cats like house pets—or worse, making them props for photo ops at cheaply maintained tourist traps—is abusive to these animals and puts the communities they’re in at risk.”

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