BAN PRIVATE POSSESSION OF BIG CATS
By Ira Fischer
This past month Senator John Kerry introduced the Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act (S. 3547), which prohibits breeding and private possession of big cats. At the introduction ceremony, Senator Kerry noted, “This bill will ensure that these endangered creatures are kept in secure, professional facilities like wildlife sanctuaries rather than in small cages in someone’s backyard or apartment building.”
The backdrop to the Bill is a large and rapidly growing American subculture characterized by individuals raising some of the world’s most dangerous animals as pets. Remarkably, there are more tigers privately held in the U.S. than found in the wild. These “pets” oftentimes suffer from severe physiological and psychological health defects due to their captivity.
Captive big cats are particularly vulnerable to inhumane treatment and these magnificent creatures are caught in a cycle of misery. It begins with captive breeding by dealers, who strip the infant cubs from their mothers. The all too common scenario is that the owners discard these wildcats when they become too big, too aggressive, or too expensive to keep, or as the novelty wears-off. The cycle often ends with these animals living in pseudo-sanctuaries, such as unaccredited traveling zoo exhibits, since overburdened accredited sanctuaries (Accredited sanctuaries, such as Wildcat Haven, are IRS tax exempt and do not permit commercial trade, propagation or direct contact between the public and the wildlife) seldom have the financial means to provide lifetime care. Others are shipped off to hunting ranches to be shot for trophies, while many are killed for their remains (primarily fur, food or traditional Asian medicine). Such is the fate of many privately owned exotic cats that in some ancient cultures were revered as though they were gods.
Keeping wildcats as pets also poses a danger to people. Last year, in Zanesville, Ohio, 49 lions, tigers and other exotics were killed by law enforcement officials, to protect public safety, after their owner released them before committing suicide. Fortunately, no people were killed or injured in this incident. However, since 1990, numerous dangerous incidents involving big cats have occurred in the U.S., including 21 human deaths, 246 maulings and 143 wildcat deaths.
Commercial entities that keep wildcats captive also demonstrate that tragedies inevitably occur when unqualified individuals possess these animals. Recently, the Humane Society of the United States released the results of an investigation into GW Exotic Animal Park, where multiple dangerous incidents, resulting from allowing patrons to interact with wild predators, were recorded. An alarming number of tiger cub deaths at GW are also under investigation.
There currently exists a patchwork of state and local laws governing the harboring of exotic animals, which makes it difficult to enforce public safety and to protect the welfare of these animals. Common sense suggests that a uniform federal ban is needed to address this nationwide problem.
The Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act would ensure that lions, tigers and other dangerous big cats do not threaten public safety or end up living in horrible conditions. “No matter how many times people try to do it, wildcats such as lions, tigers, panthers and cheetahs are impossible to domesticate”, according to Representative Buck McKeon (R-CA), the sponsor of the House companion Bill to S. 3547.
Repeated tragedies between humans and big cats underscore the need for passage of this legislation. The Bill would help ensure that exotic cats, particularly tigers, cannot filter into the illegal international trade for their parts, which fuels poaching and threatens the survival of wild populations. The Bill, if made into law, would be a win-win for both public safety and the welfare of the wildcats that are victimized by being held captive as pets or commodities. The time is long past due to ensure public safety and to put an end to the suffering and abuse endured by these majestic animals and to respect their birthright to be wild and free.
_________________________
The writer is an attorney-at law (now retired). He devotes his retirement to the cause of animal welfare through advocacy. The mission of the writer’s website [www.irafischer.com] is: Kindness and Compassion for Animals.
By Ira Fischer
This past month Senator John Kerry introduced the Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act (S. 3547), which prohibits breeding and private possession of big cats. At the introduction ceremony, Senator Kerry noted, “This bill will ensure that these endangered creatures are kept in secure, professional facilities like wildlife sanctuaries rather than in small cages in someone’s backyard or apartment building.”
The backdrop to the Bill is a large and rapidly growing American subculture characterized by individuals raising some of the world’s most dangerous animals as pets. Remarkably, there are more tigers privately held in the U.S. than found in the wild. These “pets” oftentimes suffer from severe physiological and psychological health defects due to their captivity.
Captive big cats are particularly vulnerable to inhumane treatment and these magnificent creatures are caught in a cycle of misery. It begins with captive breeding by dealers, who strip the infant cubs from their mothers. The all too common scenario is that the owners discard these wildcats when they become too big, too aggressive, or too expensive to keep, or as the novelty wears-off. The cycle often ends with these animals living in pseudo-sanctuaries, such as unaccredited traveling zoo exhibits, since overburdened accredited sanctuaries (Accredited sanctuaries, such as Wildcat Haven, are IRS tax exempt and do not permit commercial trade, propagation or direct contact between the public and the wildlife) seldom have the financial means to provide lifetime care. Others are shipped off to hunting ranches to be shot for trophies, while many are killed for their remains (primarily fur, food or traditional Asian medicine). Such is the fate of many privately owned exotic cats that in some ancient cultures were revered as though they were gods.
Keeping wildcats as pets also poses a danger to people. Last year, in Zanesville, Ohio, 49 lions, tigers and other exotics were killed by law enforcement officials, to protect public safety, after their owner released them before committing suicide. Fortunately, no people were killed or injured in this incident. However, since 1990, numerous dangerous incidents involving big cats have occurred in the U.S., including 21 human deaths, 246 maulings and 143 wildcat deaths.
Commercial entities that keep wildcats captive also demonstrate that tragedies inevitably occur when unqualified individuals possess these animals. Recently, the Humane Society of the United States released the results of an investigation into GW Exotic Animal Park, where multiple dangerous incidents, resulting from allowing patrons to interact with wild predators, were recorded. An alarming number of tiger cub deaths at GW are also under investigation.
There currently exists a patchwork of state and local laws governing the harboring of exotic animals, which makes it difficult to enforce public safety and to protect the welfare of these animals. Common sense suggests that a uniform federal ban is needed to address this nationwide problem.
The Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act would ensure that lions, tigers and other dangerous big cats do not threaten public safety or end up living in horrible conditions. “No matter how many times people try to do it, wildcats such as lions, tigers, panthers and cheetahs are impossible to domesticate”, according to Representative Buck McKeon (R-CA), the sponsor of the House companion Bill to S. 3547.
Repeated tragedies between humans and big cats underscore the need for passage of this legislation. The Bill would help ensure that exotic cats, particularly tigers, cannot filter into the illegal international trade for their parts, which fuels poaching and threatens the survival of wild populations. The Bill, if made into law, would be a win-win for both public safety and the welfare of the wildcats that are victimized by being held captive as pets or commodities. The time is long past due to ensure public safety and to put an end to the suffering and abuse endured by these majestic animals and to respect their birthright to be wild and free.
_________________________
The writer is an attorney-at law (now retired). He devotes his retirement to the cause of animal welfare through advocacy. The mission of the writer’s website [www.irafischer.com] is: Kindness and Compassion for Animals.