Quigley Big Cat Legislation Becomes Law
Today U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), the lead sponsor of the Big Cat Public Safety Act, released a statement after President Biden signed the legislation into law. The law will ban the private ownership of big cats and bring an end to the harmful cub petting industry in an effort to enhance the safety of our communities, protect first responders, and safeguard wild animals.
"Over four years of work have finally led to this moment. I am grateful to all those who have believed in the importance of this bill and who have been dedicated to seeing it become law. This legislation will not only help end the cruel and inhumane cub petting industry, it will also make our communities safer," said Quigley.
"The Big Cat Public Safety Act represents historic progress in protecting communities from dangerous exotic animals and safeguarding captive tigers, lions and other wild cats across the U.S.," said Carson Barylak, Campaigns Manager at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). "We applaud the bipartisan leaders in Congress who worked tirelessly to advance this measure to protect wildlife and people alike."
"The Big Cat Public Safety Act enacts historic protections for captive big cats in the United States," said Kate Dylewsky, Senior Policy Advisor at the Animal Welfare Institute. "At long last, we will see an end to the exploitative and dangerous trade in pet big cats, as well as the abusive public handling of cubs. This law protects animals from cruelty, and protects our communities from life-threatening encounters with these wild animals. A heartfelt thank you to President Biden for signing this bill into law, and to the tireless efforts of the bill's sponsors – Representatives Quigley and Fitzpatrick and Senators Blumenthal, Collins, Carper, and Burr – for passing this bill and advancing protections for captive big cats in the US."
"President Biden signing the Big Cat Public Safety Act into law addresses a reckless cruelty that has festered for years. For too long tiger cubs have been exploited by ‘pay to play' operators like Joe Exotic and Doc Antle who profited from charging people for photo ops of their children holding these potentially dangerous wild animals. Since 1990, more than 400 incidents involving captive big cats have occurred in 46 states and the District of Columbia. Five children and 19 adults have been killed and hundreds of others injured, some losing limbs or suffering other traumatic injuries," said Sara Amundson, President of Humane Society Legislative Fund. "The bill's enactment stops what was an endless cycle of exploiting and mistreating big cat cubs, who were dumped after they grew too large for photo ops. We thank Rep. Quigley for his leadership and thank President Biden for signing this bill. We look forward to working with the Administration to implement the necessary regulations needed to protect public safety and prevent this gross cruelty."
"We have worked ceaselessly towards this victory for a decade and are delighted that future generations of big cats will be protected from suffering in the exploitative, dangerous pet trade and the cub petting industry. Today's long-fought win would not have been possible without the unrelenting determination of so many people, championed by Representatives Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Susan Collins (R-ME), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Richard Burr (R-NC)," said Angela Grimes, CEO of Born Free USA. "Their indefatigable commitment to the protection of big cats and the public—alongside the voice of millions of Americans—pushed this bill across the finish line. No big cat belongs in a backyard and no newborn cub should be callously removed from their mother so that bad actors can profit from their misery. Those simple, obvious truths are now finally codified in federal law, making today a huge win for animal welfare and public safety in the United States."
Quigley previously introduced the Big Cat Public Safety Act in 2019. It successfully passed out of the House of Representatives in December 2020 but did not receive a vote in the Senate during that Congress. Quigley reintroduced in 2021, and both the House and Senate passed the legislation earlier this year.
In 2020, public awareness of the plight of big cats kept in private ownership increased dramatically after the release of the Netflix series Tiger King. The series revealed the miserable conditions thousands of tigers, lions, leopards, and pumas are kept in by irresponsible owners. These conditions pose a grave risk not only to the animals themselves but to the first responders who too often must confront these animals and to the public at large.