The Senate is expected to take up and approve a House-passed bill that would restrict the breeding or possession of “big cats,” including tigers, lions, jaguars and cougars, and limit ownership of the animals to zoos, wildlife sanctuaries, veterinarians and universities.
The bill, the Big Cat Public Safety Act, was approved by the House 278-134 on July 27 and its sponsors say they are “optimistic” it will be passed by the Senate, possibly after the August recess.
Congressional efforts to control ownership of big cats go back nearly two decades, when a bill labeled the Captive Wildlife Safety Act was introduced in 2003 after a tiger nearly killed an animal trainer during a Siegfried and Roy performance in Las Vegas, and one day later, a 425-pound tiger bit its owner in a New York City apartment.
