WASHINGTON – The HSUS applauded two U.S. Senators for
introducing legislation today to crack down on the burgeoning
pet trade in exotic big cats and urged the full Senate to take
quick action on their legislation, “the Captive Wildlife Safety
Act.”
There are thousands of exotic big cats kept as “pets” in the
United States, languishing in substandard conditions and posing
a clear and present danger to public safety. For example, an
estimated 5,000 tigers are in private hands in the United
States – a population that in all likelihood surpasses the
world’s wild tiger population.
Senator Jim Jeffords (I-VT) and Senator John Ensign (R-NV)
will introduce this bill today. U.S. Representative George
Miller (D-CA) and Representative Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA)
are expected to introduce a companion bill some time in the
coming weeks.
“Untrained owners are not capable of meeting the needs of
these animals,” said Sen. Jeffords. “Local veterinarians,
animal shelters, and local governments are ill equipped to meet
the challenge of providing for their proper care.”
The legislation is backed by dozens of groups, including The
HSUS and the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. The U.S.
Department of Agriculture and the American Veterinary Medical
Association have policy positions opposing private ownership of
big cats as pets.
“The practice of owning exotic animals as pets can be
extremely dangerous, both for the animal and its owner,” said
Senator John Ensign (R-NV), co-author of the bill and one of
the Senate’s two veterinarians. “As a veterinarian and a
Senator, I support this legislation because it protects the
public but also ensures that the animals receive the best care
possible from certified and trained owners.”
“While some states have enacted restrictions on ownership of
dangerous animals, the federal government has an important role
to play in terms of banning inter-state commerce of these
animals,” adds Wayne Pacelle, a senior vice president of The
Humane Society of the United States. These are powerful and
potentially dangerous animals, and they belong in the wild, not
languishing in a cage in someone’s backyard.”
Twelve states currently ban private possession of large
exotic animals and 7 states have partial bans. However, no
federal law restricts sale or ownership of these animals. The
legislation seeks to amend the Lacey Act, which addresses
shipments of fish and wildlife, by barring the interstate
movement of dangerous exotics for use as pets. Facilities that
operate under a U.S. Department of Agriculture permit, such as
zoos and circuses, are exempt.
The HSUS points to a number of incidents involving animals
addressed in this bill:
• In Lexington, Texas a three-year-old boy was killed by his
step-father’s “pet” tiger in October 2001.
• Last February in Loxahatchee, Fla., a 58-year-old woman
was critically injured after being bitten on the head by a
750-pound “pet” Siberian-Bengal tiger mix.
• The Lexington County, S. Carolina council recently voted
to enact a county-wide ban on exotic pets after two pet lions
escaped from a community last summer.
• Animal control officers have been called in by police who
find dangerous exotic animals guarding illegal drugs.
• The Houston SPCA has had to expand their facility to meet
the unique needs of the large exotic animals they routinely
receive as victims of cruelty and neglect. They’ve handled over
40 large cats in the last few years and just last week took in
an African lion.
Exotic animal dealers traffic in these animals, who are
relatively easy and inexpensive to procure. Tiger cubs cost
approximately $350 to purchase, yet as full grown animals they
can cost thousands of dollars to feed every month. Dealers of
such animals feed the demand for exotic pets from people who
seek the attention and notoriety that comes with owning a lion,
tiger, or other dangerous exotic animal.
Once someone grows tired of the novelty or realizes that
they can’t properly care for the animal, they have few options
for placing a full-grown exotic animal. The animals have no
value to the conservation of wild species since they are often
inbred and genetically inappropriate for breeding programs
designed to restore wild populations. Zoos usually can’t
accommodate the animals. Often, the animals are neglected or
are simply let loose.
The Captive Wildlife Safety Act is expected to be assigned
to the Environment and Public Works Committee.
