WASHINGTON – Senators Jim Jeffords (I-VT) and Robert C. Smith
(R-NH), chairman and ranking members of the Environment and
Public Works Committee, today introduced legislation that would
ban interstate shipments of lions, tigers, bears and other
dangerous exotic animals for purposes of keeping them as
private pets. Rep. George Miller (D-CA) introduced a House
companion bill, H.R. 5226, in July.
The HSUS is urging the Congress to pass the legislation this
year given the compelling humane and public safety arguments in
favor of the measure. Several recent incidents demonstrate the
public safety threat posed by these animals:
• In Quitman, Arkansas, authorities shot and killed three
African lions after they terrified the local community for more
than a day on Sept. 19 and 20. The lions were found near a lion
and tiger farm called Safari Unlimited, though the operator
denied that the animals belonged to him. He speculated that the
animals were dropped off by someone who had contacted him
asking him to take several animals he wanted to dispose of.
• On October 1, police in Bloomington, Ind. Shot and killed
a Bengal tiger who escaped from a roadside truck stop.
• In Lexington, Texas, a three-year-old boy was killed by
his step-father’s “pet” tiger.
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.
There are a minimum of 5,000 tigers in private hands in the
United States – a population that likely surpasses the world’s
wild tiger population. Exotic animal dealers traffic in these
animals and other big cats and bears who are relatively easy
and inexpensive to procure. Yet tigers cost thousands of
dollars a month to keep.
“There is no justifiable reason for a person to have a tiger
or a lion as a pet,” said Wayne Pacelle, HSUS senior vice
president. “These are powerful and potentially dangerous
animals, and they don’t belong languishing in a dirty cage in
someone’s backyard in Arkansas or New Jersey or Ohio.”
Twelve states currently ban private possession of large
exotic animals and 7 states have partial bans.
“You can take these animals out of the wild, but you can’t
take the wild out of them,” says Tippi Hedren, the legendary
actress who runs in southern California the 80-acre Shambala
Preserve as a sanctuary for exotic animals. “We are so grateful
to Senators Jeffords and Smith and Representative Miller for
leading the fight to stop the insane practice of keeping these
animals as pets. Not one more child or adult should be harmed
or killed. This is a public safety issue that needs to be dealt
with immediately.”
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.
“Wild animals, even if they are raised by hand from infancy,
grow up to be unpredictable and dangerous,” adds Pacelle. “No
matter how well you think you might know an animal, there’s
always the potential of serious injury to yourself or someone
else.”
The legislation is also backed by the American Zoo and
Aquarium Association, the American Sanctuary Association, the
Association of Sanctuaries, the Animal Protection Institute,
and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
