The lucrative little petting industry that Netflix docuseries Tiger King spotlighted will soon become illegal in the United States.
The Big Cat Public Safety Act, which applies to lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, cougars or any hybrid of these species, has passed the Senate and is expected to soon become law. The law project prohibits the practice of caressing children and any new breeding of big cats for private possession. The public is also prohibited from having close contact with the animals, such as taking selfies while bottle-feeding baby tigers.
Approved zoos, sanctuaries and academic institutions housing felines can continue to operate. Facilities can still exhibit their animals but cannot offer hands-on experiences to the public. Private owners of big cats can also keep their animals, but no new breeding will be allowed and they will not be able to obtain more cats. Owners must notify the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of their animals within 180 days of the law’s passage.
Previous versions of this animal welfare bill, first introduced ten years ago, stagnated until Tiger King. The House of Representatives passed the bill in July and the White House publicly supported him. It is now awaiting the president’s signature.
Kate Dylewsky, senior policy advisor for government affairs at the Animal Welfare Institute, says the Netflix docuseries is sensationalist and “should have focused on animal suffering.” But, she adds, it has raised public awareness of animal welfare issues in the petting industry and was “ultimately a beneficial factor in getting the bill across the finish line.”
With the proper licenses, breeding and showing big cats and petting up to a certain age is legal. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which enforces the Animal Welfare Act, said licensed establishments can expose bear cubs to about eight weeks and always comply with regulatory requirements, even if the agency does not encourage it. Contact with cubs less than one month old, “including feeding and handling the audience”, was banned.