Quigley's Public Safety, Animal Welfare Bill Passes House

Press Release

U.S. Representative Mike Quigley's (IL-05) public safety legislation the Big Cat Public Safety Act, passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support. The bill will ban the private ownership of big cats and bring an end to the abusive cub petting industry in an effort to enhance the safety of our communities, protect first responders, and safeguard wild animals.

"Ultimately, this legislation is about public safety. Any American can imagine the danger that exotic cats can pose. These are predators, not pets. Law enforcement has long advocated for legislation that will keep dangerous wild animals out of their communities and reduce the risk to first responders and the animals themselves," said Quigley. "I have been proud to work alongside law enforcement groups and animal organizations to ensure this bill will make both neighborhoods and animals safer. For too long, lax laws have allowed private citizens to own big cats. The animals subject to these grotesque conditions deserve better. I hope my colleagues in the Senate will swiftly take up this legislation so we can make a difference for communities across the country and save these animals from a life of confinement and restriction."

"As a member of the bipartisan Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, I am committed to ensuring our government is doing its part to promote animal welfare," said Congressman Fitzpatrick, who is a co-lead of the legislation. "For too long, big cats have been mistreated, exploited, and abused in private roadside zoos. Our Big Cat Public Safety Act will prohibit the unlicensed, private possession of big cats and restrict their direct contact with the public, and I am proud to again join Congressman Quigley in championing this bipartisan bill."

"There is simply no reason why anyone should keep a tiger or lion in their house," said Cathy Liss, President of AWI. "We know how much these big cats suffer when they are ripped from their mothers as infants and traumatized for cub petting; they often end up in tiny backyard cages for the rest of their lives. It's time to end this national embarrassment, and I thank Congressmen Quigley and Fitzpatrick for their tireless efforts to pass the Big Cat Public Safety Act and protect both big cats and the public from this tragic trade."

"House passage of the Big Cat Public Safety Act, H.R. 263, is a giant step toward addressing a problem that has been festering for years--America's surplus of captive tigers and other big cats. It's the product of people like those in the series Tiger King, who breed big cats to make money, not to provide any conservation value," said Sara Amundson, President of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. "Although most of the scofflaw breeders in Tiger King have been held to account, as long as cub petting remains legal, nothing will prevent Joe Exotic wannabes from relentlessly exploiting, mistreating and dumping big cat cubs." With well over half of the House cosponsoring this bill, Congress should pass it without delay."

"Born Free USA and our partners have worked tirelessly for over a decade to promote and move this critical legislation forward. The indisputable truth is big cats do not belong in homes, basements, or backyards. Keeping big cats as pets not only causes great suffering to these wild animals, but it creates a serious safety risk to their owners, the public, and first responders, including law enforcement," said Angela Grimes, CEO of Born Free USA. "It is high time we protected big cats and the public from this unnecessary harm, and the House vote today brings us one crucial step closer to seeing an end to this cruel, dangerous practice. We thank Representatives Quigley and Fitzpatrick for their determined, dedicated championship of this bill and we look forward to working towards its passage in the Senate."

Representative Quigley previously introduced the Big Cat Public Safety Act in 2019, and it successfully passed out of the House of Representatives in December 2020. Unfortunately, the legislation did not receive a vote in the Senate, prompting Rep. Quigley to reintroduce this bill once again during the 117th Congress. The bill will now head to the Senate for further consideration.

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