"Remember March 2020, when we were all stuck inside watching a kooky gay big cat owner do battle with another kooky tiger-print-wearing big cat sanctuary owner? One of those catty characters just scored a big win in Washington.

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden signed into law H.R. 263, known as the “Big Cat Public Safety Act,” which puts a slew of new amendments on an older law that regulates wildlife trafficking. The legislation bans private citizens from breeding, purchasing, and transporting big cats, mandates owners register animals they already own, effectively phasing out private ownership of big cats. The bill, which unanimously passed the Senate earlier this month, also restricts public contact with six species: lions, tigers, cougars, leopards, snow leopards, and jaguars.

The bill’s journey has been a long, odd one, and was partially documented in the hit 2020 Netflix miniseries “Tiger King.” Carole Baskin, the owner of a Tampa-based big cat sanctuary and an animal rights activist, was one of the key advocates for the bill’s passage. In the series, Baskin was filmed traveling to Congress to lobby for the rights of big cats, wearing her signature animal print clothing."

Molly Taft reports for Earther December 22, 2022. [2]