Senator
Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), the Big Cats Public Safety and Protection
Act’s lead sponsor in the Senate, emphasized its potential value.
Last Wednesday, a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing to discuss the Big Cats Public Safety and Protection Act
(S. 1381). Although a number of other bills were under consideration
during the hearing, which limited the time available to review S. 1381,
Senators and witnesses alike expressed their support for this important
measure.
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), the bill’s lead sponsor in the Senate, emphasized that this legislation is a “common
sense solution to the serious dangers associated with private ownership
of wild animals such as lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards and more.”
He addressed the “utterly inhumane living conditions” to
which captive big cats are subjected, and pointed out the associated
risks to communities and law enforcement personnel. “No matter what the
setting,” he explained, “private ownership of big cats poses
gravely serious safety threats for anyone who happens to live in the
surrounding community.”
The Senator went on to dispel the myths that have been perpetuated by pro-captivity interests, noting that:
- private ownership and breeding provide no conservation benefit
- that this legislation would not interfere with the work of legitimate sanctuaries and research institutions, and
- that big cats simply cannot be tamed to serve as pets.
Put simply, “they are wild, and people should
respect the expertise that is required to deal with them…they should not
be allowed to own them.”
Following Sen. Blumenthal’s powerful testimony, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) confirmed that she too would support S. 1381.
Speaking for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS),
Steve Guertin, FWS Deputy Director for Policy, also expressed support
for the bill. He noted in written testimony that
“[a]mending the Lacey
Act Amendments of 1981 by clarifying provisions of the Captive Wildlife
Safety Act to prohibit individuals from breeding or possessing
prohibited wildlife species would significantly address the current
public safety concerns with large cats.”
Countering the opposition, Mr. Guertin went on to state
not only that this legislation is necessary, but also that further
restrictions might also be appropriate to combat the United States’
captive big cat crisis.
This hearing is an exciting step forward for IFAW's Big Cats in Captivity Campaign.
In addition to raising awareness among members of the
Senate committee responsible for legislation governing captive big cats,
it provided additional momentum for building co-sponsorship in the
Senate and the House.
--CB
Visit www.ifaw.org/bigcatadvocates to learn more about IFAW’s work to protect captive big cats.
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