Biden Signs "Tiger King" Bill Prohibiting Private Ownership of Big Cats

More than a year after the season 2 premiere of the reality show Tiger King starring Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin, President Joe Biden has now officially signed into law H.R. 263, better known as the “Big Cat Public Safety Act,” which Baskins vehemently fought for throughout the series. The bill was previously passed in the House of Representatives in July with a 278-134 vote and in the Senate unanimously earlier in the month.

The new legislation effectively bans all unlicensed private citizens in the U.S. from breeding, purchasing, and transporting big cats and prohibits unregistered lions, tigers, leopards, snow leopards, jaguars, and hybrids from coming into contact with the public. Private animal parks and petting zoos such as those once held by Joe Exotic will now be forced to put up a 15-foot barrier between the public and the big cats. Licensed premises such as zoos and sanctuaries will also be banned from allowing the public to handle cubs while existing owners have up to 180 days to register their animals or face fines of up to $20,000 USD and five years of imprisonment. Petting establishments in the country reportedly already dwindle in the single digits due to complications during the pandemic and public awareness.

“This bill has been the number one goal of my thirty years of advocacy to stop the mistreatment of big cats. This has been particularly true in the last twenty years during which my husband Howard Baskin joined me and took over managing our legislative efforts,” said Carole Baskin, CEO and Founder of Big Cat Rescue in a statement following the Senate vote. “ The passage of the bill is the successful culmination of many years of battling against narcissistic, abusive, dangerous men who dominated this cruel trade and did everything they could to stop its passage, including wanting to intimidate, discredit, and even kill me.”

Joe Exotic, who maintains his innocence, is currently serving 21 years in prison for allegedly trying to hire people to kill Baskin amidst their bitter feud.

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