A bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives would outlaw the private ownership of big cats – potentially preventing any new “Tiger King” successor from filling the ging.
The bill, dubbed the “Tiger King” bill after a viral Netflix show of the same name, was passed by U.S. lawmakers by 272-114 votes on Thursday.
‘Tiger King’ star Jeff USDA speaks out against the law: ‘I can’t wait to fight them’.
Show star Joseph Maldonado-Passage, aka Ex Exotic, is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence for various wildlife crimes as well as murder.
The bill clearly targets those who would otherwise try to claim the throne, Beltway release roll call reports.
“We are bringing #BigCatPublicSafetyAct to end these practices for soliciting votes, and I’m glad our committee helped move it forward. ” Tweeted Democrat Jared Huffman, who was featured in “Tiger King.”
Carol Baskin, founder and CEO of Big Cat Rescue.
(Netflix)
The law was first brought to the Natural Resources Committee in September 2019, six months before Nelflix released a documentary on the exploitation of the Maldonado-passage.
The Big Cat Public Safety Act – the official title of the bill – would effectively ban the breeding and ownership of large cats without a license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The bill was criticized by Republicans as hurting small, family-run operations.
“This bill, contrary to what I’ve heard so far, is not about protecting people from big cats,” the Utah rep. Rob Bishop said during a short floor discussion.
“It’s about hurting small, family-run zoos across the country. It’s some kind of power play. ”
Other House Republicans said the bill is an attempt by House Democrats to ignore the suffering miners running in small businesses during the coronavirus epidemic.
“The second week in Congress, the second week of Speaker Pelosi, delayed the relief of American small businesses and workers. What’s on the agenda instead? The legalization of marijuana and the” Tiger King “bill.” Tweeted Minnesota Republican Jim Hagdorn.
Carol Baski, a longtime rival of Joe Exotic, who runs a large cat sanctuary in Florida, wrote in a post on her website about her involvement with Bill, saying that her current husband was on a weekly call with coalition members.
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“We have a majority with more than ૨ 230 co-sponsors, but we need 2/3 of the vote to pass under suspension,” he wrote.
“We are arguing with millions of supporters of our collective organizations to contact their members of Congress.”
Baskin is currently facing the consequences of an attack on his facility: one of his volunteers was bitten by a large cat on Thursday.
