You are about to end your shift on a rainy cold evening when a 911 call comes in of a loose lion in an open field. You then learn that 56 exotic and deadly animals (lions, tigers, bears, wolves, black bears, grizzly bears, baboons, mountain lions, leporids, and monkeys have all been set free and are now rooming in your community. 
 
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
 
On October 18, 2011, a private zoo owner, set free in his small community, 56 of the world’s most exotic and deadly animals. “These animals were on the move and were showing aggressive behavior,” said Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz. “There were some very close calls,” the sheriff said. At times it was “almost hand to hand” combat with the animals, Lutz said.
 
During the night of chaos, an escaped lion killed a monkey, bears and lions were charging at horses, and people were scared. “We got fortunate as well as it went. And if there’s anything that we did that another community can see and prevent something like this from happening in their community, then all the better,” the sheriff said.
 
Thousands of privately owned exotic big cats exist throughout the country and maybe in your community. These large animals, often kept in dilapidated, unsafe enclosures, pose a serious and unnecessary risk to public safety and law enforcement.
 
Learn more about the big cat crisis in America and hear from sheriffs who have intimate experience with this issue in their jurisdictions.
 
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Protect Law Enforcement, Protect Your Community Protect Big Cats!

TAKE ACTION TODAY
Please take a moment to call your U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators now. 

Find your legislator’s phone number.

You can say, “Please support the Big Cat Public Safety Act, H.R. 263 and S. 1210. This bill will stop harmful public contact with big cats and prevent them from being kept as pets.”

TAKE ACTION

 

Thousands of privately owned exotic big cats exist throughout the country. These large animals, often kept in dilapidated, unsafe enclosures, pose a serious and unnecessary risk to public safety and law enforcement. Officers are not provided the training or resources to address exotic animals in backyards, situations with potentially deadly implications for those who respond to them.

 

The Big Cat Public Safety Act will prohibit “cub petting” and the possession of big cats (like tigers or lions) by entities without a USDA license. It will not impact professionally run zoos or sanctuaries, but will close loopholes that currently allow unqualified individuals to own these animals as pets. Enforcement officers should not be sent into incredibly dangerous, and entirely preventable, situations involving wild animals in a person’s backyard.

 

The bill has broad law enforcement support, with endorsements from the National Sheriffs’ Association, the Small & Rural Law Enforcement Executives Association and The Fraternal Order of Police.

Please submit this form to add your name to the growing list of endorsements.

Endorse Now