Big cats at the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, a private sanctuary featured in the Netflix documentary series Tiger King. FIGHT4ANIMALRIGHTS VIA WIKIPEDIA

Big cats do not belong in cages, and certainly do not deserve to be treated as domestic pets. We assumed there were already clear and strict rules in place:

U.S. to Curb Private Ownership of Big Cats

The U.S. is set to enact a new law that prohibits private citizens from obtaining lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, and other big cats as pets.

Congress has approved the Big Cat Public Safety Act, which now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk. The law limits new ownership of big cats to accredited zoos and universities while prohibiting Americans from acquiring these creatures as pets or attractions in petting zoos.

“Big cats like lions, tigers, and cheetahs belong in their natural habitats, not in the hands of private owners where they are too often subject to cruelty or improper care,” Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, a sponsor of the bill, said in a statement.

Under the new law, current owners may hold onto their big cats, but they will have to register their animals with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There are around 5,000 captive tigers in the U.S., according to the World Wildlife Fund…

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