Netflix’s Tiger King series explores the bizarre and unscrupulous dealings of big cat breeders and exhibitors, and has titillated audiences worldwide. But, did you get the full story?
Thousands of tigers, lions, and other big cats are kept in captivity in the United States, largely due to for-profit breeding operations like the Oklahoma roadside zoo founded and run by Joe Maldonado-Passage, a.k.a. Joe Exotic. These poorly regulated facilities make money from public interactive experiences with big cat cubs, such as petting and photo-taking encounters, fueling a vicious cycle of rampant breeding and discarding cubs.
On April 28, 2020, Born Free USA organized a webinar for congressional staffers on big cats in captivity and the Big Cat Public Safety Act, a bill that would strengthen existing law to prohibit the private possession of big cat species and ban public contact with big cats. Joining Born Free USA CEO, Angela Grimes, were Matthew Liebman, Litigation Director, Animal Legal Defense Fund; Kate Dylewsky, Senior Policy Advisor, Animal Welfare Institute; Lisa Wathne, Senior Strategist for Captive Wildlife, Humane Society of the United States; Meredith Whitney, Animal Rescue Program Lead, International Fund for Animal Welfare; and Ed Stewart, President, Performing Animal Welfare Society. The webinar was moderated by Jennifer Place, Director of Government Relations, Pike Associates LLC. Speakers discussed Tiger King, the animal welfare and public safety concerns surrounding keeping wild animals in captivity, and the Big Cat Public Safety Act. The discussion was followed by a live Q&A.