Carper Praises Senate Passage of the Big Cat Public Safety Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), today issued the following statement after the Senate passed the Big Cat Public Safety Act by unanimous consent. The legislation, which prohibits the private ownership of big cats like lions and tigers and outlaws public contact with cubs, now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk for signature.

“The Big Cat Public Safety Act will end private ownership of lions, tigers, and other big cats in our nation. These animals should not be confined in inappropriate living conditions that harm their welfare and pose a threat to public safety. I am so pleased by the overwhelming support for this bipartisan legislation, which is now on the precipice of becoming law.”

Senator Carper introduced the bipartisan Big Cat Public Safety Actalong with Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Richard Burr (R-N.C.). The legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.).

More information on the Big Cat Public Safety Act can be found here.

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