On February 26, 2019 - the Big Cat Public Safety Act was introduced to the US House of Representatives - in its official summary, it's a bill that revises the restrictions on the possession and exhibition of big cats - species of lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, or cougar or any hybrid of such species, including to restrict direct contact between the public and big cats.

The introduction of this bill was the result of years of advocacy and campaign work from animal organisations such as the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Big Cat Rescue and Born Free USA - and yet today, almost three years later - the bill still isn't law in the US. 

So in this episode, we're going to explore the issues with big cat ownership, how it impacts the conservation of cats in the wild and importantly what are the next steps for the Big Cat Public Safety Act.

This episode features Devan Schowe from Born Free USA

Links

• Born Free USA
• Documentary - The Conservation Game