A new bill passed by the US House of Representatives would outlaw private ownership of big cats — potentially preventing any new “Tiger King” successors from emerging.
The law, which was dubbed the “Tiger King” bill after the viral Netflix show of the same name, was passed by the US House of Representatives on Thursday with a 272-114 vote.
The show’s star, Joseph Maldonado-Passage, a.k.a. Joe Exotic, is currently serving 22 years in prison for various wildlife crimes, as well as a murder-for-hire charge.
The bill takes explicit aim at those who would otherwise try to claim the vacant throne, beltway publication Roll Call reports.
“We’re bringing the #BigCatPublicSafetyAct to end these practices up for a vote, and I’m glad to have helped move it forward through our committee,” tweeted Democrat Jared Huffman, who was featured in “Tiger King.”
The law was first brought to the Natural Resources Committee in September 2019, six months before Netflix debuted its documentary on the exploits of Maldonado-Passage.
The Big Cat Public Safety Act — the bill’s official title — would effectively ban the breeding and ownership of a big cat without a license from the US Department of Agriculture.
The bill drew criticism from Republicans saying that it would hurt small, family-run... (Read more)
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