Why advocate?
Sadly, the wild pet trade is the third largest illegal trade internationally. While the United States bans the import of threatened and endangered species and regulates the interstate trade in the U.S., loopholes and lack of enforcement leave trade and breeding of these animals rampant.
All but 4 states in the U. S. have some regulation of wild cats (Nevada, Alabama, Wisconsin, and North Carolina have no regulation at all). However, regulations vary from an outright ban to simple registration. As a result, there are still a lot of wild cats living in captivity throughout the country.
Advocacy is one way that we can help wild cats in captivity. It includes working with local legislators and NGOs to pass laws protecting wild cats and the public. As we continue to grow and expand the sanctuary, our advocacy efforts will increase as well.
Working alongside reputable big cat sanctuaries across the country (in particular, members of the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries and the Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance), Carolina Tiger Rescue has actively advocated for the passage of the Big Cat Public Safety Act.
In December 2022, The Big Cat Safety Act was signed into law and prohibits the private ownership of big cats and it restricts direct contact between the public and big cats, ending cruel cub petting attractions. Current owners will be required to register their big cats with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and they will not be allowed to breed, sell, trade, or buy more cats. Owners will be penalized for failure to comply with the Act. With the end of direct contact between members of the public and big cat species, we are hopeful that the demand for the unregulated breeding of captive tigers and other big cat species in the United States will also be greatly reduced.