US House Votes To Ban Private Ownership Of Big Cats

USA Today reports:

The bill, the Big Cat Public Safety Act, passed by a 272-114 vote. It would ban the private ownership of big cats like lions and tigers, a measure “Tiger King’s” Carole Baskin and Big Cat Rescue, the organization she runs with her husband Howard, have spent thousands of dollars and years lobbying for.

It would allow existing facilities to keep their big cats and exotic animals but would prohibit most contact between the public and the animals.

Carole Baskin told USA TODAY she was “thrilled” the legislation was finally coming up for a vote, calling it part of a “decades-long effort” to end the abuse of cubs and private ownership of big cats.

And in very related news:

A volunteer nearly had her arm torn off by a tiger Thursday morning at Big Cat Rescue, a Tampa animal sanctuary owned by Carole Baskin. The attack happened around 8 a.m. at 12802 Easy Street in Tampa.

The woman, who has volunteered with the organization for five years, was grabbed by a tiger while reaching her arm into its cage during feeding time, something officials with the nonprofit said is against protocol.

“It is against our protocols for anyone to stick any part of their body into a cage with a cat in it,” Big Cat Rescue wrote in a statement. “Kimba grabbed her arm and nearly tore it off at the shoulder.”