The Big Cat Public Safety Act (BCPSA), a bill championed by AWI, was signed into law by President Biden in December 2022, marking an incredible step forward for both public safety and animal welfare in the United States. The law protects communities from dangerous encounters with big cats kept as pets and safeguards these animals against the appalling cruelty associated with certain exploitative exhibitions and the exotic pet trade.
The BCPSA prohibits private individuals from possessing lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, cougars, or any hybrid of these species. While the law grandfathered in private owners with big cats already in their possession, it required them to register so authorities will know where these animals are. Additionally, the BCPSA prohibits public petting, playing with, feeding, and photo ops with cubs. The profit derived from encouraging the public to handle and pose with cubs was the primary driver of a relentless breeding cycle that flooded the market with animals who had outgrown the cub stage.
In June 2023, the US Fish and Wildlife Service published an interim rule establishing how the BCPSA would be implemented and provided an opportunity for public comment on the rule. In background information included in the notice, the USFWS stated, “The BCPSA helps to ensure the health and welfare of big cats, protects the public from the dangers associated with private ownership of big cats, and strengthens the Service’s ability to combat wildlife trafficking.” Although the rule has not yet been finalized (pending review of all public comments), it went into effect upon publication, enabling the USFWS to commence enforcement.
The first enforcement action under the BCPSA came in September 2023, with the arrest of a Texas couple attempting to sell a jaguar cub in a parking lot. The pair were convicted of violating the law and sentenced in April 2024: The wife received two years’ probation with 50 hours of community service, and the husband received nine months in prison.
In October 2024, two Arkansas men pleaded guilty to BCPSA-related violations involving the purchase by one of a tiger cub from a wildlife broker in Dallas. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission notified the USFWS after receiving an anonymous tip about a tiger cub for sale, as well as a complaint of a tiger cub sighting in a residential area of Conway, Arkansas. The man who purchased the cub faces up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. His associate, who helped conceal the crime, faces up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Ongoing enforcement of the BCPSA requires not only continued vigilance by the USFWS and other federal and state agencies, but also awareness of this law by citizens who can provide information about potential violations. The USFWS encourages people to email tips regarding potential criminal activity to the following address: [email protected].
The BCPSA is already achieving its purpose: to protect big cats from the pet trade and from public contact exhibits. In its success, it is also providing a model for future legislation to protect other species from similar exploitation.