Whilst 2020 will surely forever be remembered as the year of the coronavirus pandemic and now the widespread George Floyd protests and reignition of the Black Lives Matter movement, it may also be remembered as the year of big cats – thanks to Tiger King, the hit documentary whose success was a phenomenon unto itself.
Yet whilst many enjoyed the show for its larger than life characters and real-life intrigue, the documentary also drew attention to the widespread network of breeding and selling tigers in the US which often entails cruel treatment of the animals. Now a petition supporting a Big Cat Public Safety Act is in the works, and one of the signatories is none other than Iggy Pop.
All-round-legend and animal lover Iggy Pop has called for stricter legislation surrounding the handling of big cats in Florida.
The petition is calling for Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott to co-sponsor the Big Cat Public Safety Act, which would make the private ownership of big cats illegal, as well as any public contact and dangerous interactions with them.
“The Big Cat Public Safety Act, which has bipartisan support in both the house and senate, is aimed at protecting big cats from abuse and neglect by prohibiting private possession of these wild animals, and banning risky public encounters with them,” Pop described in a statement to Stereogum.
“Co-sponsoring this commonsense bill will show the Senators’ commitment to the safety of Floridians and respect for exotic wildlife.”
The petition is co-authored by director Gabriela Cowperthwaite (Blackfish) and the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and it has also seen support from other celebrities, including the likes of Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Hilary Swank, and more. To sign the petition for yourself, head here.
In other news, this week Joe Exotic was forced to hand over the land of his zoo to his rival Carole Baskin by an Oklahoma judge.
