H.R. 1947 would promote public safety and improve the welfare of captive big cats.
Detailed Summary
Haley's Act - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to: (1) define the term "big cat" to mean any live species of lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, or cougar or any hybrid of such species; (2) allow the Secretary of Agriculture to deny or revoke licenses to animal dealers and exhibitors based on recommendations from state or local officials with jurisdiction over captive wildlife; (3) require the Secretary to include in standards that govern the humane handling, care, treatment, and transportation of animals by dealers, research facilities, and exhibitors a minimum requirement to provide for public safety; (4) increase civil and criminal penalties for violations of such Act; (5) prohibit a licensed exhibitor or dealer from allowing direct contact between a big cat and a member of the public, with an exception for zoos; and (6) prohibit the Secretary from granting a license to a dealer or exhibitor of a big cat until the Secretary has issued regulations to implement this Act.
Status of the Legislation
Latest Major Action: 12/18/2007: House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Favorable Executive Comment Received from USDA.
Points in Favor
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Points Against
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Visitor Comments
casey
January 12, 2008, 12:32am (report abuse)this act is utter b.s. this act has nothing to deal with the fact that Haley, for whom this act is in "memorial" of, was with an ADULT TIGER, which by USDA code, she shouldnt have been near anyways. please dont let impossible rare incident cause so much damage to our childrens future by supporting these A.R. nut cases.
note that i do support rexano fully and i , myself, am a responsible owner and plan to own rare animals such as large cats in the near future and understand that by doing so puts me in a potential risk of injury and/or death, but that comes with messing with big animals like that huh?
casy
January 12, 2008, 12:33am (report abuse)this act is utter b.s. this act has nothing to deal with the fact that Haley, for whom this act is in "memorial" of, was with an ADULT TIGER, which by USDA code, she shouldnt have been near anyways. please dont let impossible rare incident cause so much damage to our childrens future by supporting these A.R. nut cases.
note that i do support rexano fully and i , myself, am a responsible owner and plan to own rare animals such as large cats in the near future and understand that by doing so puts me in a potential risk of injury and/or death, but that comes with messing with the big animals huh?
Rachel
January 19, 2008, 11:47pm (report abuse)I am for this act. Places that let you take your pictures with cubs continuously breed and breed more babies, where are all these animals going to!
Susan
January 19, 2008, 11:48pm (report abuse)I really do not see the educational purposes of dragging potentially dangerous wild animals into schools. How does this teahc our children to respect these animals? I am for this act!
Bill
January 19, 2008, 11:51pm (report abuse)I work at a Big Cat Sanctuary and I can tell you that we are overflowing with former pets where people got themselves in over their heads. In my opinion letting children play or take their pictures with these animals is only perpetuating the idea that these animals make great pets.Which they do not! There is no real reason to come into contact with these animals, they are wild and unpredictable, I am talking from experience here!
Barbra
January 19, 2008, 11:53pm (report abuse)I personally would never let my kids near a wild animal in the first place.
Kim
January 19, 2008, 11:55pm (report abuse)The only people really making a fuss over this act are the people who exploit these animals for money. Banning contact is safer for the public and safer for the animals!
Rich
January 19, 2008, 11:56pm (report abuse)This Act won't affect accredited zoos and sanctuaries!
Tessa
January 20, 2008, 4:45pm (report abuse)Not so impossible since it happened.
Susan Tepper
January 21, 2008, 10:05pm (report abuse)If the existing laws were being followed and upheld, this accident would not have happened. The existing laws are all that is needed. Haley's Act is a "punishment" for current law abiding people who own or handle big cats. Punish the law breakers and enforce existing laws. We don't need more laws and Haleys Act should not pass.
Timbalionguy
January 22, 2008, 1:35am (report abuse)This bill is completely unnecessary legislation, and needlessly interferes with our freedom to experience and enjoy being with other magnificent living things. Being able to see and touch a baby lion, tiger, etc. teaches in a way no other experience can, the importance of protecting all of our animal life for future generations to enjoy. This bill only came to exist because animal rights activists exploited an unfortunate incident involving an adult tiger and for all practical purposes, adult human. Haley's act would not have prevented this incident-- rules are already in place about proper handling of adult big cats, and they were not followed. Our lawmakers have much better things to do with their limited resources than pick on baby lions and tigers!
SacramentoMom
January 22, 2008, 10:28am (report abuse)Children who are taught via 'hands on' learning are far more likely to retain information and, in the case of animals, develop positive behaviors around or towards said creatures. Common sense tells us this truth! Haley's Act is one more incremental step by the animal rights industry to destroy humanity's freedom to interact with nature. So: to support Haley's Act is to support the separation of humanity, long term, from the wild kingdom. Do we really buy into the PeTA and HSUS vision of a pet-free, animal-free future? Most people did not care much about preserving the big cats until they saw them in zoos, TV specials - and the classroom.
Jill
January 22, 2008, 6:43pm (report abuse)from a little girl I knew I wanted to work with primates and work to preserving them in the wild. I have always had this passion for them and now I work for a primate sanctuary for ex pets and entertainment chimps. As a child I had never held or touched a primate but I still loved them and wanted to protect them. Don't use that as an excuse and give children more credit. Children have this amazing ability for compassion they do not need to touch an animal in order to want to protect it. I am speaking from experience
Pipper
February 11, 2008, 9:10am (report abuse)We are completely destroying our wild life. These animals are being exploited by the unscrupulous and many deaths are needed for someone to gain ownership of a big cat as a pet! Seemingly this does not count as long as you get your pet! How is this called love for that creature! If this breeding is allowed to continue it will be like cats and dogs hundreds of sanctuaries for the unwanted over large pets!
It is not love for the animal but love to obtain something that is out of reach and the greed to own!
Leave the big cats in the wild and go get a fluffy kitten!!
Sherri
February 11, 2008, 2:35pm (report abuse)I completely agree with pipper! we should be focusing on conservation not using these animals as props and entertainment. We need to start asking ourselves what happenes to these animals after we take our picture with them? and if we keep producing more and more animals where are they all going to go? we already have a domestic cat problem we don't need a big cat problem.
Scott
February 11, 2008, 2:40pm (report abuse)Unfortunately this act does not affect private ownership. People can still own and keep tigers and other big cats as pets (which is ridiculous), they just can't charge the public to touch them anymore. This act will do alot to end the exploitation of big cats in America. So private owners, if you weren't exploiting your pet to begin with then YOU have nothing to worry about now do you.
Cynthia
July 17, 2008, 11:36am (report abuse)Captive breeding in private hands is the only way to ensure the continuance of many species, including the big cats. Big cats would have been long extinct if this were not so. Being able to experience up close and personal contact with cubs is the only way to reach our youth and make a favorable impression--there are competant facilites, one in Australia, that allow the public contact with adult tigers with no incident--you are going to punish the populace because of one unfortunate incident that occurred by mistake. Are you going to ban contact with horses and dogs because they kill people more frequently? Look at the statistics!
Korinn
August 9, 2008, 12:32am (report abuse)"Being able to experience up close and personal contact with cubs is the only way to reach our youth and make a favorable impression"
I personally have never touched any big cat, be it a cub or an adult, and I have always had a facisnation with these amazing creatures, enough to make me want to volunteer at my local zoo starting at 14 to learn more and to help preserve them. Before I started researching big cat legislature, I had no idea that people would actually take wild cats into schools with children in them. There is never only one way to do anything, and I think that this law would bring to light the incredibly dangerous situations that people are putting themselves and their 'pets' into.
Jim
October 10, 2008, 2:36pm (report abuse)This act will punish everyone for the actions of a few.