Letter #6

Dear Congressman XXXX,

I am writing to express my support of H.R.1998 / S.1381, the “Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act”. Please stand behind this important legislation.

It’s hard to believe that lions and tigers are allowed to be “pets” in our country. This is just wrong. One of the most regal animals on the planet....referred to as “the king of beasts”...should not be condemned to living in a cage in a person’s backyard. You are taking away not only the animal’s dignity, but you are stripping him of his right to live as a lion.

Some people even go so far as to mutilate these magnificent creatures in order to make them more manageable. They declaw them and remove their teeth, which is a painful and often botched process. (The fact that people are declawing and defanging these animals means they are dangerous and DO NOT MAKE GOOD PETS!)

People buy cute little cubs on a whim, not realizing the commitment they are undertaking. Captive big cats can eat up to 20 pounds of meat at day. How many of these owners are providing appropriate diets for their animals? How many are taking them to qualified zoological veterinarians? How many are maintaining indestructible enclosures? All of these things are extremely expensive. In today’s economy, how are people affording to provide for such an expensive “pet?”

And when people can longer afford to keep their lion or tiger, what do they do with him? Drop him off at a shelter? True non-profit accredited sanctuaries are already overcrowded with cast-offs and face huge obstacles raising money just to remain operational.

There is no good reason to have a big cat as a pet. The animal languishes in human hands only to be abandoned in the end and the public’s safety is put at risk. To keep a lion just for the sake of saying you own a lion is selfish and pointless.

Please support H.R.1998 / S.1381, the “Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act”.

Thank you.