Exotic animal breeder illinois code#

Cannot allow direct contact between big cats and the public at their facilities.Cannot engage in commercial trade in big cat species, including their offspring, parts, and products made from them.

Exotic animal breeder illinois code#

Must be a non-profit entity that is tax exempt under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Read the fact sheet on the bill here! A sanctuary as defined by federal law: Read TWS’ Director Tammy Thies’ letter on the bill. Violators of the law will have their animals confiscated along with any vehicles or equipment used to aid in their illegal activity, and could face stiff penalties including fines as much as $20,000 per animal, and up to five years in jail. After the bill becomes law, it will be illegal to breed any big cat except at accredited AZA zoos where breeding will be allowed for conservation purposes only. This bill will require all persons who currently possess big cats to register those animals with USDA. Only nine states have laws enforcing “no wild animals permitted”, the remaining states have weak or no laws in existence. Department of Agriculture (USDA), state agencies, and local first responders. There is no possibility of determining the numbers of dangerous Exotic Big Cats being kept in private hands and what their condition is in the U. Wild Animal Sanctuaries having given sanctuary and safe haven for big cats who have been confiscated for decades will be asked to take in animals. The bill will prohibit breeding and private possession of big cats exempting only qualified, accredited AZA zoos, where they can be properly cared for and restrained. in alarming numbers, do not threaten public safety, diminish global big cat conservation efforts, or end up living in horrible conditions where they can be subject to mistreatment and cruelty. The “Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act,” will ensure that lions, tigers and other dangerous big cats, which are bred to be sold and kept as pets or for financial gain in the U.S. Breeders of exotic animals, like Bengal Tigers and African Servals, play a significant role in placing these animals as pets for private owners, as ‘exhibits’ in roadside zoos and circuses, as marketing tools for advertisement, as commodities for fur farms, and sell them as potential trophies for game farms. It is an unfortunate reality for wild animals to end up losing their freedom. And most pose a very real threat to public safety. Many are fed improperly and receive no veterinary care. They often live in cramped, filthy conditions. Unfortunately, in the end it is the cats that pay the highest price. It’s literally billions of dollars exchanged in the exotic animal trade.” On Internet sites, you can point, click and buy lions and tigers. In a CNN report Humane Society President Wayne Pacelle said, “The exotic animal trade is second only to the drug trade in raw dollars. One such case is Tony the truck stop tiger. Ron Tilson, Conservation Director for the Minnesota Zoo, states unequivocally that there are more tigers in backyards across the U.S. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that there are as many as 10,000 large wildcats in private ownership across the country. He sustained a brain injury, several facial fractures, and is dependent upon a respirator.

The boy’s spinal cord was severed and the injury left him paralyzed from the neck down. Near Little Falls, Minnesota, 10-year-old Russell Lala, fought for his life after being attacked by a lion and tiger. In North Carolina, a 10-year-old boy was killed by his aunt’s tiger, which pulled the boy under a fence and into its cage. A “pet” leopard attacked a woman in Louisiana. In Illinois, a man was mauled to death by two tigers he kept in his backyard. You see the ads for a circuses coming to town, festivals that exhibit wild animals, or tiger cubs presented at a local event. We hear about it in the news, see it on our favorite television shows and commercial advertisements, they are at our local fairs. The captive wildlife crisis has plagued our back yards.