Stop The Abuse Of Baby Lions, Tigers And Bears At Roadside Zoos.
Across the country, baby exotic animals are exploited at roadside zoos that charge up to $500 for customers to pet, feed, pose and play with infant tigers, lions, bears and monkeys. These animals are pulled from the care of their protective mothers shortly after birth for the sole purpose of using them for public handling schemes.
This practice is inhumane, unsafe for the public and undermines the conservation of endangered species.
When the baby animals grow and are no longer profitable, they are often discarded at shoddy menageries, sold into the pet trade or even killed for their meat. New infants are bred to supply the business in a cycle that undermines animal welfare and public safety.
Existing laws do not protect these vulnerable infants. The U.S. Department of Agriculture must implement regulations completely prohibiting public handling of all big cats, bears, primates and other inherently dangerous species, regardless of the ages of the animals.
Sign the petition today and demand the U.S. Department of Agriculture enact a complete ban on this commercial use of captive wildlife.
USDA Docket No. APHIS-2012-0107
Dear Administrator Shea,
Please adopt regulations completely prohibiting public handling of all big cats, bears, primates and other inherently dangerous species, regardless of the ages of the animals. This practice is inhumane, unsafe for the public and undermines the conservation of endangered species.
Allowing USDA licensees to use monkeys, tigers, lions and bears for playing, petting and photo sessions with the public fuels the exotic pet trade, causes unnecessary animal suffering, risks human injury and creates a burden for both law enforcement and nonprofit sanctuaries.
[Your Comment]
Please take comprehensive action to prohibit public contact and close encounters with all species of big cats, bears, nonhuman primates and other dangerous wild animals.
Thank you.
[Your Name]
