Take Steps in Complying with Animal Welfare Act and Ban Big Cat Selfies

Of course, there is nothing cuter than to cuddle a baby animal, even a lion cub, and pose for selfies or other photos. Posing with your puppy or kitty is one thing, but when it comes to a lion cub, it may be cute at the moment but the long-term effects are devastating.

When kept in these roadside zoos and facilities, used to interact with the public, no one is aware of the abuse and neglect that these cubs endure behind the scenes. These facts are according to the http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/ban-contact-with-captive-big-cats/ in addition to the harm done to animals in these facilities, there are also very real health and safety concerns involved for the people who partake in these photos. Aside from the cuteness of posing with a lion cub, many of these babies are torn from their moms at incredibly young ages, some are sold through the wildlife trade and others still may be bred in captivity and sold to exotic animal auctions.

New York is one state that banned such direct contact of humans with the big cats but we need to see this be a nationwide ban. We are trying to encourage the USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to consider a nationwide ban prohibiting direct contact between the public and big cats. You can help us by signing and sharing this petition we hope to phase out the use and abuse of big cats for frivolous exhibits in the near future. We need to take action and ask that facilities with be cats be monitored to ensure compliance with the Animal Welfare Act; keep these animals out of these zoos, private homes and facilities and in the wild where they belong.