![]() ![]() Howard said he and Carole have come to know Tanya and Scott Smith who operate Turpentine Creek and think they’re the right fit to care for the remaining animals at Big Cat Rescue. ![]() “Even if funding levels did hold up, it would be difficult in good conscience to spend that much per captive cat when the funds are so needed for projects to keep the cats from going extinct in the wild, the third prong of our mission.” ![]() As the population declines, it becomes an increasingly inefficient use of donor funds per cat to operate a facility like ours,” he said. “When we had 100 cats, that $1.5 million in overhead was $15,000 per cat. In addition to the passage of the BCPSA, Howard said the rescue’s overhead is currently running at $1.5 million per year. ![]() The BCPSA does two things - it ends cub petting and phases out private ownership in backyards by people who do not have a USDA Exhibitor’s license, according to the news release. Of those, 89 were over fifteen years old,” Howard said. “As recently as 2011, when we started working on the Big Cat Public Safety Act (BCPSA), we had 119 big cats. He said the cat population at Big Cat Rescue has become increasingly geriatric and the number of animals in their care has dwindled from 200 down to 41. This means donor funds are used much more efficiently by consolidating the cats at Turpentine Creek.” Because Turpentine Creek already has the fixed infrastructure in place to house its existing 80 big cats, once enclosures are built, adding 30 or so more cats only adds the variable costs of keeper care, food, and medical care. “In contrast, Turpentine Creek sits on 450 acres in an area where expansion even beyond that is possible. Today it is surrounded by development,” Howard said in the news release. “When Big Cat Rescue was founded 30 years ago, the 67 acres that Big Cat Rescue occupies now was rural. The Baskins have entered into an agreement with Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, an accredited sanctuary in Arkansas, to merge their big cat populations. In the news release, Howard details a myriad of reasons why the 67-acre rescue is closing and cites the passage of legislation that protects big cats, the cost of maintaining care for the animals and his and Carole’s ages as factors in the decision. The House passed a similar measure in 2020 by a commanding 272-114 vote but it later died in the Senate.Carole Baskin, who became a household name after the Netflix documentary “Tiger King,” is selling Big Cat Rescue.īaskin has owned the Florida rescue for three decades and according to a news release from her husband Howard Baskin - the goal has always been to “put ourselves out of business.” The House Rules Committee met to consider the bill on Tuesday, a likely step before a full House floor vote. Susan Collins of Maine to get the legislation passed in a closely divided Congress. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Sen. They have teamed up with Republicans, Rep. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, have led the latest efforts to get the legislation passed. Mike Quigley, an Illinois Democrat, and Sen. 263, the Big Cat Public Safety Act, which would build on existing laws that protect big cats like tigers, cheetahs, jaguars, and other wild animals living in captivity in the United States," The Office of Management and Budget said in a formal statement of administration policy. The White House announced on Tuesday that it formally supports a bipartisan bill aimed at limiting exotic animal ownership that has long been pushed by Carole Baskin of "Tiger King" fame. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. ![]()
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