A dangerous bill in Congress threatens to seriously undermine the Big Cat Public Safety Act (BCPSA), and we urgently need your help to preserve its historic protections for big cats.
Please see H.R.7159 – Protecting Local Zoos Act of 2026.
Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR) supported the passage of this bill to stop the suffering of big cats used for cruel cub petting operations, protect communities from dangerous encounters with “pet” big cats, and safeguard these animals against the exotic animal trade.
H.R. 7159, misleadingly titled the “Protecting Local Zoos Act”, would open the door to:
- Cub petting encounters that harm big cats and their cubs
- Import and export of big cats from foreign entities
- Sales of big cats by “exotic animal dealers.”
This bill does nothing for legitimate zoos. Instead, it would line the pockets of special interests at the expense of big cats and public safety.
What You Can Do
- Call and/or send an email to your federal representative and urge them to oppose H.R. 7159. You can find your representative at https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative. Their home page should provide a phone number and link for sending your message.
Contact your representative by Wednesday, February 4, when this bill will be heard in committee.
- Share this action alert with family, friends, and coworkers, and encourage them to take action.
Sample email (please personalize as much as possible):
Re: Oppose H.R. 7159
As a constituent who cares about the welfare of captive big cats, I strongly urge you to oppose H.R. 7159, misleadingly titled the “Protecting Local Zoos Act of 2026.”
This bill threatens to undermine the strongly bipartisan Big Cat Public Safety Act (BCPSA) signed into law in 2022 – a humane, commonsense law that keeps communities safe and protects big cats from the cruelty inherent in exploitative “cub petting” operations and the big cat pet trade.
H.R. 7159 would do nothing to protect legitimate zoos. The only limitation the BCPSA currently imposes on zoos is prohibiting direct public contact with big cats, a restriction that has not impacted standard zoo activities. Instead, H.R. 7159 would open the door to those who wish to resume cruel cub petting encounters, import or export big cats from foreign entities, and sell big cats as “exotic animal dealers” – fundamentally weakening our country’s position as a leader in fighting the cruel and dangerous big cat pet trade.
The Big Cat Public Safety Act has already benefited our country, with communities and first responders facing fewer dangerous encounters with privately owned big cats, stronger support for law enforcement, and meaningful progress in curbing wildlife trafficking at our borders due to restrictions on the big cat pet trade.
H.R. 7159 is a reckless, shortsighted rollback that puts public safety, animal welfare, and years of progress at risk. I urge you to oppose this bill.
Sincerely,
Your Turpentine Creek Foundation, Inc. Team