Because the pandemic has kept many people at home, many turn to Netflix as a source of entertainment. A show called Tiger King has risen in popularity, mostly due to its unusual cast. Joe Exotic is a man of questionable morals, and Carole Baskin is a women accused of murdering her husband. Both are bitter rivals in a cutthroat industry of conservationists and collectors. Regardless if you have seen it or not, it has brought up a question that is very important. Should people be able to privately own big cats and other large predators? Many private big cat owners claim that it is no different than the 5th amendment,  The series has shown several violations and scandals that several tiger tycoons have committed. In Zanesville, Ohio, private zoo owner Terry Thompson released 18 tigers, 17 lions, 8 bears, 3 cougars, 2 wolves, 1 baboon, and a Macaque (small primate) on the town before committing suicide. It was a miracle that no one was killed, but local police were forced to kill 49 predators. Many speculate that the expenses of taking care of so many demanding animals became financially overbearing for the man.

A common form of financial income in this industry comes from cub petting events, where the public goes to take pictures, bottle feed, and play with baby tigers. The cubs are killed when they become too big for these events. 

There are no Federal Laws that prohibit private ownership of these animals, though there is a bill in Congress as of now

More information here: https://aldf.org/project/big-cat-public-safety-act-federal/

Have any of you watched Tiger King? What laws should be in place? What can be done about the over-saturated population in captivity, while its numbers continue to dwindle in the wild?