Before these bans, the cost and effort required to "properly" house a big cat were astronomical. Experts from organizations like Big Cat Rescue highlight the extreme burdens:
: It is now illegal for private individuals to breed, sell, purchase, or acquire big cats like lions, tigers, leopards, snow leopards, clouded leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, and cougars. buy a big cat
: Individuals who already owned big cats before the law was enacted were allowed to keep them only if they registered them with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by June 18, 2023. No new big cats can be acquired by these owners. Before these bans, the cost and effort required