It’s unlikely that anyone expected to see Carole Baskin brought onto CNN as a talking head, but that’s exactly what happened Wednesday morning. And the big cat activist had some pointed words for Texas senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn.
On Mother’s Day, a tiger was spotted roaming the streets of Houston and remains on the loose as of Wednesday morning. The big cat’s alleged owner, Hugo Cuevas, was arrested and charged with evading arrest. Cuevas was out on bond following a 2017 murder charge and was being held at a jail in Richmond, Texas.
Baskin, best known for her part in Netflix’s hit documentary series “Tiger King,” was brought onto CNN on Wednesday to offer her insights on the situation, having also founded Big Cat Rescue, a non-profit animal sanctuary. And for her, part of the blame in this scenario falls squarely on the shoulders of Texas’s senators.
“You know, this has become kind of commonplace in Texas, and so I really hope that Senators Cruz and Cornyn will sign onto the Big Cat Public Safety Act,” Baskin said. “Because if they had, last year when the House passed this bill — the Senate didn’t bring it up for a vote — if it had passed last year, this wouldn’t have happened this time.”
The Big Cat Public Safety Act is a piece of legislation that would ban the private ownership of big cats like lions and tigers, which is currently legal in most of Texas. That said, it is not legal in Houston, where this tiger was found, except for in unincorporated areas. But according to Baskin, Houston’s ordinance “treats it like a misdemeanor.”
You can watch Baskin’s full appearance in the video below.
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