Tiger King's' Carole Baskin Is Making a Huge Move with Big Cat Rescue

The animals will be moving to a new home in Arkansas.

Tiger King's Carole Baskin is making headlines yet again, but this time for a very different reason. In a press release that her husband Howard released on March 27, the Baskins explained that most of the animals at Big Cat Rescue, the sanctuary which they own and operate, will be moving to a wildlife refuge in Arkansas for their remaining years.

This comes after Big Cat Rescue entered into an agreement with Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, an accredited sanctuary that can provide top-quality care to the Baskins' lions, tigers, and other large cats. There are a few reasons behind this move, notes WFLA, including a new federal bill to protect large cats.

One of the reasons the Baskins decided to transfer their animals to Turpentine Creek (where they will continue to pay for their care) is the Big Cat Public Safety Act (BCPSA). This act was passed in December 2022 after a decade of effort from the Baskins and other wildlife advocates. It bans the private ownership of large cats by anyone without a USDA Exhibitor’s license, and it forbids the act of "cub petting," or using baby animals to provide experiences.

Despite this new federal bill, it would still be legal for the Baskins to keep their large cats. Animals owned before the bill passed are "grandfathered in," or allowed to remain with their owner, but no new large cats can be acquired by breeding or buying. Still, Howard Baskin explained that he and Carole are choosing to rehome most of their animals due to rising costs and declining needs for their rescue efforts.

He writes, "with the passage of the BCPSA we expect the need for rescues to decline over the coming decade. If the need were going to continue at the pace we saw up until a few years ago, we would be making a different decision." Additionally, it costs an average of $36,000 to care for each of the 41 cats they currently have, which they consider "an increasingly inefficient use of donor funds per cat to operate a facility like ours."

Several animals with health conditions will remain at Big Cat Rescue for the rest of their lives, though the Baskins plan on selling their Tampa area property when the final animal passes away. It truly is the end of an era at Big Cat Rescue.

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