Washington President George Bush recently signed into law the Captive Wildlife Safety Act which bars the interstate and foreign commerce of dangerous exotic animals including lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, and cougars for the pet trade.

An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 exotic cats are kept as pets in
the U.S. Nineteen states currently have laws that ban keeping big
cats as pets.

The Captive Wildlife Safety Act provides exemptions for
legitimate wildlife sanctuaries and for those people licensed by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture to exhibit these animals. The
legislation is backed by the American Veterinary Medical
Association.