The New York legislators are at it again, taking away the liberties and freedom of choice from its citizens. Whether they are telling one how much soda may be consumed at a sitting or eliminating the possibility of controlled, regulated contact with an exotic animal, New York officials continuously abuse their power and belittle those whom they represent.
I have received many inquiries and comments regarding the recent "tiger selfie" ban in the state of New York. This initiative was a result of the lobbying and campaigning of animal rights groups using falsities and misconception to push their extremist agenda.
For example - "So-called tiger selfies have emerged as popular profile photos on online dating sites, with users — generally young men — looking to stand out by posting a photo of themselves with the dangerous predators."
Contact with an tiger by a member of the public is prohibited by the federal government unless it is of a certain age or below a maximum weight - normally ending around four months of age. This "dangerous trend" of men posing with adult animals is a flaky justification at best. Even if this were the case, it is already an illegal action under federal law.
To further the ridiculous nature of the recent legislation -
"The legislators behind the new law said they hadn't even heard of tiger selfies when they crafted the measure and simply wanted to impose some safeguards on the often unregulated industry of traveling animal shows.
"I had no idea what a tiger selfie was," said Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, a Manhattan Democrat. "This is a serious issue. People who take selfies with wild animals are fooling with their lives. And it harms the animal because they're generally not well-treated. They're seen as profit-making props."
Knee-jerk reaction legislation is being passed on non-issues due to pressure from these animal rights extremists by individuals which have no experience or knowledge of the issue they are banning. The "unregulated industry of traveling animal shows" is another blatant lie - all animals exhibited for commercial purposes are regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture.
The purpose of pushing this law into existence by organizations like Big Cat Rescue is to further remove animals from our lives. Under false pretenses, New York has prohibited public contact with baby tigers, further limiting legal businesses and stealing freedoms from the population which may wish to engage in these activities.
"NY law protects big cats, bans 'tiger selfies'" by David Klepper, 08/12/2014
To read the actual legislation:
Here is my own legal and legitimate "tiger selfie" with my six year old "dangerous predator" taken earlier this year.
Ryan Holder
Tiger Trainer
Kelly Miller Circus