US Friends, Please Help Stop Designers and Celebrities Who Endorse Lion Cub Abuse

Italy Banned This Ad, Shouldn’t Everyone?

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• 2. Use the sample message provided, or feel free to modify
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From Big Cat Rescue
You see a picture of lion cubs and, for a moment, think, “how adorable!”

But, what you don’t see is the terror when they were pulled prematurely from their mothers, stuck in a cage, loaded up quickly for transport because their life as a photo prop begins and ends quickly. Legally, their photo prop shelf life expires in a matter of weeks, so more and more are bred constantly. The babies are pulled from their mothers so that she can quickly breed again.

We talk about fairs, malls, circuses, and traveling exhibits that use and abuse animals this way. Now, you see that even high profile celebrities and designers see them as nothing more than a marketing tool to sell products.

It’s up to you to make this stop!

Everyone hears when domestic animal shelters are overflowing with animals in need of adoption. The good news is that there is the possibility of a pet-loving home for them. But, what is the option for these cubs when they’ve outlived their “economic usefulness”? The exhibitors DO NOT raise and keep all these baby lions and tigers for 20+ years, shouldering the expense of food, housing, and basic care. So, where do they go?

Every accredited big cat rescue facility in this country is full! That means they will, in all likelihood, flow into the pipeline of illegal exotic animals traded for parts, for breeding, for a life of misery. When we see restaurants advertising “Lion Steaks,” we will remember these cubs and wonder if that’s where they ended up – on a dinner plate. That’s the reality behind this “adorable” picture.

This is why it’s urgent we pass legislation banning the breeding of more big cats who, if they live, spend their lives in misery or in poorly regulated captivity. We must stop the flow now!

You can help by letting American Express Departures magazine, Bulgari (the designer), and your congressional representatives know that this is something you want stopped immediately. You can post comments directly to American Express at http://www.departures.com/contact-us#

Most importantly, please sign and send your pre-written letter today to your legislators. Thank you for speaking up for these little ones, and so many others yet to be born.