Big cats: US Senate unanimously passes bill to curb private ownership- PublishedA bill to restrict the private ownership of big cats like lions and tigers in the US has passed by unanimous consent in the Senate.Efforts to curb private ownership have increased in the wake of the Netflix documentary series Tiger King.Many in the US are on public display, where the hunt for profits in some privately-owned facilities are alleged to drive a " relentless breeding cycle that floods the exotic pet trade with surplus tigers who have outgrown the cub stage", according to the Animal Welfare Institute.What's more, the institute alleges facilities that offer cub petting have been known to kill tigers once they can no longer be used to make money.However, current owners of big cats will be allowed to keep their animals - as long as they don't allow direct contact between them and the public and register them with the US Fish and Wildlife Service."