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Tiger mother with cubs in the Toledo Zoo in Ohio (symbol picture): A new law is supposed to ban the private possession of big cats almost completely
Photo: Lori King / AP
The private zoo operator Jeffrey Lowe, known from the Netflix series "Tiger King", is supposed to give up some of his big cats.
The US Department of Justice in Washington announced that a US court ruled, among other things, because of alleged violations of animal welfare law.
Judge John Heil had ordered that Lowe and his wife would have to hand over all big cat babies that are younger than one year and their mothers to the relevant authorities.
They would then accommodate them appropriately.
The Justice Department accuses the Lowes of "shocking disregard for the health and welfare of their animals and the law."
Lowe is one of the dazzling characters from the reality show "Tiger King".
He had taken over the private zoo in the state of Oklahoma from his former business partner Joe Exotic (civil: Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage).
Exotic is now in jail for allegedly hiring a murderer to kill self-proclaimed animal rights activist Carole Baskin.
The Netflix series featured several owners of private zoos in the US who breed and keep tigers and lions under questionable conditions.
In December, the House of Representatives in Washington passed a bill to significantly tighten the requirements for keeping lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars and pumas.
However, the planned law still has to be passed by the Senate in order to take effect.
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bbr / dpa