Carole Baskin is the founder and CEO of Big Cat Rescue and has devoted more than three decades to protecting wild cats. After founding one of the world’s most influential exotic cat sanctuaries, she pursued a 24-year campaign that helped secure passage of the U.S. Big Cat Public Safety Act in 2022, ending private ownership of big cats and the cub-petting industry.

Today, her focus is on keeping wild cats wild. Big Cat Rescue supports conservation projects around the world, strengthens public understanding of the vital role wild cats play in healthy ecosystems, and promotes new ways for people to appreciate wildlife without exploiting animals in captivity.

Carole believes all life is interconnected and that protecting wild cats ultimately protects the ecosystems upon which we all depend. Her vision is a world where every wild cat can live free in the wild, where they belong.

carole.baskin@bigcatrescue.org