Washington, D.C., October 11, 2016 — Born Free USA, a global leader in animal welfare and wildlife conservation, supports a proposed ban on the use of performing exotic animals in New York City, and refutes the circus industry’s unfounded claims about the bill’s impact.[teaserbreak]
Intro 1233, introduced by Council Members Rosie Mendez and Corey D. Johnson, would prohibit the use of exotic animals in circuses and other public entertainment venues, with exceptions for accredited zoos, research facilities, religious ceremonies or celebrations, and educational or conservation-related programs or presentations. This bill reflects a growing public concern for animals used for entertainment and provides a sensible restriction on cruel shows.
According to Adam M. Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA, “Unlike human entertainers, animals do not choose the circus life; they are kept imprisoned and forced to take part in the show. Circus animals languish as involuntary participants in a degrading spectacle. Watching elephants, tigers, bears, and other animals perform in front of loud crowds beneath bright lights, under threat of punishment from their trainers, is as outdated as it is exploitative. Such abuse has no place in a compassionate and artistic city like New York.”
“The dwindling portion of the circus industry that uses and mistreats animals has tried to put a negative spin on this legislation by claiming that no circuses at all will be able to perform in New York City. This is a blatant falsehood, as the only shows that will be affected are those that have not yet joined the 21st century by ending animal acts. Animal-free shows, like Cirque du Soleil, will still be welcome in the city, and neither the economic strength nor the vibrant culture of New York City will suffer a loss,” Roberts explains.
The tigers, monkeys, elephants, and other animals used in circuses are kept in unnaturally small confines, denied the opportunity to express their physical and social needs, and forced to spend long hours in transit inside of trailers and train cars. Their training often involves punishing methods, and their handlers may beat, restrain, and sedate them. Animals kept in such conditions frequently display abnormal behaviors such as rocking, swaying, pacing, and self-mutilation. This “zoochosis,” as it is called, indicates extreme mental distress stemming from severe deprivation.
The inhumane conditions that wild and exotic animals are subject to in traveling shows are compounded by the threat their presence poses to public safety. Wild animals are inherently unpredictable and incapable of being tamed, and such close proximity to the public creates a serious risk. Born Free USA’s Exotic Animal Incidents Database details many instances of attacks and injuries to both humans and animals. For instance, in Poughkeepsie, New York, an elephant in the Hanneford Circus escaped from the ring and charged toward the crowd, injuring three people.
Roberts explains, “No other major city has passed a ban on exotic animal performances. New York City, where I am proud to have been born and raised, has the opportunity to be a powerful leader on this issue. The public has become increasingly concerned about the welfare of performing animals, and this is a chance for the city to enact humane legislation consistent with those concerns. The training and grueling lifestyle for animals at circuses produce unimaginable physical and mental anguish, and thus is diametrically opposed to the very concept of ‘family fun’ at a circus.”
Born Free USA applauds Council Members Mendez and Johnson for introducing this much-needed legislation. “Born Free USA hopes that the committee will vote without delay to ban an archaic, barbaric form of entertainment that has no place in our society,” says Roberts.
Born Free USA is a global leader in animal welfare and wildlife conservation. Through litigation, legislation, and public education, Born Free USA leads vital campaigns against animals in entertainment, exotic ‘pets,’ trapping and fur, and the destructive international wildlife trade. Born Free USA brings to America the message of ‘compassionate conservation’: the vision of the UK-based Born Free Foundation, established in 1984 by Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, stars of the iconic film Born Free, along with their son, Will Travers. Born Free’s mission is to end suffering of wild animals in captivity, conserve threatened and endangered species, and encourage compassionate conservation globally. More at www.bornfreeusa.org, www.twitter.com/bornfreeusa, and www.facebook.com/bornfreeusa.
Media contact: Rodi Rosensweig, publicrelations@bornfreeusa.org, (203) 270-8929