Bill Description:
This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act by prohibiting the use of an exotic animal in a traveling show. “Exotic animal” is defined as any animal that is not a domestic animal or farm animal.[teaserbreak]
The following exemptions apply:
- An exhibition at a nonmobile facility that is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) or the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS), or a wildlife sanctuary.
- An environmental education program by an AZA-accredited facility, with duration and housing restrictions.
- A university, college, laboratory, or other facility for the purpose of conducting research.
- In film, television, or advertising, as long as it does not involve a live animal exhibition before a public studio audience.
- A rodeo.
Background:
The tigers, monkeys, elephants, and other animals used in circuses are deprived of everything that is important to them. They are kept in small cages, denied the opportunity to express their physical and social needs, and forced to spend endless 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. Unlike human entertainers, animals do not choose to perform; they are kept imprisoned and forced to take part in the show. These are wild animals with natural instincts and they deserve freedom and autonomy away from this exploitative spectacle.
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.
The federal Animal Welfare Act provides only very minimal standards for care of animals used in traveling shows, and these standards are thoroughly inadequate to prevent the cruelty inherent in this form of entertainment. Laws at the state and local level are crucial to end this exploitation.
Read the full text here.