Bill Description:
This bill prohibits the use of any wild or exotic animal that was traveling in a mobile housing facility during the thirty days prior to the show. It exempts non-mobile facilities, education and conservation purposes, universities or research facilities registered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, film or TV or advertisements if there is no public exhibition, and rodeos. The definition of “wild or exotic animal” includes primates, exotic cats, bears, and elephants, among others.
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Background:
The tigers, elephants, primates, and other animals used in circus acts are deprived of everything that is important to them. They are kept in small cages or on concrete floors, 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 severe punishment, 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 for animals in circuses are compounded by the threat these animals pose to the public. Wild animals are inherently unpredictable and incapable of being tamed. Born Free USA’s Exotic Animal Incidents Database details many incidents in New York. For instance, in Poughkeepsie an elephant in the Hanneford Circus escaped from the ring and charged toward the crowd. Three people were injured while fleeing. In the Bronx, a horse traveling with Circus With a Purpose “went berserk” and tipped over a children’s cart, causing panic. Twenty children and two adults were treated for injuries. These are just two of many tragic incidents, and serve to illustrate that exposing the public to wild animals is very dangerous.
Take Action:
New York citizens, contact your state senator and urge him or her to support this bill.
Read the full text and follow its progress here.