Bill Description:
This bill would prohibit the use of wild and exotic animals in any performance. Those animals include any that are not domestic or farm animals.[teaserbreak]
Exemptions:
• Exhibitions at and outreach programs by facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) or the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS). Outreach programs must be deemed educational by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) if the animal used for such purposes is not kept in a mobile housing facility for more than 12 hours a day.
• A university, college, laboratory, or other research facility registered by the United States Secretary of Agriculture.
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, and circuses found in violation of the AWA’s safety and confinement standards have a greater potential for attacks and injuries. Born Free USA’s Exotic Incidents Database details many such instances that illustrate the danger of exposing the public to wild animals.
Check out our Animals in Entertainment page for more information on why it is cruel and exploitative to use wild animals in exhibits or shows.
Take Action:
Massachusetts residents, contact your state senator and urge him or her to support this legislation.
Read the full text and follow its progress here.