Urge New York City Council to Oppose Performing Animal Ban
Esteemed Council Members, The action to prohibit the display of wild or exotic animals for public entertainment or amusement will greatly affect your constituency and their children. We are opposed to any measure that would ban the use of wild or exotic animals in traveling show and circuses. First and foremost, responsible animal owners and exhibitors are in support of the regulations that already exist to protect animal welfare; they have dedicated their lives to a vocation that puts the needs of their animals before anything else. That being said, there are already USDA enforced rules and regulations that clearly state the public safety requirements for the display of circus animals. All animal exhibitors are required by federal law to be licensed but the USDA and allow unannounced inspections by their inspectors to comply with the Animal Welfare act. Circuses, such as The Big Apple Circus, a New York icon since 1977, would be directly hit by this law. They are regulated and inspected by both the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York City Department of Health. Therefore, the answer to the potential for mistreatment is to enforce existing laws and regulations to punish the offenders, as opposed to punishing an entire industry and the public who enjoy performing animals acts and other animal displays. Sadly, these bans are being proposed and promulgated by a small portion of society composed of animal rights extremists who are using a fervent ideology to destroy the human-animal bond. By instituting the exotic animal bans on a city-by-city basis, more and more people will lose the opportunity to experience animals up close and thus a chance to make lasting memories with their children. We again strongly urge you to oppose the exotic animal ban in the great city of New York. Thank you for your time.