ADI supports state bill to ban traveling wild animal acts

Legislation to stop the use of wild animals in traveling shows across North Carolina was introduced this week in the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Sponsored by Representatives Cynthia Ball, Pricey Harrison, Joe John, and Susan Fisher, HB594 is being championed by Animal Defenders International (ADI) and NC Voters for Animal Welfare (NCVAW). ADI has exposed animal suffering in US circuses over many years and provided evidence to support the bill.

ADI President Jan Creamer said: “Circuses and traveling animal shows cannot provide wild animals with the facilities they need to thrive physically and mentally. An increasing number of states and cities are taking a stand against these animals’ suffering—we hope that North Carolina jumps on this opportunity to end this form of cruelty statewide.”

NC Representative Cynthia Ball said: “The public is largely in the dark about the serious danger posed by traveling animal acts. Exotic animals—including bears, lions, tigers, and elephants—suffer from gross mistreatment, resulting in animal disease, the spread of disease between animals and people, and animal escape, which present substantial health, welfare, and safety risks.

“These traveling acts also place unreasonable burdens on local law enforcement and animal control authorities, and taxpayers wind up footing the bill while circuses profit.”

Studies show that traveling circuses compromise the welfare of wild animals, who are confined in small spaces, deprived of their physical and social needs, and spend excessive amounts of time shut in trailers.

Circus animals are often seen behaving abnormally—rocking, swaying, and pacing, all indicating that they are in distress and not coping with their environment. ADI’s video evidence has shown that animals perform tricks through physical violence, fear, and intimidation.

Comprehensive research and investigations worldwide show that traveling wild animal acts also compromise public safety. Escaped animals have maimed and killed workers and members of the public, including children.

Kristen Moyer, Co-Director of NCVAW said: "Traveling wild animal shows create a myriad of problems. In addition to the horrible lives these animals lead and the public safety issues that arise when they break free or attack, there is also the risk of zoonotic disease transmission when captive wild animals and families come into contact.

“Public opinion about animal circuses has shifted dramatically, and this bill reflects the changing attitudes of the citizens of North Carolina toward wild animals exploited for entertainment."

ADI supports human-performance circuses, which are popular, provide employment, and stimulate the economy, without exposing citizens to stressed and abused animals.

Recent years have seen increased action on traveling animal acts in the US, with 106 jurisdictions in 34 states passing restrictions on the use of wild animals. New Jersey, Hawaii, and California have passed statewide measures, and five states—Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, and Oregon—have considered similar measures this year alone.

A federal bill to end the use of wild animals in traveling shows nationwide, the Traveling Exotic Animal and Public Safety Protection Act (TEAPSPA), has previously been considered in the House and Senate with bipartisan support. TEAPSPA is expected to be reintroduced in the 117th Congress soon.