Rep. Suzanne Bonamici supports ban on traveling wild animal acts

Animal Defenders International (ADI) is delighted to welcome Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) as a new cosponsor to the Traveling Exotic Animal and Public Safety Protection Act (TEAPSPA, HR2863/S2121), the federal bill that seeks to ban the use of wild animals in traveling circuses. Sponsored by Representatives Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and David Schweikert (R-AZ), and Senator Bob Menéndez (D-NJ), TEAPSPA is being championed by ADI, an organization that has exposed suffering in US circuses over many years and provided evidence to support the bill.

ADI President Jan Creamer said: “The evidence is clear: animals in traveling circuses suffer. America is taking a stand against this, passing an increasing number of local and state bans, but we can and must do more. With the introduction of TEAPSPA in Congress, we have a chance now to stop circus suffering nationwide – so let’s do this!”

ADI and a growing number of Congressmembers, animal protection organizations, and celebrities are calling for an end to the inherent suffering of exotic and wild animals in traveling circuses caused by: temporary and inadequate facilities; extended confinement; barren environments; typically brutal training; and long, arduous journeys. TEAPSPA supporters include celebrities Ed Asner, Bob Barker, Ricky Gervais, James Cromwell, Kal Penn, Moby, and Joaquin Phoenix, along with a coalition of over 20 US animal protection organizations.

The restricted facilities and the nature of the acts the animals are forced to perform, in close proximity to workers and the public, increases tensions in the handling of these wild animals. Comprehensive research and investigations around the world show that traveling wild animal acts unacceptably compromise public safety and animal welfare. Chronically stressed, large, and unpredictable wild animals often display abnormal behaviors and create a public safety hazard. Escaped animals have maimed and killed workers and members of the public, including children.

ADI investigations have observed:

• Brown bears caged for 90% of their time in small cages in the back of a trailer. The animals are dressed in costumes, muzzled, and forced to ride motorcycles, walk on their front paws, and play basketball.
• Elephants routinely chained by two legs for the majority of their time, barely able to take one step forward and one back; and elephants controlled with bullhooks and stun guns.
• Tigers and lions spending approximately 22 hours a day in cages on the backs of trucks, which allow only a few paces to exercise.

With TEAPSPA, the United States would join 47 diverse countries that have already passed similar legislation, including Austria, Belgium, England, Greece, India, Bolivia, Colombia, and Panama.

Representative Grijalva noted: “Traveling animal acts deprive exotic and wild animals of their basic dignity and create a safety hazard for the general public. This legislation updates our antiquated animal welfare laws and prohibits traveling circuses from holding exotic animals such as lions, tigers, and elephants in captivity. Thanks to the tireless work of advocates, dozens of localities across the US have already acted to protect exotic and wild animals by banning traveling performances. It is time for Congress to do the same.”

Although 102 local ordinances have been passed in 33 states, and statewide bans in New Jersey, Hawaii, and California, ADI argues that circuses’ interstate travel and the subsequent challenges to oversight make this a federal issue. A circus may train animals in one state, but move them between a dozen or more states during the year. Local ordinances cannot address what happens to the animals outside their jurisdiction.

Human performance circuses are on the rise and circuses have shown they can adapt and be profitable without wild animal acts, making them more relevant to modern audiences.