Hawaii leads the way to protect animals in entertainment
News
State may become first in the U.S. to ban the use of exotic wildlife for entertainment
We welcome the news this week that the Hawaii Board of Agriculture unanimously approved a proposed rule change that would prohibit the import of exotic wild animals for performances, including circuses, carnivals, and state fairs. The ban would apply to big cats like lions and tigers, primates, elephants, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, bears, hyenas and crocodiles. The proposed law will next head to statewide hearings for public comment.
Several countries and 50 municipalities in 22 U.S. states have implemented partial or full bans on the use of wild animals in circuses, but Hawaii would be the first state to do so. Earlier this year, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to ban the use of wild and exotic animals in performances for entertainment in the city.
The brutal truth is that breaking wild animals’ spirits to the point that they’ll perform for entertainment involves cruelty at every turn: snatching the animals from their mothers in the wild or breeding them in captivity, transporting them, keeping them in harsh conditions, and beating them to break their wills. To everyone who loves wild animals, our message is simple: see them in the wild, where they belong.
