City Council Holds Hearing On Proposal That Would Ban Exotic Animals From Circus Acts
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The New York City Council Committee on Health held a hearing Thursday on a proposal that would effectively keep the circus from coming to town.
The proposed bill would ban wild or exotic animals for public entertainment or amusement, with exceptions for zoos and religious ceremonies, effectively ending certain circus performances in New York City.
Michelle Villagomez of the ASPCA said animals are often kept in horrible conditions between venues.
"It is not unusual for performing animals to travel in fetid railroad cars for up to 50 weeks out of the year confined in small cages or by short chains for 20 or more hours a day -- when not performing forced to exist in unhealthy environments that bear no semblance to their natural habitats," she said.
Councilmember Rosie Mendez, who has been proposing and revising the bill since 2006, previously said she sees training of the animals as inhumane because they "sometimes are physically hit in order to get them to learn or perform the trick."
But Alex Lacy, who trains big cats for Ringling Bros., said he would never hurt an animal.
"The health and well-being of my animals is my top priority every single day," Lacy said."I spend my days ensuring they are fed, exercised, and that all their needs are met."
Tom Albert, of Feld Entertainment, parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, invited City Council members to come out and see how the animals are treated before voting on the ban.
"This bill would end the century-long tradition of family entertainment that remains one of the most highly attended shows in New York City," Albert said. "Before you act to eliminate the circus and all it brings, we urge the members of this committee and other City Council members to come out behind the scenes to see what we actually to do in Ringling Bros. when we return to Barclays Center in February."
The mayor's office supports the ban.
"The mayor and this administration strongly believe that it is inappropriate for wild and exotic animals to be forced to perform for entertainment of live audiences," Jeff Dupee, who deals with animal issues for the mayor's office, said.
A recent poll on the CBS New York Facebook page found 74 percent of people supported the ban.
