Ringling Bros. closure hasn't stopped advocates from trying to ban other performing circus animals
The Animal Welfare Institute’s general counsel, Georgia Hancock, says that while the Ringling Bros. litigation “didn’t exactly go the way I originally planned,” she regards the final result as progress.
“The evidence and testimony of animal cruelty that came out of the case surely played a role in influencing the public’s entertainment purchasing decisions, including choosing to not buy tickets to the circus,” she says. “At the end of the day now, the circus is closed, and we have to celebrate that.”
At least 25 circuses around the country continue to use animals in their acts, according to a list published by the advocacy group Born Free. Some of those circuses have faced not only protests from animal rights groups such as PETA but also fines by the USDA for various violations in the handling and care of their animals.
Calls for more protection
The push toward more protection for circus animals is far from over. In April, Los Angeles banned the use of wild animals in entertainment, including circuses, altogether. The city council there voted unanimously for the measure. San Francisco and a number of other jurisdictions—about 60 in all—previously had passed such bans.
“The times are changing and the public is increasingly concerned about the use of wild or exotic animals for entertainment,” says Los Angeles city council member David Ryu. The ordinance, he adds, “responds to valid concerns about animal welfare and public safety problems inherent in the use of wild animals for entertainment.”
Matthew Liebman, director of litigation for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, says he expects to see ordinances like the one in Los Angeles spread. Indeed, New York City’s council voted 43-6 to pass its own measure on June 21.
Massachusetts lawmakers have proposed a statewide ban on the use of wild animals for entertainment. The U.S. House is also considering a bill. The bipartisan Traveling Exotic Animal and Public Safety Protection Act would primarily ban circuses touring with wild animals.
These ordinances “are riding the rising tide of public opposition to the exploitation of wild animals for entertainment,” Liebman says. “The public no longer finds it amusing to watch wild animals be demeaned.”
And public opinion is having an effect on the industry. “In response to stronger laws and dwindling popularity, some circuses are eliminating elephant and other animal acts,” says Nicole Paquette, vice president of wildlife protection for the Humane Society of the United States. “Others, including Ringling Bros., have simply closed down.”
NEXT UP: the big cats
The same week that Ringling was removing its last tent, the HSUS published an undercover video taken during a traveling circus act called ShowMe Tigers, featuring eight of the big cats.
The society says the video documents tigers being lashed with whips, cringing, cowering and showing other signs of stress in response. This constitutes mistreatment of the tigers, according to the HSUS, which has filed a complaint with the federal government for violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
ShowMe Tigers is operated by trainer Ryan Easley, who has denied the abuse allegations. He told a Wisconsin newspaper that his tools are not used to hit, whip or inflict pain on the tigers but rather serve as audible cues. The crack of a whip, according to Easley, is meant to alert the animals that it’s time to move.
After releasing the video, the Humane Society of the United States called for stronger animal protection legislation to prevent such animals from being forced to perform.
“Now, more than ever, is the time to pass laws to put an end to the inhumane treatment inflicted on wild animals in the name of entertainment,” says Paquette of the HSUS.
This article was first published in the August 2017 ABA Journal magazine with the headline "Not the Last Act: The closing of Ringling Bros. hasn’t stopped advocates from trying to ban performing animals at other circuses."
