At its January 12 meeting the Denver City Council heard speakers on both sides of a ballot initiative aimed at banning circus animals within city limits. That initiative will be put before voters in August.
The initiative is the brain child of 15-year-old Heather Herman, who formed a group called Youth Opposed to Animal Acts to ban circus animals from the city. Herman told TheDenverChannel.Com,
I’ve always cared about animals and just thought of them traveling in smaller cages and I just always thought that was wrong.
Denver is a bit famous (or infamous depending on our point of view) for its ballot initiatives. Denver voters recently voted down, for example, a ballot initiative that would have required the city council to reduce the level of stress in the city. Although Denver has a population topping half a million, only 6,000 signatures are required to put an initiative before voters.
Herman was aided in gathering the signatures by animal rights activist Tamara Lackey and her group, Political Voice for Animals. Lackey told the Rocky Mountain News,
I was completely impressed with her [Herman] — just how totally unselfish she is, and caring, and that she would give so much of her time at the age of 13 and 14 to work for animals. I just find her extremely impressive. She really is the force behind all this. . . . I was not something we would have ever pursued on our own. She was definitely the impetus for us.
Ringling Bros. is the circus that would be impacted the most by the ban, and it is actively campaigning against the proposed ban. Ringling Brothers’ Cassie Folk told TheDenverChannel.Com,
This proposed ban is a solution in search of a problem as the vast majority of circus animals are well cared for and pose no danger. Enacting the ordinance would deny the people of Denver the opportunity to choose what type of entertainment they will and will not attend. Attending the circus, or the rodeo or stock show, like the choice of what kind of food to eat or clothes to wear, is a personal choice, and not one that should be determined by city ordinances.
Ringling Bros., along other circuses and zoos, is subject to stringent animal welfare regulations under the Animal Welfare Act. The U.S. Department of Agriculture conducts regular unannounced inspections of our animals and the animal compound, and in the 30 years under current ownership, Ringling Bros. has never been found in violation for abuse, neglect or mistreatment of our animals. In fact, in all aspects of animal care and safety, Ringling Bros. meets or exceeds all federal animal welfare standards. In addition, Ringling Bros. must and does comply with numerous state and local animal welfare regulations.
The Rocky Mountain News cited the California animal abuse prosecution of Ringling Bros. Mark Olivier Gebel as an example of how activists put forth animal abuse claims against circuses that appear strong but fall apart on closer examination. As the Rocky Mountain News put it,
Complaints were brought by an officer with the Santa Clara County Humane Society, which has police powers, and a San Jose policewoman, but during the trial the two failed to convince the jury they had actually seen any abuse. The prosecution’s case was so weak that Gebel’s lawyers didn’t even offer a defense, and the jury voted unanimously to acquit him. Gebel’s victory never got the same attention the accusations did . . .
Those opposed to the initiative also point out that the circus brings as much as $8 million a year to Denver — more than 250,000 people have seen Ringling Bros. in Denver over the past couple years — and if the initiative passes both Ringling Bros. and that $8 million will simply relocate to a nearby location.
Beyond whether or not circuses are cruel, there is a very curious provision to the Youth Opposed to Animal Acts proposed ban on performing animals — it includes a number of exemptions to protect a number of other Denver-area animal acts. Here’s the section of the initiative that explicitly bans animal acts, followed immediately by a whole host of exemptions,
It shall be unlawful for any person to put on or sponsor a wild or exotic animal display on any public or private land within the City and County of Denver. This prohibition, however, shall not apply to the Denver Zoological Gardens (The Denver Zoo), The Denver Downtown Aquarium (Ocean Journey) subject to accreditation as set forth below, The National Western Stock Show, or any entity accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, the Association of Sanctuaries or the American Sanctuary Association, or their successors.
The National Western Stock Show is a rodeo. Ah yes, yet another set of activists with the courage of their convictions.
The full text of the ballot initiative can be read here.
Sources:
Denver Initiative To Ban Circus Up For Debate. TheDenverChannel.Com, January 12, 2004.
Circus tries to tame fight over exotic animals. Mark Couch, Denver Post, January 2004.
Teen tosses animal-abuse claim into wrong ring. Bill Johnson, Rocky Mountain News, January 14, 2004.
Don’t ban circuses from Denver; Allegations of abuse turn out to be flimsy. Rocky Mountain News, January 14, 2004.