Is San Francisco trying to kick the circus out of town for good?

Is San Francisco trying to kick the circus out of town for good?

A new ordinance would ban wild exotic animal acts in the city, which would apply to circuses, films, and even backyard birthday parties.

San Francisco could become the largest city in the United States to completely ban using wild animals such as bears, lions, and elephants in performances if a new ordinance gets signed into law.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is expected to approve an ordinance that would apply to circuses as well as movie filming and backyard birthday parties, and would ban a whole host of wild or exotic animals, further including dolphins and zebras and such unexotic animals as raccoons, according to an Associated Press report.

Domesticated pets such as cats and dogs aren’t included in the ordinance, as are animals that are used for educational purposes. Reptiles that are less than 8 feet long aren’t considered wild animals under the measure.

San Francisco would be the largest locality to introduce such a ban, but it wouldn’t be the first. West Hollywood and Hungtinton Beach in Southern California have also banned exotic animal performances, as has Plymouth in Massachusetts and Greenburgh in New York.

San Francisco Supervisor Katy Tang, who is the lead sponsor of the measure and a professed vegetarian, said that the purpose of the ordinance is to “protect against abuse of animals,” according to the report.

She said that it is “not natural for a bear to balance on a ball,” and noted that such animals are often denied food or tormented in order to train it.

Feld Entertainment, which owns Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, said the ordinance was “completely unnecessary” and that supporters should lobby for better inspections rather than an outright ban.

Meanwhile, the Motion Picture Association of American wrote a letter opposing the new measure, arguing that it would act as a blanket ban on perfectly humane animal performers. However, a city official that oversees film said in the report that exotic animals haven’t been used in a film in the area in nearly five years.

Be social, please share!

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail