PAWS ALERT
San Francisco Unanimously Passes
Ban on Performing Wild Animals

On Tuesday, April 14, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to prohibit all performances by wild or exotic animals in the city. PAWS is proud to have contributed to that effort, which was spearheaded by the League of Humane Voters - California. PAWS President Ed Stewart spoke at a Public Safety Committee meeting earlier this month, encouraging members to support this important action.

 

Supervisor Katy Tang introduced the regulation to protect wild or exotic animals from cruel and inhumane treatment, as well as to protect the public from the danger posed by these animals when used for entertainment. At Tuesday's meeting she also added: "We want to address the inequalities for a population that can't speak for themselves."

 

For more than 30 years, PAWS has been working to end the use of wild and exotic animals in entertainment, and speaking out for those who can't speak for themselves. These animals suffer on so many levels: They are chained, confined in cages so small they can barely stand and turn around, forced to endure incessant travel in cramped semi-trucks and train cars, and subjected to cruel treatment by handlers who utilize menacing weapons like the bullhook, a steel tipped rod resembling a fireplace poker that is used to control elephants through pain and fear.

 

PAWS has not just been at the forefront of campaigns to end the suffering of performing wild animals, we started the movement back when PAWS co-founder, the late Pat Derby, decided she could no longer tolerate the abuse of wild animals that she witnessed in the entertainment industry. She exposed the behind-the-scenes cruelty in her book "The Lady and Her Tiger," and, together with Ed Stewart, laid the foundation for the changes we are seeing today: 

  • Major cities such as Los Angeles and Oakland, Calif., banning the bullhook, and San Francisco prohibiting performing wild animal shows
  • The introduction of bullhook bans in states that include California and Massachusetts
  • Efforts in cities and counties across the country to pass ordinances protecting performing wild animals
  • The announcement that the world's largest circus will end its elephant acts in 2018 

You, our supporters, are the people who make this all happen. The actions you take are changing the world for performing wild animals, from making phone calls and sending emails in response to our action alerts, to sharing the latest information with your friends and family. 

 

We hope you will continue to take action and to support PAWS' advocacy work with a generous donation today so we can share many more victories for the animals with you.



Performing Animal Welfare Society 
P. O. Box 849, Galt, CA 95632 | (209) 745-2606 | info@pawsweb.org