BILL TO END CIRCUS CRUELTY UNANIMOUSLY PASSES CALIFORNIA SENATE
SB 313 will make California a leader in ending outdated, morally bankrupt exploitation of animals in circuses
MONDAY, MAY 20
TH
, 2019 – SACRAMENTO
– The Circus Cruelty Prevention Act (Senate Bill No. 313), authored by State Senator Ben Hueso (D-San Diego), unanimously passed the State Senate today by a vote of
34-0. Based on both animal welfare concerns and public safety concerns around circuses that force animals to perform, this bill will finally end this practice once and for all in the state of California.
“We have no right to take animals from the wild or those born in captivity and force them to perform for our entertainment,” added
Judie Mancuso, Founder and CEO of Social Compassion in Legislation
, who are sponsoring SB 313. “There is nothing fun about taking your family to see a lion that has been ripped away from hers. This practice is not only wrong, but outright dangerous for the animals and the humans involved.”
“Animal acts in circuses are, by their nature, both cruel and unsafe, and they have no place in California. I'm glad my colleagues agree and have voted to approve this important bill,”
Senator Hueso said.
“California’s lawmakers are recognizing that no elephant should be chained in a parking lot, no tiger should be caged in a cramped trailer, and no camel should be whipped into performing tricks,” continued
Rachel Matthews, Deputy Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a co-sponsor of the bill. “A kinder California is on the way, and PETA looks forward to seeing this progressive bill advance through the State Assembly and be signed into law.”
When wild animals are taken from their habitats and forced to participate in circuses, they can become obese, develop sores from lying on hard surfaces, may be injured or killed from fighting, and develop abnormal types of behavior to cope with their stress and frustration—such as constant pacing or over-grooming.
As a result, public demand for cruelty-free circuses continues to grow. Dozens of localities across the country restrict the use of animals in circuses. In 2018, New Jersey and Hawaii became the first states to ban the use of wild and exotic animals in circuses, and similar legislation is being considered in Illinois, New York, Massachusetts – and now California.
Local governments throughout California have already implemented bans or restrictions on the use of wild animals in circuses and/or traveling acts, including Corona, Encinitas, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Marin County, Oakland, Pasadena, Rohnert Park, San Francisco, Santa Ana, and West Hollywood.
“I want to thank the California Senate for unanimously declaring today that there is no place for this kind of outdated cruelty in California,”
Mancuso
added.