LOS ANGELES –
California State Senator Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) joins Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz (Council District 5), Social Compassion in Legislation, PETA, and a host of celebrity activists to announce the introduction of the Circus Cruelty Prevention Act, a new bill in the California State Senate that would make it illegal to use or allow the use of wild and exotic animals in traveling acts within the state.
This measure recognizes both the animal welfare concerns, and public safety concerns of circuses and other traveling shows that force wild or exotic animals to perform. Wild animals are innately driven to behave as they would in their natural homes—the rich ecosystems in which their species evolved over millennia. When they're denied any semblance of a natural life, they suffer physically and psychologically.
Wild and exotic animals also pose an inordinate danger to public safety. Those who feel threatened or frightened act on their natural instincts—and when a bear, big cat, or elephant rebels, trainers can’t always protect themselves or the public. Dangerous interactions with captive wild and exotic animals have resulted in dozens of human deaths and catastrophic injuries.
WHO:
State Senator Ben Hueso, 40th Senate District
Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz of the Fifth District
Alicia Silverstone, actress
Lucy Davis, actress
Lisa Lange, PETA (bill sponsor)
Judie Mancuso, Social Compassion in Legislation (bill sponsor)
Daniella Monet, actress
Holly Marie Combs, actress
Pablo Azar, actor
Kristin Bauer, actress
Ignacio Serricchio, actor
Yovana “Rawvana” Mendoza Ayres, Instagram influencer
Marco Antonio Regil, television personality
WHEN:
Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at 9:15 a.m.
(Media availability for one-on-one interviews at the conclusion of remarks)
WHERE:
Los Angeles City Hall (South Lawn), 200 N Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
