The city council of Los Angeles voted to ban the use of wild animals in entertainment, according to a recent news release from the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). The bill introduced by Councilmember David Ryu, affects the circuses, other wild animal exhibitions and also rentals for house parties. An official ordinance is being drafted and also the ordinance will soon be returned to the Council for final approval.
While other cities in the United States have taken similar action to prohibit the use of wild animals in the entertainment, Los Angeles is by far the largest city to do so.
It seems that after years and years of campaigns by the animal activists, lawmakers and businesses are finally realizing to the harsh reality that animals do not exist for our entertainment.
The majority of animals, which are either taken from the wild or raised captivity, that appear in the circuses and other attractions exhibit the signs of deep mental and physical distress. A study by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) discovered that approximately two-thirds of the captive elephants exhibit stereotypic behaviors such as head bobbing, weaving, and swaying. These mindless and repetitive behaviors are thought to be outward expressions of anxiety and stress in the captive animals.
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Bobbing and also swaying are the better manifestations of the illness, and other animals have also been known to over-groom themselves to the point of harm, throw or each their feces, or regurgitate their meals. These are not exactly the signs of happy animals.
In addition to this, the methods used by the trainers to train the wild animals to perform are nothing short of cruel. Many entertainers deprive animals of food to get them to perform on the perfect cue, in addition, the trainers use painful tools such as bullhooks (that incidentally L.A. had already banned) and whips to teach the animals through fear and pain. Circuses and animal shows might be fun for people, but they are truly not for the animals.
It seems that the tide against this cruel form of entertainment is turning. The new motion gives value to the work of organizations like PAWS and also to the countless activists who have offered their voices to the suffering animals.
Mrudula Duddempudi.
