Posted 12/11/2014 7:21:13 AM by Mort Gamble
News from editor viewed 495 times
Thursday, December 11, 2014 - News
Resolution passed that directs city manager to explore outright ban on performing circus animals.
Austin,
TX: Contact Mayor and City Council to Voice Your Support for Performing
Animals
The
Austin, TX City Council recently passed a resolution denouncing the use of
elephants and other performing animals in circuses. This ordinance
directs the City Manager to examine the feasibility of enacting an outright ban
on circus elephants in the future, and is up for discussion again at the
December 11 City Council meeting.
You
will notice in the resolution’s language (attached) that the City Council is
basing their findings on materials provided by “leading animal rights
organizations.” Ringling Bros. staff is providing the Council
members with factual evidence regarding performing and exotic animals to refute
the false claims of animal activists. It is important for City Council
members to hear from other circus supporters on this issue as well.
Please
contact Austin City Council members (and the Mayor) to let them know you
support circuses that use performing and exotic animals and request that
they not support any proposal that would prevent circuses from being able to
visit Austin. Polite communications from Austin-area Circus Fans and
supporters are especially encouraged, especially those who have attended circus
performances in Austin. Sample talking points are included at the end of
this alert, but please use your own words where possible.
The
contact information for the City Council members is below. To email all
Council members at once, use this link: http://www.austintexas.gov/mail/all-council-members.
It also appears that each member can be found on Facebook. Thank you for
your help!
Austin,
TX City Council members:
Mayor
Lee Leffingwell
Mayor
Pro Tem: Sheryl Cole
Council
Member Chris Riley
Council
Member Mike Martinez
Council
Member Kathie Tovo
Council
Member Laura Morrison
Council
Member Bill Spelman
Mailing
Address: 301 W. Second Street, Austin, Texas 78701
Email
(for all Council members at once): http://www.austintexas.gov/mail/all-council-members
Sample
talking points:
The
following are suggestions for your correspondence, but please use your own
words, and you do not need to include every bullet point. Please keep all
correspondence respectful.
·
All circuses are required to have a United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) exhibitor’s license. USDA conducts regular unannounced
inspections of performing animals and their stable areas, and their inspection
reports are a matter of public record.
·
Circuses and other animal exhibitors are also subject to state and local
animal cruelty laws in Austin and the state of Texas. Such regulations
provide protection to all performing animals and allow for the prosecution of
those who neglect or mistreat the animals in their care.
·
Millions of American families support and enjoy traditional circuses
with performing animals, including many who attend shows in Austin. It is
wrong to deprive them of the right to choose to do so.
·
If any animal is being mistreated in any environment, then the right
answer is to enforce existing laws and regulations to punish bad actors, as
opposed to punishing an entire industry and the public who enjoy circuses.
·
A positive, healthy environment is the only acceptable and successful
method of training performing animals. Therefore, the cornerstone of all
circus animal training is positive reinforcement through praise, repetition and
reward.
·
Circuses contribute to the local economies of the communities they
perform in and help support municipal areas.
|
