Posted 4/1/2006 6:03:32 PM by Editor
News from OABA viewed 835 times
Saturday, April 01, 2006 - Orlando, FL
The White Paper strongly affirms the position of the OABA and its members on the right of legitimate circuses and traveling shows to partner with and exhibit animals for entertainment and educational purposes.
Orlando, FL – The Outdoor
Amusement Business Association (OABA) today issued a “White Paper on Partnering
with Animals in Entertainment.” The
White Paper strongly affirms the position of the OABA and its members on the right of legitimate circuses and
traveling shows to partner with and exhibit animals for entertainment and
educational purposes.
“We
have many circus members who have been barraged with false accusations by
animal rights activists,” said Bob Johnson, OABA president. “These circuses are not only licensed
businesses that operate well within the law; they go a step further to provide
top-notch care and treatment for their animal partners. As a voice for our members, we want to make a
strong positive statement in support of circuses that partner with animals for
entertainment and educational purposes.”
The
White Paper applauds the 200+ year history and tradition of the animals
performing in American circuses, and points out that myriad international,
federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and policies already exist for the
protection and general welfare of performing animals. Furthermore, the paper firmly states that
additional local regulations and proposed bans, intended
to restrict the operations of
legitimate circuses, do not further the cause of general animal welfare. “The proposed local bans on circuses that
partner with animals that crop up from time to time are being promoted by
animal rights activists who want to impose their own narrow political views on
the general public,” Johnson added. The
White Paper is intended to educate local city council members and state
representatives about the high standards that the circus industry sets for
itself in the care of its animals.
“For the past
two decades, circuses have found themselves having to defend their animal
welfare programs against false allegations put forth by animal rights
activists,” said Rodney Huey, public relations and media consultant for the
OABA. “It is time for the circus
industry to make a strong positive statement about the high quality of care
provided for performing animals, and to affirm its right to present animals and humans working in partnership for the
entertainment and education of millions of circus fans across the country.”
The Outdoor
Amusement Business Association, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, represents
over 5,000 members in the United
States and Canada who are
involved in carnivals, circuses, independent ride operations, food and game
concessions, amusement rentals, as well as manufacturers and suppliers related
to the mobile amusement industry. For
over 40 years this non-profit, trade association has promoted, protected, and
helped preserve the tradition of family enterprise in the mobile amusement
industry through education, legislation, communication, and member services.
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A White Paper
On Partnering with Animals in
Entertainment
Issued
by the Outdoor Amusement Business Association (O.A.B.A.)
For more than two centuries in this
country, performing animals have been a vital and integral part of the
traveling entertainment business; and have enriched the performance tradition
of American circuses, carnivals, and traveling shows. Performing animals have amazed and amused
countless millions of people with their natural beauty, physical capabilities,
and intellectual ability to learn and perform a variety of feats.
Life-long bonds of friendship between
individual trainers and animals are fostered and promoted through mutual
respect, positive training, and high levels of care afforded performing animals
by their human partners. Additionally,
as ambassadors for their respective species, performing animals have brought to
the public a keen awareness and appreciation for the plight of their counterparts
in the wild.
The Outdoor Amusement Business
Association (O.A.B.A.) and its members, speaking as a collective voice for
circuses, carnivals, and other forms of traveling entertainment entities,
strongly support the right of legitimate entertainment businesses to partner
with animals for entertainment and educational purposes. We also encourage conservation programs and
preservation efforts that are intended for the long-term survival of various
animal species.
At present, there exists a multitude of
international treaties, federal laws, regulations, and provisions, as well as
local laws, policies, and ordinances, that regulate the acquisition,
transportation, housing, medical care, treatment, training methods, and general
husbandry of all animals in entertainment.
These include, but are not limited to:
- The
International CITES Treaty – designed to protect wildlife and prohibit
their unauthorized movement across international borders. CITES is enforced in this country by the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- Endangered
Species Act – designed to govern the acquisition, movement and
transportation of endangered and threatened species across state lines and
international U.S. borders.
- U.S. Animal
Welfare Act – established standards for the nutrition, housing,
transportation, humane treatment, and veterinary care of animals; and
charged the U.S. Department of Agriculture with enforcement of the
provisions of the act.
- The U.S.
Farm Bill and Humane Transport and the Slaughter Act – assures the humane
treatment and general welfare of domestic animals.
- Literally
thousands of individual state and local laws, regulations, policies, and
ordinances – each specifically designed to regulate and oversee the
standards and practices concerning general welfare of animals performing
within their respective jurisdictions
The O.A.B.A. and its members support
the provisions of these existing treaties, federal, state, and local laws;
recognize the authority of appointed agencies to enforce all their provisions;
and believe that these safeguards adequately mandate the proper care and
general welfare of animals in entertainment.
To that end, the O.A.B.A. has developed Animal Care and Training (ACT)
as suggested guidelines and recommendations for performing and exhibited animals
based on these provisions, and set high standards and best practices for
general animal welfare for its members.
Therefore, the O.A.B.A. and its members
strongly oppose additional laws, regulations, standards, practices, or local
ordinances intended to restrict the right
of legitimate exhibitors who present animals for entertainment and educational
purposes. Additional restrictive laws,
regulations, and ordinances would prove redundant, and do not advance the
general welfare of animals in entertainment.
The O.A.B.A. and its members believe
that a majority of the American people support the partnering with animals for
entertainment and educational purposes; and share our support of existing
treaties, laws, and agencies mandated to ensure the general welfare of animals
in entertainment.
It is the positive partnering of
performing animals and humans that gives us all a better understanding and
appreciation of the wonders of animal kingdom.
F.A.Q.s ABOUT THE
O.A.B.A. WHITE PAPER
ON
PARTNERING WITH ANIMALS
Interview
with Rodney Huey
O.A.B.A.
Consultant
Q: What do
you mean by a “White Paper on Partnering with Animals?”
A: We call it a White Paper because it presents
a positive, definitive statement on the position of the O.A.B.A. and its members
on performing animals. It is an affirmation
of the right of these legitimate
businesses to present and exhibit animals for entertainment and educational
purposes.
Q: Why do
you see a need to issue a White Paper?
Can’t we all assume that animals in entertainment are already well-cared
for?
A: Too often in the press we see charges leveled
at animal exhibitors that are false, misleading, and politically charged. Such accusations put animal exhibitors on the
defensive when they are forced to counter misinformation with true and accurate
statements. The White Paper provides
circuses with a positive, affirmative statement of what the O.A.B.A. and its
members believe, how they manage their businesses, and how they conduct their
respective animal welfare programs on a daily basis.
Q: There
is nothing in the White Paper that addresses these specific charges that are
often leveled by animal rights protesters.
Don’t you feel a need to answer those charges in the paper?
A: Again, by only responding to false charges,
circuses are not providing insightful information to the general public. Leveling charges and constantly correcting
misinformation usually results in a “he said, she said” media debate that
neither informs nor enlightens the public about the real business of conducting
good animal welfare.
Over
the past two decades, we’ve seen the same accusations brought against circus
after circus by animal rights protesters.
Many their charges are based on isolated incidents that occurred several
years ago. We hope the White Paper will
demonstrate to the general public and other industries that circuses and other
traveling shows exhibit high standards of animal care and welfare.
Q: How do
you propose to use the White Paper?
A: In general, we want to use it to inform state
representatives, city council members and the public at large who may have
questions about the general welfare of performing animals. We also think it will be an effective tool in
opposing proposed bans on the use of domestic and exotic animals for
entertainment and educational purposes.
Let
me explain. The White Paper clearly
states O.A.B.A. and its members’ position on partnering with animals. It addresses the positive aspects of the
animal/human partnership; it supports the right
of legitimate businesses to exhibit animals; it summarizes the multitude of
international, federal, state, and even local treaties, laws, regulations, and
policies that exist for the protection of performing animals; and it strongly
opposes any restrictive local laws that are intended to hinder the right of
circuses to partner with their animals for entertainment and educational
purposes.
Q: Do you
think the White Paper will have an impact on proposed local bans on circuses
that partner with animals?
A: We firmly believe that city council members
and state representatives are well-meaning people, and share all of our
concerns that animals in entertainment receive the highest quality care and
attention. But these proposed bans are
intended to promote the narrow political agenda set forth by the animal rights
activists. We do not believe that a ban
on circuses promotes animal welfare.
That takes love, dedication, hard work, and respect for all animals to
achieve. We don’t need more laws, just
proper enforcement of the laws that are already on the books.
Q: Do you
think the average circus-goer will relate to the White Paper?
A: I think the general public is tired of
hearing the same old false charges about performing animals outside arenas and
circus tents, and then see for themselves healthy, happy animals performing in
the show. I believe the White Paper will
affirm what the public sees in performance, and will breathe a breath of fresh
air and truth into a debate based on a narrow political agenda.
Q: You’ve
been involved with circuses for a couple of decades. What are your personal observations about the
care animals receive in circuses?
A: Circus people are the most incredible people
on earth. You cannot find a group of
people who are more dedicated to their work, their families, and their
animals. After all, in the circus the
animals are considered to be family members.
Countless hours are spent day in and day out caring for and attending to
animals. The Woodcocks, Zerbinis, Gebels
and many other great circus families have devoted their entire lives to their
animal partners through a commitment that few of us would dare attempt. The very idea that these people would
mistreat or harm their animals is unimaginable to me. It is just not how life works in the
circus.
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