US Friends, please help circus animals

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Source | Break The Chain by ADI

Welcome to Break The Chain, the campaign to bring an end to circus animal suffering in the USA, led by Animal Defenders International.

Here you will find latest updates from the campaign, reports and briefings on the issues surrounding the use of animals in circuses, as well as educational videos.

Join campaign today, and help stop circus animal suffering.
Find out how you can help | Download resources | Donate to Break The Chain

Background

On 2nd November 2011, ADI and the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) launched H.R. 3359, the Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act (TEAPA), the culmination of eighteen months of painstaking drafting and preparation.

Introduced by Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA), Bob Barker (award winning TV host of The Price Is Right) and Jorja Fox (actress, known to 73 million CSI viewers as Sara Sidle) presented the Bill to the media, together with Jan Creamer of ADI, Ed Stewart of PAWS and Dr Mel Richardson, ADI Wildlife Veterinary Consultant.

Congressman Jim Moran described how the Bill would ban the use of exotic and wild animals, “The intent is to restrict the most egregious and inhumane conditions” adding, “How we treat animals is a reflection of our nation’s moral character.”

The Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act, which would prohibit the use of wild animals in circuses across the U.S., has continued to gain Congressional cosponsors over the past 2 years.

With the new Congress in place, we will be re-introducing the Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act in 2013. As a result of our efforts during last Congress, we now have a stronger base from which to exert pressure on the new Congress to act on the suffering of circus animals.

History of The Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act

Writing and launching the Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act took 18 months of careful planning and preparation on ADI’s part. ADI’s President, Jan Creamer, and Vice President, Tim Phillips, worked closely with Rep. Moran and his staff, and the Office of Legislative Affairs office to draft and finalize the text of the Bill. ADI provided the necessary research and evidence to support the Bill, including relevant reports, photographs and video footage. When the Bill was ready for launch in Congress, ADI coordinated a corresponding media campaign, including a press conference in Washington, DC and media release to outlets nationwide. ADI produced and shouldered the cost of printing detailed briefings for each Member of Congress and their staffs, covering the animal welfare, public health and safety and economic impacts of a restriction on the use of wild animals in traveling circuses, as well as the costs of the materials for the Bill’s launch, including press kits, CDs and DVDs, backdrops, visuals, and video screening.ADI engaged a top lobbying team to steer the bill through its early stages and assist with the gathering of cosponsors. We created the Federal CircusBill.org website to keep Congress informed of our activities, announcing new co-sponsors on a regular basis. We reached out to ADI supporters through the Break the Chain website, asking that they urge their member of Congress to co-sponsor the Bill and peacefully demonstrate outside circuses when they came to town. Our two years of work resulted in several co-sponsors, and development of a strong platform to re-launch TEAPA to the new Congress in 2013.

Take Action

It is vital that we continue to build support so that this Bill can be reintroduced in 2013. Please contact your member of Congress and urge them to support a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses. And, if you can get a meeting, let us know and we’ll arrange for an ADI person to join you.

Pick up the phone, or put pen to paper, or fire off an email today. Keep your message concise and polite but stress that action is needed from Congress – please click here to see sample letters and details of points to make.

i know you have seen it before, but…
Circus berserkus
the circus is in town, what do you see?
as i look out at you, and you look in at me
do you see me as a large, roaring captive toy,
or do you look into my eyes, just know pain, no joy.
do you giggle and point as you mill around my cage,
in my terror annoint as i seethe in rage.
do you not understand that my roar is a shout:
open up the cage door and let me out!

Karen Lyons Kalmenson