The City’s Circus Crisis: Banning Exotic Animals
The charade by the City Council about circus animals is egregious (“Circus vanishing act,” Oct. 21).
Thanks to the bumbling and divisive Mayor de Blasio, the floodgates have opened after the crusade against horse carriages.
This bill is an insult to circus workers who treat animals well. Even the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals declared that Ringling Bros.’ animals enjoy “professional and extremely humane conditions.” Jonathan Iverson Manhattan
Once again, the City Council is attempting to appease the well-funded animal-rights extremists.
This bill would conveniently exclude the city’s zoos and aquariums, of course. I guess locking up animals in small enclosures all their lives with little interaction or mobility is OK. Yet the city’s trainers and their beloved animals — which enjoy more freedom and mobility, along with stimulating interac- tion with humans — are something the narrowminded City Council wants to go away. William Kregler Woodside
Restricting this type of entertainment — plainly fading from mainstream favor and having less and less of an economic impact on the city — is a sign of New York City’s progressive culture and leadership in socially responsible commerce. Leslie Henry Manhattan
Sadly, our city leaders continue to do the bidding of special-interest groups, like the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, with little to no concern about the consequences on our city.
Our elected officials seem to only be focused on the short-term benefit they get out of such legislation, like campaign contributions from liberal donors who push extreme agendas. Jeremy Jones Manhattan