Governor should sign bill banning circus elephants

Senate Bill 1342, which would prohibit elephants in circuses and traveling shows in Illinois, has passed the Illinois House with a 91- 14 vote, after a unanimous vote in the Illinois Senate. Now it heads to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s desk.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is taking its final bow this weekend, closing after 146 years. Ringling realized that public attitudes have progressed and the majority of Americans don’t want animal suffering as part of their entertainment.

Carson & Barnes Circus, which was fined $ 16,000 by the U. S. Department of Agriculture for an incident in 2014 where three elephants escaped from handlers, is now urging the governor to veto this bill. Carson & Barnes has also been cited by the USDA for using a bullhook with “excessive force,” repeated failure to provide adequate veterinary care to a thin elephant who had lost hundreds of pounds, and repeated failure to safely handle and maintain control of elephants. Why should our state take advice from a business that routinely breaks the law and violates the Animal Welfare Act?

Elephants don’t stand on two legs in nature. They surely don’t want to be chained all day or transported in boxcars from city to city, and they definitely don’t want to be struck by sharp bullhooks. Of course, there are also the dangers of tuberculosis, which can be spread from elephants to humans. Three Illinois circus elephants died in the 1990s from tuberculosis. Of the elephant handlers who were tested in that situation, half tested positive for TB.

Gov. Rauner, please sign Senate Bill 1342 and help protect elephants and the citizens of Illinois and make the Land of Lincoln a more humane place.

Jodie Wiederkehr Chicago Alliance for Animals