City Council Vote Means Circus Animals Still Welcome In Worcester

“We have seen far too many undercover investigations, showing animals being beaten, slapped or whipped, even struck with electric cattle prods; to know that an animal’s life in the circus is not a good one. Animals do not belong in cages or shackled when not performing! They are forced to entertain the public by doing unnatural & stupid tricks, that can be detrimental to their health! Human safety is also an issue, when animals can’t take it any more & attack! There are plenty videos on YouTube showing trainers being mauled by big cats in the ring & elephants that have trampled their handlers, then charged the crowds looking for a way out; which sadly ends in tragic fatalities for the public & animal!! I personally think NO animal on earth should be forced to entertain humans for monetary gain…it’s wrong & immoral!!”

Also read another post I have added toward the end:- ‘CAPS welcomes Scottish consultation on wild animals in circuses’.

“Please sign just a few of the many petitions to ban wildlife in circuses: at the end of this post or on the Petition Tab above. If you’re in any doubt as to how elephants are trained; watch the video & share it, education is the key; what we share, will make more care!!

By Nick Kotsopoulos 04/02/2014

WORCESTER — The circus, complete with its lions, tigers and elephants, is still welcome in this city. 

The City Council Tuesday night rejected a call for the drafting of an ordinance that would have banned the use of wild and exotic animals in travelling shows and circuses that perform here. The vote was 8-3, with Councilor-at-Large Konstantina B. Lukes, District 2 Councilor Philip P. Palmieri and District 4 Councilor Sarai Rivera voting in opposition.

Mrs. Lukes, who advocated for the ban as the past chairman of the council’s Public Health and Human Services Committee, said the intent of her order was not to ban circuses in the city, but rather to ban the use of animals that are subject to extinction, such as elephants.

She said circuses exploit such animals for profit and she believes it is “time to right a wrong” by banning their use in circuses that come here. 

But Councillor-at-Large Michael T. Gaffney, who pushed to have a council vote taken on the matter after it had been tabled last month, said the proposal was not just about banning elephants in circuses.

He said he believes that animal-rights advocates would eventually move to have animals banned in other things, such as petting zoos. 

“This is the first step of saying we shouldn’t have animals period,” Mr. Gaffney said. 

Meanwhile, District 5 Councillor Gary Rosen argued it was time for the council to put the issue to rest.

He said the council had become mired down talking about whether it should ban a legal business such as a circus at a time when it has so many other important issues requiring its attention.

Mr. Rosen said if people object to wild and exotic animals performing at circuses held in the city, then they simply shouldn’t go to them. (What a knob head!!!)

“What are we doing even talking about this?” Mr. Rosen asked. “I think we’re foolish to be talking about banning a legal business from coming to Worcester. If people have a problem with the circus, then they should stay away, but they shouldn’t tell others they can’t go.” 

Last year, the City Council Public Health and Human Services Committee asked the Law Department to review a model ordinance drafted by Born Free USA, a national animal advocacy group. 

As part of its recommendation, the committee has also asked the city administration to draft an ordinance along the lines of the model ordinance that would keep out circuses and travelling shows that feature elephants, tigers, lions and chimpanzees. 

At the request of Mayor Joseph M. Petty, the council tabled the proposal until it received a report from the city administration on the impact of such a ban.

In a report that went before the council Tuesday night, City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. said the proposal raises a number of concerns, including legal issues since it would ban an activity permitted by state and federal law.

City Solicitor David M. Moore said it is his opinion that any municipal ordinance prohibiting the use of wild and exotic animals in circuses staged in the city would be “invalidated” as pre-empted by federal and state law. 

He said it would also trigger contractual issues between the city and SMG the company that manages the city-owned DCU Center (The DCU Center is an indoor arena and convention center complex, located in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts, USA).

SMG reports that the circus has an economic impact of $1.5 million during those years it comes to the DCU Center.

That economic impact includes ticket revenue, concessions, merchandise and parking for the approximately 20,000 people who attend the circus shows at the DCU Center.

Ms. Rivera said if Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was not allowed to come back to the city, she believes that families would spend their entertainment dollars elsewhere in the community.

“That money will be spent in the local economy whether the circus is in town or not,” she said. “Families will find a place to take their children. Putting dollars to such (animal) cruelty; we have to ask ourselves what kind of a community we are? This is a serious issue and something we need to consider.” 

News Link:-http://www.telegram.com/article/20140204/NEWS/302049735/1116

• Petitions (More in the Petition Menu Tab):-
• http://www.petition2congress.com/11940/requesting-legislation-be-passed-in-usa-to-ban-wild-animals-in-ci/
• http://www.change.org/petitions/worcester-city-council-ban-circuses-with-animal-acts-from-coming-to-worcester
• https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2063
• Really interesting read:–http://www.captiveanimals.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Ethics-of-animal-circuses.pdf

Please note the above images are not connected in any way to this news post!

More News On Circuses:–

Thursday, January 23rd, 2014  CAPS welcomes Scottish consultation on wild animals in circuses

Yesterday afternoon, it was announced that the Scottish Government has opened a new consultation to gauge public opinion on the use of wild animals in circuses. A CAPS spokesperson welcomed the news, saying “this presents us with an opportunity to move a step closer to a UK-wide ban on the cruel practice of exploiting wild animals in the circus ring”.

England has already promised to bring in a ban, and Wales has also shown willing to do the same. CAPS has worked with campaign partners for many years to encourage Scotland to follow suit, with a full public consultation forming the first step in that process.

Said Liz Tyson, CAPS Director:

“We encourage our Scottish supporters to get involved in the process and join us in calling for an outright ban on the use of wild animals in travelling circuses in Scotland. These measures are long overdue and this is the opportunity for compassionate members of the public to make a difference”.

CAPS has presented evidence to the Scottish Government in recent years on this issue and will be putting together a detailed response to the consultation and working with campaign partners towards a ban

The consultation closes on the 16th April and all relevant information can be found by visiting this website: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/farmingrural/Agriculture/animal-welfare/AnimalWelfare/Circuses

Please help to support our vital work for animals by making a donation today. Thank you!

News Link:–http://www.captiveanimals.org/news/2014/01/caps-welcomes-scottish-consultation-on-wild-animals-in-circuses/

“Don’t support the cruelty! See how elephants are really trained to perform tricks; then tell everyone”.

Ringling Bros. Circus is NO FUN FOR ELEPHANTS! – End The Elephant Tragedy America!

http://breakthechainus.com/
Animals in the circus have not been asked to be there. They are stolen from the wild, babies ripped from their mothers and beaten into submission to perform. Elephants live a majority of their lives in chains. Tigers are crammed in into tiny cages for months on end. This atrocity must end now and we are putting a stop to it. But we can’t succeed without you!
http://www.ad-international.org/adi_u…

Two Chinese Kill Donkey For Meat

“WTF…is no animal safe from Chinese plates? I’ve never heard of this before!”

Two Chinese men this week invaded Kutsimuleni community searching for donkeys to slaughter and eat. They paid  E400 per beast.

For ref. only

They scoured Kutsimleni under Mfangimbhekile Umphakatsi until they eventually got two donkeys from a Motsa homestead situated next to the chief’s compound. 

Residents became suspicious of the unfamiliar men in the area asking for donkeys and grilled them as to what exactly they wanted to do with the animals.

This is mainly because Chinese are also known to eat both dog and cat meat. The community members were also concerned that they  knew the Chinese had no fields in the area or anywhere nearby to use the animals for traction since they did not own any land. 

The residents also said they were suspicious because the Chinese appeared to be coming from far and therefore, could not drive the donkeys by themselves since they also did not come on a truck.
The Chinese had told the community that they wanted to carry the animals with them as soon as they paid for them.

To the surprise of the people, the men said they were badly craving for donkey meat and  they wanted to kill the animal and carry the carcasses to a butchery to be sliced.

In an interview with one of the donkey owners, who asked not to be named, said he was surprised when he saw the strange men walking to his home.  He said at first he thought they might have been kidnapped because he had never seen a Chinese national volunteer in the country.

“With their poor English, they explained their mission and I told them to forget it.
“I told them I would not sell any of my donkeys to them because they also said they would need my assistant in killing and skinning them.

Later on, they showed me a piece of paper with information about a certain community member who, I suppose, was where they were to buy the donkeys, but because maybe they were too hungry, they failed to follow the instruction and when they saw my donkeys, they decided to  pay me a visit,” he said.

Asked why he refused to sell the donkeys, the farmer said all he knew was that a donkey meat was inedible thus he regarded it a taboo when they came to his place. He said he was irked by the offer for each donkey, stressing that E400 was not enough because even a goat costs more than that. Nowadays goats cost at least E600 each.

The man, who eventually sold his donkeys for E800 (E400 each), on the other hand, said he needed the money and had enough donkeys to worry about giving away only two.
The old man, on crutches, refused to have his picture taken nor give his name, but we later learnt that he was a Motsa. 
“I do not want my pictures taken please respect me. I wonder what is wrong with selling my donkeys to people who want them. They said they were craving for the donkey meat and because I had enough I gave them my two donkeys,” he said. 
Efforts to get comments from the Chinese men proved futile because of their poor English.

Residents assist in skinning

Some brave community members assisted the Chinese men to kill and skin the donkeys they bought from the Motsa man.
They were given instructions on how to kill them while they (Chinese men) stood from a distance and watched with folded arms.

Rode

They first rode the animals to a nearby mini bush, where, one of them was tied to a big tree; the back of an axe was used to hit the back of its head. 
The animal was not moved by the first hit though it was very strong, but one could see it moving a bit while shaking its head probably in pain. However, the second hit was too strong for the animal to bear that it went down on its knees, its tail raised up and finally died. Curious community members had gathered at the scene to witness the killing, but were too scared to see the animal die.  

“Most of us closed our eyes with both hands. I have never seen an animal killed like this. some people said even pigs are killed this way, but I still do not believe it.
“The Chinese men were not moved by the whole incident,” he said.
Observed during the skinning of the animal was that its intestines were larger than those of a cow and its meat more red than beef.

Agriculture ministry to investigate

The ministry of agriculture will launch investigations about the issue of the sold and killed donkeys.
Minister Clement Dlamini said he had since instructed veterinarians from the ministry to investigate the matter and visit the area where it happened.

“The challenge is that in this country, donkeys are not eaten and therefore there is no law regulating their use as food or how they are moved from one area to another. If they die we simply bury the carcass.
“Even then I think the people who bought the donkey should have got a carcass permit when transporting it,” he said.

He wondered where the donkey was sliced and stated that it was the first time he heard that some people eat donkeys. 
In an interview with one of the Chinese man, he said simply cut it himself with an axe.
He refused to give his name and threatened to cut the call.

According to information sourced from the internet, a few donkeys are milked or raised for meat in Italy, which has the highest consumption of equine meat in Europe and where donkey meat is the main ingredient of several regional dishes. Only about 1 000 donkeys were slaughtered in 2010, yielding approximately 100 tonnes of meat. “Only?”

Asses’ milk may command good prices: the average price in Italy in 2009 was €15 per litre, and a price of €6 per 100 ml was reported from Croatia in 2008; it is used for soaps and cosmetics as well as dietary purposes. “Ugh…I didn’t know that, but I do know I have never used any; well I bloody hope I haven’t, especially on vacations around Italy etc. I’m virtually vegan so don’t touch any animal products; if I know that is!”
The niche markets for both milk and meat are expanding. In the past, donkey skin was used in the production of parchment. “Didn’t know that either!”

News Link:-http://www.observer.org.sz/index.php?news=45686#.UPGPt-TZaSo