On Thursday, Oct. 20th, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York signed the Elephant Protection Act into law, prohibiting the use of elephants in entertainment settings such as circuses and parades. Those caught breaking the law face a penalty of up to $1000 per violation.
New York has been making strides toward passing such legislation for several years now, but the bill, sponsored by Senator Terrence Murphy and Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, just passed through state legislature in June.
Gov. Cuomo said in a statement that “the use of elephants in these types of settings is dangerous to their health and potentially abusive. The Elephant Protection Act furthers this administration’s efforts to fight animal cruelty and create a stronger, more humane New York.”
Similar efforts to protect elephants were enacted by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who in July signed a bill that prohibits exploitation of all wild and exotic animals — including elephants, tigers and bears — for entertainment purposes in the five boroughs of the city, a move supported by animal protection organizations like Empire State Humane Voters (ESHV), The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and PETA.
Image: PETA
New York is now the second state in the country to ban elephants for entertainment, following in the footsteps of Illinois, which became the first state to do so in August. Although these state laws protect elephants from cruel exploitation, they do not apply to other exotic animals frequently used for entertainment. They also do not apply to elephants in zoos, despite widespread evidence of abuse and the fact that the giant animals are naturally unsuited to life in captivity.
In the wild, elephants travel in tightly knit packs for safety and comfort, and mothers remain with their offspring well into the latter’s adult life. In circuses and zoos, mothers are forced to watch humans rip their young away from them, at the heavy emotional and physical expense of both animals. It’s commonplace to beat and whip performing elephants into submission, and keep them in solitary confinement unless they are on stage.
No animal deserves to be exploited for the sake of entertainment. Victories like those of New York and Illinois are steps in the right direction, but there are still approximately 16 travelling acts that include elephants in performances. To find out your state’s stance on elephant protection, and learn how you can effect positive change, contact your local and state representatives.
Very very late, but DONE – GOD THANKS
IT’S ABOUT TIME! You would have thought these morons would have realized a long time ago, that they were being cruel and inhumane to these beautiful animals ………DUH!
OK, US Gov’t….TIME TO BAN ALL ANIMALS FOR GREEDY ENTERTAINMENT!!!!!
PLEASE, PEOPLE…BOYCOTT ANY ANIMAL SHOW!
Thank you to all who took part in this change that will make for better lives for the wonderful elephant species! Keep up the great work.
“We have enslaved the rest of animal creation and have treated our distant cousins in fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were to formulate a religion, they would depict the Devil in human form.” William Ralph Inge
i am so happy circuses are being banned, these loving creatures are so unhappy, And yet silently comply with human cruelty. Hope all other abuses will soon be resolved. End any kind of animal abuse. Stop animal ABUSERS.
all circus elephants in Britain should be banned along with all other animals no animal is there for human entertainment man are the vilest of races
Bravo NY and Illinois !
I’m so proud of these states!
I like this saying
“The question is not, ‘Can they reason?” nor ‘Can they talk?” but ‘Can they suffer?”
Jeremy Bentham
It was good to hear that elephants will no longer be used for entertainment, and about time!
Let’s see it happen all across the states. Then Elephants like Nosey can be freed and live out the remainder of their lives in credited sanctuaries and not alone.
I pray for Nosey !
you are totally right, too often they end up alone.
Thankyou New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor Bill Di Blasio and the state of Illinois. This is gr8 news indeed. However there is still work to be done. The other 48 states indeed the test of the world needs to do the same. Also this action needs to be extended to include all wild animls used for entertainment purposes.????????????????????????????
Linda>> Leanne said is totally true now all the other states needs to follow suit. But it is nice to hear some good news for a change. Thanks to all the people that work countless hours to bring this info. to the public. Thanks.
Way to go NYC we’ll get there State by State & Province by Province!!
Thank you Gov. Cuomo
Now if only the same thing can be done to include the wild animal (e.g., lion/tiger/etc. cubs) “petting zoo’s”. The only thing I would want would be to have the fine bumped to $50k per instance – $1k is small change. The idea of the fine is punishment, not an additional expense consideration.
Thank you to every one who has worked so hard to help these magnificent animals.
I look forward to the day when no animal will suffer pain or terror, or abuse of any sort. When all evil people will be no more.
Great! The fine is fraction of what it should be but this is GREAT!!! Now it needs catch on all over the world.
Finally! !!!
Halleluyah! Thank you, Gov Cuomo, and New York State. The first time I ever heard of the abuse of elephants for circuses and the like was a whopping 27 years ago. It has taken a loooong time for this legislation to get traction and be signed into law. I sincerely thank the tireless animal rights people for pointing out how horrifying life is for animals used for the entertainment industry.