Hawaii moves to ban wild animal acts

Hawaii’s Board of Agriculture has moved one step closer to banning acts that involve wild animals.

Hawaii moves to ban the use of elephants and other wild animals in circus acts. Image by Mike Liu / CC BY-SA 2.0

On Tuesday the board voted unanimously to open new rules governing performances involving dangerous wild animals for public comment. If the rules are passed, Hawaii would become the first state to implement such a ban. The rules would impact circus acts, which frequently use elephants and bears in performances. Circus companies say the rules are too broad, but animal rights groups counter that the wild animals used in such acts are a threat to public safety, citing a 1994 incident in which a circus elephant trampled and killed her trainer, broke free of her restraints and went on a rampage before being shot to death in a public street. Read more: kitv.com