Sec. 2. Findings
473 words·~2 min read·
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Congress finds that— conditions inherent to traveling performances, including constant travel, temporary and collapsible facilities, and the prolonged confinement and physical coercion of animals, subject exotic and wild animals to compromised welfare and chronic stress, and present public and worker health and safety risks not adequately addressed by current regulations; current regulatory oversight of traveling performances is complex and costly, and those costs are not typically recouped via licensing fees but are left to the taxpayer; the frequent mobility of traveling performances complicates oversight such that agencies and authorities cannot properly monitor, evaluate, or follow through regarding the condition of animals or facilities, or their history of potential injuries, incidents, illnesses, violations, or other issues, and so cannot properly protect animals, workers, or the public; traveling exotic and wild animal performances use collapsible, temporary, mobile facilities, which risk escape and serious harm to animals, workers, and the public; traveling exotic and wild animal performances present safety risks by permitting or not preventing public contact and by displaying animals in inappropriate, uncontrolled areas in dangerous proximity to humans and other animals; exotic and wild animals have intrinsic value; the wild instincts and needs of exotic and wild animals are unpredictable and not naturally suited to traveling performances, and exotic and wild animals thus suffer as a result of being unable to fulfill instinctive natural behaviors; exotic and wild animals used in traveling performances suffer severe and extended confinement, and, deprived of natural movements and behaviors, are prone to chronic stress and behavioral, health, and psychological problems; exotic and wild animals are forced to perform unnatural tricks requiring extreme physical coercion, including the use of food and water restrictions, electric shock devices, bullhooks, metal bars, whips, shovels, pitchforks, and other abuses; it is not necessary to use exotic or wild animals in traveling performances to experience the circus or similar events; using exotic or wild animals as commodities traded for traveling performances adds nothing to the understanding and conservation of those animals and the natural environment, and actually undermines conservation efforts necessary to protect threatened and endangered species; it is not possible to provide or ensure public and worker safety or appropriate physical and mental welfare of exotic and wild animals under the traveling performance business model, which inherently and significantly restricts the natural movements and behaviors of animals, and in which abuse is prevalent and oversight problematic; the use of exotic or wild animals in traveling performances is or substantially affects interstate or foreign commerce and the free flow of interstate or foreign commerce; it is essential to regulate the use of exotic or wild animals in traveling performances to ensure the humane care and treatment of animals; and restricting the use of exotic and wild animals in traveling performances is the most cost-effective and efficient way to safeguard animals, workers, and the public.