There is no plan to protect the public when an elephant like Janet in Palm Bay rampages with children on her back. There is no safe tranquilizer that will bring down a rampaging elephant. No one can identify a dangerous elephant, and circus owners often continue to use aggressive elephants because they are good performers. The circus industry is an industry of illusion and public relations. We are told the circus is the great American tradition although circus originated in Europe.
Baseball is the great American tradition and it harms no one.
Many circuses today travel and perform without elephants and they are thriving. The circus industry has also indicated that this legislation would somehow seriously affect captive elephant breeding. Elephants do not breed when they are traveling, and even artificial insemination is a complex process which requires a permanent location. Obviously, elephants would have more time and more incentive to breed if they were not traveling and performing. HR 2929 does not prohibit elephant breeding, it does not prohibit the ownership of elephants for conservation and education purposes and it will not put circuses out of business if they evolve as every other industry has to reflect the changing times.