Posted 2/11/2004 5:53:46 PM by Webmaster
News from Bart Iddins viewed 1141 times
Wednesday, February 11, 2004 - Denver, CO
CFA President Speaks Out On Denver Referendum to Ban Exotic Animals in Denver Entertainment Venue with a letter to the editor of the Rocky Mountain News.
CFA PRESIDENT URGES DEFEAT OF REFERENDUM
In a strongly worded letter to the editor of the Rocky Mountain News, CFA, President Bart Iddins, urged citizens of the Mile High City to vote NO on the upcoming referendum that would ban exotic animals in entertainment in Denver. In making his statement Iddins said that circuses do not humiliate their animals; they celebrate them. The Circus Fans Association of America would NOT support any abuse of any animals in the name of entertainment or for any purpose, and have passed a resolution to this effect, which has been endorsed by the association. Performing animals are a valued part of the circus tradition, and we urge the people of Denver to think twice about depriving children of all ages of that delightful experience. Iddins letter to the editor follows:
Text of Letter:
To the Editor
As president of the Circus Fans Association of America, and on behalf of our national membership of circus enthusiasts and supporters, we urge defeat of the proposed ban on exhibiting wild or exotic animals in the greater Denver area.
Our organization, which is not affiliated with any particular circus troupe, supports the responsible and humane exhibition of animals "under the big top," in arenas, or wherever today's circus companies perform. We would NOT support any abuse of any animal in the name of entertainment or for any purpose, and have passed a resolution to this effect, which has been endorsed by our association. Our members love animals as much as anyone does. Circus training practices and animal care result in the circus industry's meeting, and often exceeding, accepted standards and regulations of transportation, exhibition, and attention to daily needs of animal performers.
The institution of the circus, in bringing wild animals to cities and towns throughout America, fulfills a two-fold purpose that benefits the cause of animal awareness and preservation. First, the circus offers live, family-friendly entertainment and the opportunity to see and experience, in safe proximity, a tiger's grace or an elephant's intelligence. In a world of shrinking natural habitat for tigers and elephants and other threats to their wild survival, circuses have helped to take the lead in ensuring that such creatures have a home-as well as an appreciative and admiring audience who will be much more likely to support animal conservation. Second, circus performances offer exercise and mental stimulation in exhibitions that are designed to showcase the animals' strength, beauty, and natural capacity to learn. Circuses do not humiliate their animal performers; they celebrate them.
Much has changed in America since the "golden age" of the circus a century ago when long trains of parade wagons and colorful coaches rolled into town. That the circus has survived in an age of electronic entertainment and myriad distractions is testimony to its basic emotional appeal, its enduring educational value, and its boundless ability to amaze and to impress with performers of all kinds, in a format that has never required a censor. Performing animals are a valued part of that tradition, and we urge the people of Denver to think twice about depriving children of all ages of that delightful experience.
Sincerely,
Bart Iddins
President
Circus Fans Association of America
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