Lions, tigers, bears: no way
Circus makes plans for local show, but law prohibits exotic animals
By _Joel Mathis_ (http://www2.ljworld.com/staff/
joel_mathis/) (_Contact_
(http://www2.ljworld.com/staff/
joel_mathis/contact/) )
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
The circus is welcome — but the animals aren’t.
City officials said Tuesday that Florida-based Circus Pages won’t be
permitted to bring “exotic” animals to Lawrence for a scheduled May 24
performance.
City code allows only a few domestic animals to be kept and owned in town.
“We have looked it over,” said Toni Wheeler, a staff attorney at City Hall.
“And it appears the exotic animals — lions, tigers and bears — would not be
permitted in this city.”
The Douglas County Commission last year banned exotic animal acts from
unincorporated areas of the county, including the fairgrounds, where such
performances had been allowed.
Circus Pages’ planned performance is the first locally since the vote;
officials with the circus did not return calls to comment on how the ban might
affect their plans.
(http://www2.ljworld.com/photos
/2006/may/17/98129/)
A flier for a circus scheduled in Lawrence promotes jungle cats and rides on
elephants. Both animals are among those banned in the city.
But fliers promising jungle cats and elephant rides have been posted across
town, drawing the ire of critics who say such acts are harmful to the
animals.
“It seems to me in this day and age, we should all be well aware of the
dangers of keeping large animals in the circumstances that sometimes they’re
kept,
” said Andrea Albright, a Lawrence resident who fired off a letter to city
officials this week.
The circus was scheduled to perform at the Kansas National Guard armory, 200
Iowa. On Tuesday, Ernie Gwin, a unit administrator at the armory, said he saw
nothing wrong with circuses. He said he planned to take his young daughter
to the event.
More about the ban
* _6News video: Circus coming to town, but animals unwelcome_
(http://www.6newslawrence.com
/news/2006/may/16/circus_
coming_town_animals_
unwelcome/)
* _County bans exotic animals in circuses (06-30-05)
_
(http://www2.ljworld.com/news/
2005/jun/30/city_bans_exotic_
animals_circuses/)
* _Lions, tigers and bears, no more? (06-28-05)_
(http://www2.ljworld.com/news/
2005/jun/28/lions_tigers_and_
bears_no_more/)
* _Douglas County Commission meeting minutes: action on circus ban
(06-29-05)_
(http://www.douglas-county.com/local_govt/minutes
_details.asp?Min_ID=260)
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