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)

For the cats,

Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue

an Educational Sanctuary home

to more than 100 big cats

12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL 33625

813.493.4564 fax 885.4457

http://www.BigCatRescue.org MakeADifference@BigCatRescue.org

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