Officials in the city of Ketchum, Idaho are discussing the consideration of an ordinance to ban circuses with performing animals.  A proposed ordinance will be discussed at the City Council meeting on Monday, April 21, at 5:30PM Mountain time.  These discussions are the result of local students and citizens who have approached the City Council with concerns about the care and well-being of performing animals. 

Please contact the five City Council members (including the Mayor) to let them know you support circuses that use performing and exotic animals and request that they not support any proposal that would prevent circuses from being able to visit Ketchum.  Polite e-mails and letters from Idaho-area Circus Fans are especially encouraged, including those who have attended circus performances in Ketchum.  Sample talking points are included at the end of this alert, but please use your own words where possible.

The contact information for the City Council members and the Mayor are listed below.  Thank you for your help!

Ketchum, Idaho City Council:

Mayor Nina Jonas

njonas@ketchumidaho.org

Council President Michael David

mdavid@ketchumidaho.org

Council Member Anne Corrock

acorrock@ketchumidaho.org

Council Member Baird Gourlay

bgourlay@ketchumidaho.org

Council Member Jim Slanetz

jslanetz@ketchumidaho.org

Sample talking points:

The following are suggestions for your correspondence, but please use your own words, and you do not need to include every bullet point.  Please keep all correspondence respectful.

·         All circuses are required to have a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) exhibitor’s license.  USDA conducts regular unannounced inspections of performing animals and their stable areas, and their inspection reports are a matter of public record.

·         Circuses and other animal exhibitors are also subject to state and local animal cruelty laws in Ketchum and the state of Idaho.  Such regulations provide protection to all performing animals and allow for the prosecution of those who neglect or mistreat the animals in their care.

·         Millions of American families support and enjoy traditional circuses with performing animals, including many who attend shows in Ketchum.  It is wrong to deprive them of the right to choose to do so.

·         If any animal is being mistreated in any environment, then the right answer is to enforce existing laws and regulations to punish bad actors, as opposed to punishing an entire industry and the public who enjoy circuses.

·         A positive, healthy environment is the only acceptable and successful method of training performing animals.  Therefore, the cornerstone of all circus animal training is positive reinforcement through praise, repetition and reward.

·         Circuses contribute to the local economies of the communities they perform in and help support municipal areas.