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GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The wife of B.O.B. owner Greg Gilmore says the downtown entertainment complex across from Van Andel Arena doesn’t need a circus with “absolutely brutal” animal-training techniques to boost business.
Jacqueline Gilmore joined a chorus of people Tuesday, Nov. 18, who lobbied Grand Rapids City Commission for a ban on wild animal performances at the circus or elsewhere. The input has convinced the city’s elected leaders to seriously consider the idea.
“We’re not out on some, like, fairy tale whim,” said Gilmore, who talked about seeing circus animals housed behind the arena and transported in train cars. “This is something that’s, unfortunately, very real. It’s our responsibility to stand up for what we believe in.
“I would love to see Grand Rapids represent Michigan (by becoming the first city in the state to ban circus animals).”
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Several dozen people attended the commission’s regular bimonthly meeting, which had nothing regarding the circus on its agenda. But two activists, Kolene Allen and Jon Dunn, drummed up the call for a ban on circus animals.
The push follows a September protest when the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus performed at the arena, and an email campaign that commissioners have said generated more public input than any other topic.
Among the talking points expressed Tuesday night: the circus exploits animals by taking them from their families and natural habitats for the purpose of entertainment, uses cruel training methods that injure animals and poses public safety and public health risks.
“This is a broad spectrum of people from different walks of life (voicing these concerns),” Dunn said. “I’m hoping this show is enough for them to realize we need to take action.”
First Ward Commissioner Walt Gutowski said he had “not felt much traction” on the issue since advocates of a ban emailed him earlier this year, but “tonight I saw a lot of diversity” in the crowd. Gilmore’s statements in particular are significant, he said.
Third Ward Commissioner Elias Lumpkins said he’s convinced that Grand Rapids needs to act, while fellow Third Ward Commissioner Senita Lenear and Second Ward Commissioner Ruth Kelly both said they’re willing to delve deeper into the issue.
“I think some really good points were made,” Second Ward Commissioner Rosalynn Bliss said. “Whenever you have a group of citizens that bring an issue to us that’s important to them, we have to look at it.”
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Here’s a sampling of the public comment:
• “They perform because the consequence of not performing is much worse” and they get no pay, no vacation and no time away with their families.• “Could you imagine if (elephants got loose) outside Van Andel Arena? It’s time to get on the right side of things and ban those horrible, traveling shows from coming to Grand Rapids. Animals should not suffer for our entertainment.”
• “If we treated dogs and cats the way we treat elephants in the circus, we’d be in jail.”
• “It’s about taking a stand as a progressive, cool city.”
• “This is a huge health risk. It’s not a question of if (someone gets tuberculosis from a circus elephant), but when it’s going to happen.”
• “There is absolutely no educational value in watching an elephant ride a bicycle.”
Stephen Payne, a spokesman for Feld Entertainment, which operates the Ringling Bros. circus, dismissed allegations of animal mistreatment as untrue: “It’s not just us that says (a bull hook) is an appropriate tool, it’s the U.S. (Department of Agriculture).” Critics “don’t have any real first-hand knowledge of what it takes to work with these animals,” he said.
“We need to do a better job of explaining to people why and how we do what we do,” Payne said. “One of the reasons people come to the shows is elephants are not an everyday experience. When you see these animals up close and in person, it has an emotional effect on people which is more than you can get from watching Animal Planet or reading about them in a book.
“(Elephants) are consistently rated as the No. 1 reason people come to the ‘Greatest Show on Earth.’”
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey currently is scheduled to perform again in Grand Rapids from Sept. 16-20, 2015.
“We won’t be able to bring the circus to Grand Rapids (if a local ban is passed),” Payne said. “We can’t leave our elephants at the city limits.
“If you don’t like the circus, don’t come. But that doesn’t give you a right to tell other people that they can’t experience it, that they can’t enjoy it.”
Matt Vande Bunte covers government for MLive/Grand Rapids Press. Email him at mvandebu@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.