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Expanded Details 
Location New York 
Bill NY AB 10171 
Detail Cat   Information 
Detail Text of NY AB 10171 (introduced 5/16/16) 
Attachment   
Date 5/26/2016 
Body

A10171 Text:

 

 

 

                STATE OF NEW YORK

        ________________________________________________________________________

 

                                          10171

 

                   IN ASSEMBLY

 

                                      May 16, 2016

                                       ___________

 

        Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN -- read once and referred to the Committee

          on Agriculture

 

        AN  ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to prohib-

          iting the use of elephants in entertainment acts

 

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-

        bly, do enact as follows:

 

     1    Section  1.  Short  title. This act shall be known and may be cited as

     2  the "elephant protection act".

     3    § 2. Legislative findings. The legislature hereby finds that:

     4    a. elephant abuse is a matter of worldwide concern, and the state as a

     5  recognized environmental leader should help assure  the  protection  and

     6  welfare of elephants;

     7    b.  it  is  widely  recognized  that  elephants used for entertainment

     8  purposes ("entertainment elephants") suffer physical  and  psychological

     9  harm  due  to  the  living  conditions  and  treatment to which they are

    10  subjected, resulting in increased mortality with life  spans  only  one-

    11  half as long as wild elephants;

    12    c.  entertainment  elephants  are  trained  with cruel techniques that

    13  involve the use of objects to control and  punish,  such  as  bullhooks,

    14  electric  shocks,  metal bars, whips, chaining, and other forms of phys-

    15  ical restriction and painful coercion;

    16    d. entertainment elephants live in conditions that are in no way simi-

    17  lar to their natural habitat, including an  unnatural  diet,  restricted

    18  movement, inappropriate housing and a hostile climate;

    19    e.  entertainment  elephants  are  subjected to confinement and social

    20  isolation,  leading  to  physiological,  behavioral  and   psychological

    21  impairments;

    22    f.  entertainment elephants transported into the state spend a signif-

    23  icant portion of their lives inside trucks, trains or trailers, enduring

    24  additional physical restrictions and social isolation;

    25    g. the use of elephants in entertainment provides a false and  inaccu-

    26  rate  educational  experience  for  children and adults, often including

    27  performance tricks that are never executed by elephants in the wild  and

    28  that are stressful or harmful to the animal; and

 

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.

  


 

                                                                LBD14987-01-6

        A. 10171                            2

 

     1    h.  it  is in the best interest of the state that the use of elephants

     2  in entertainment be prohibited, and that the state use its authority  to

     3  aid in the protection and welfare of these animals.

     4    §  3.  The  agriculture  and  markets  law  is amended by adding a new

     5  section 380 to read as follows:

     6    § 380. Use of elephants in entertainment  acts.  1.  No  person  shall

     7  conduct  or  operate a display of elephants in any type of entertainment

     8  act.

     9    2. Any person that violates the provisions of  this  section,  or  any

    10  rule or regulation promulgated pursuant thereto, may be assessed, by the

    11  commissioner,  a civil penalty of not more than ten thousand dollars for

    12  each such  violation.  Each  violation  and  each  day  during  which  a

    13  violation continues shall constitute a separate violation.

    14    3. The provisions of this section shall not apply to:

    15    (a) institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums;

    16    (b) any wildlife sanctuary; and

    17    (c) not-for-profit environmental education programs.

    18    4. As used in this section:

    19    (a) "Elephant" means the two species of the family Elephantidae:

    20    (i) Loxodonta africana, also known as the African elephant; and

    21    (ii)  Elephas  maximus,  also  known  as  the Asian elephant or Indian

    22  elephant.

    23    (b) "Entertainment act" means any exhibition, act, circus, trade show,

    24  carnival, ride, parade, race, performance or similar undertaking.

    25    (c) "Environmental education program" means animal use  or  exhibition

    26  that  is  devoted to imparting knowledge or information about the exhib-

    27  ited animal's behavior, habitat, life cycle, migratory patterns, feeding

    28  habits or similar pedagogical information, and that is conducted  by  an

    29  individual  or  individuals who are accredited or similarly qualified to

    30  impart such information. At no time  during  an  educational  exhibition

    31  shall  any  animal  be  made to perform any behavior that is not intrin-

    32  sically natural to such animal.

    33    (d) "Person"  means  an  individual,  partnership,  limited  liability

    34  company,  corporation,  joint venture, association, trust, estate or any

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