This petition is in support of the Wild and Exotic Traveling Animal Acts Ban Ordinance (9.805) for Benton County, Oregon. The Board of Commissioners (BOC) passed this ordinance in 2018. They understood that wild and exotic animals used in traveling animal acts are subjected to extreme conditions and treatment which causes tremendous suffering. Traveling animal acts travel great distances for weeks and months at a time, often clocking tens of thousands of miles per year. The animals are kept in severe confinement, often unable to avoid their own waste. They are deprived of nearly everything that makes a wild animal whole. The BOC’s stated intention in 2018 was exactly right: To end Benton County’s role in perpetuating suffering by prohibiting such performances in Benton County.

The current Board of Commissioners is considering repealing the ordinance because the County Fair Board and the Rodeo Committee are concerned the ordinance will impact their events and activities. The ordinance does not ban livestock or domestic animals and therefore does not impact those events and activities in any way.  

The spirit and intention of the ordinance, as adopted by the Board of Commissioners is as relevant today as in 2018: 

• WHEREAS, wild or exotic animals used in traveling animal displays suffer severe and extended confinement, are deprived of natural movements, free exercise, and natural behaviors, and are prone to chronic stress, behavioral, health, and psychological problems.; and 
• WHEREAS, constant travel, temporary and collapsible facilities, and prolonged confinement and physical coercion are inherently part of traveling animal displays, and these conditions subject wild or exotic animals to chronic stress that compromises their welfare while also creating risks for the public and workers; and 
• WHEREAS, wild or exotic animals used in traveling performances bring people dangerously close to unpredictable wild or exotic animals by displaying animals in inappropriate, uncontrolled areas that are not suited for the exhibition of such animals; and 
• WHEREAS, the itinerant nature of traveling animal displays using wild or exotic animals complicates oversight such that agencies and authorities cannot properly monitor, evaluate, or follow through regarding the condition of animals or facilities, or their history of injuries, incidents, illnesses, violations, or other issues, and so cannot properly protect animals, workers, or the public; and 
• WHEREAS, the use of wild or exotic animals for entertainment contributes to the trade of these animals by perpetuating their breeding and sale; and 
• WHEREAS, Benton County deems it is in the public interest to prevent animal cruelty by prohibiting traveling animal displays that include wild or exotic animals for public entertainment or amusement within the County.

We, the undersigned believe that wild and exotic animals should not be used as props as traveling “entertainment”, including entertainment that is falsely packaged as “education”.  As a Benton County resident, I strongly support retaining the original ordinance and strongly oppose repealing the ordinance or making modifications that would remove protections for wild and exotic animals, or exempt entities that might exploit these animals for entertainment purposes. Weakening protections for these animals would be in direct conflict with our community’s values.

We urge the Benton County Board of Commissioners to retain the original ordinance.

Thank you!