Thursday, August 5, 2010

Pack up your pachyderms, B.C. tells American circus
Enviro officials cite lax safety under the big top
By Yolande Cole, The Province August 5, 2010
An American circus that travelled through B.C. this summer has been denied a permit to include three elephants in its performances on the grounds that it failed to meet public safety requirements.
The permit was denied under new B.C. regulations around the breeding, trafficking and keeping of exotic species in B.C., according to the SPCA, which commended the provincial Ministry of Environment for denying the permit.
"In this case, the Jordan World Circus entered B.C. without the two permits required under the new regulations to transport and display exotic wild animals," said Sara Dubois, the B.C. SPCA's manager of wildlife services, in a news release.
"We advised the ministry on July 20 that the Jordan World Circus was travelling through the province with exotic animals, including three adult Asian elephants.
The ministry immediately contacted circus officials to advise them they would have to apply for a permit."
According to Dubois, the circus was allowed to continue displaying the animals until July 29, when the permit was denied because Jordan World Circus officials didn't have a safety plan to protect crowd members in the event of the elephants breaking loose during a performance.
The circus was criticized by Penticton residents, who tore down signs ahead of a scheduled Aug. 1 show in the town in protest of the group's use of exotic animals in its performances.
Dubois said in the future, circuses will have to apply two months in advance to enter B.C. with exotic animals.
The SPCA is asking that black bears be included under the same exotic animal regulations as elephants.
Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/life/Pack+your+pachyderms+tells+American+circus/3361938/story.html#ixzz0vjBBCc00

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