APRIL 11, 2006 – ARA addressed Rochester City Council, proposing an Ordinance to “Ban All Forms of Animal Entertainment in the City of Rochester, N.Y.” We presented each RCC member with a notebook of info and websites about animals in entertainment, a petition, a list of U.S. and worldwide locations who’ve already banned animal entertainment, the API list of animal-free-circuses, and a list of USDA citations against Ringling just since 2000 (5-pages worth!).
Alex Chernavsky, ARA Board of Directors, gave a personalized message relating his childhood enjoyment of animal entertainment, prior to learning the truth he now knows, addressing “why animals should not be used for entertainment”. Speaking immediately after Alex (we’d synchronized our calls to City Clerk signing up to speak), Lois Baum addressed alternatives to animal entertainment, and a focus on the high rate of violence in Rochester – which should not be enabled by the city, either by sponsoring and/or hosting such events.