Dear Editor,
A recent meeting of public versus Kingman City Council concerning an ordinance banning use of exotic animals as entertainment, appears to have been entertaining in its own right.
Testimony from those opposed to banning the use of exotic animals for entertainment purposes ranged from . . . doing so would be a slippery slope, loss of entertainment, loss of revenue, and for some odd reason it was suggested people not being able to distinguish the difference between a Hollywood stunt man with his hair on fire and the use of tortured animals performing tricks.
My initial question is, what slippery slope? Why would banning animals needing to be tortured in order to perform create a future problem? Nobody I’ve heard from has said anything about banning circuses, carnivals, parades, rodeos or any other such entertainment.
Loss of education? What part of watching an animal perform tricks that is extremely difficult or almost impossible for them to perform, is valuable education? Isn’t ethical and kind treatment of animals a better form of education? What about zoo’s, classroom exhibits, field trips, documentary movies, and guest speakers accompanied by their animals? That to me, and many others, is educational.
Loss of entertainment? Look . . . even the Romans thought they would lose out on entertainment when Christians being eaten by lions became outlawed, and when gladiators were prohibited from killing their opponent, people cried foul. But it didn’t happen, and even today throngs of people fill stadiums and local fairgrounds year-round to watch football, basketball, hockey, boxing, rodeos, horse shows, musicians, attend gun shows and on and on.
Kudos to Jonathan Kraft, owner of “Keepers of the Wild,” for his appearance before the council. His testimony to halt the use of these animals was right on! Jonathan was at one time THE premier animal act on the Las Vegas Strip, before Siegfried and Roy. He too came to understand the abuse his animals were suffering. Instead of continuing he quit his lucrative act and now devotes his life halting abuses and rescuing exotic animals abandoned or severely abused. And his words are not hollow. They are followed by his deeds. Go visit “Keeper’s” and see for yourself. You and your family will talk about it for ages.
Bill Keller
Chloride
