AR-News: (CA - US) Panel disallows exotic-animal ban

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Panel disallows exotic-animal ban


By Chris Metinko

CONTRA COSTA TIMES

A proposal to ban wild and exotic animal acts at the Alameda County Fairgrounds and unincorporated areas of the county will not even make it to the county's Board of Supervisors after Tuesday's fair liaison committee voted to reject it.

The ban, spearheaded by the Oakland animal rights group Action For Animals and its leader, Eric Mills, would have eliminated any acts on county land that include lions, tigers, bears and other nondomesticated animals.

However, the Fair Liaison Committee of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, composed of supervisors Scott Haggerty and Keith Carson, denied the request, saying the Fairgrounds Association has demonstrated good policies on exotic animal shows in the past. The two supervisors urged the group to push the issue on the state level, with members of the state Senate and Assembly who had written in support of its cause.

"I'm going home to take a shower," Mills said after the meeting. "I feel dirty."

Earlier at the meeting, which was moved to a different room to accommodate the nearly 40 people who turned out, Mills and others stated their case to the two supervisors, saying the animal acts were not educational and posed health and safety risks to both humans and animals. Mills said he had been horrified in the past to see things like elephant rides and tiger acts at the fair.

"This is an everybody-wins situation," Mills said of a ban. "I hope we don't miss this opportunity."

Tim Koopman, president of the board of directors for the Alameda County Fair Association, said he was proud of the fairgrounds' animal welfare policies and called them a model for other fairgrounds.

"We take pride in how we handle domestic and feral animals," Koopman said. "I think we're doing the right job."

Koopman illustrated his point by citing the fairgrounds' sea lion show last year, which featured rescued pinnipeds that would have died in the wild. The show, he said, was approved by a variety of animal-friendly associations.

Rick Pickering, chief executive of the fair association, said animal acts and displays are part of the "phenomenal education opportunity for the public" the fair offers. Without it, many children would not be familiar with different types of animals, Pickering said.

"You could have a whole generation of kids thinking Shrek is an animal, donkeys speak English and they all have Eddie Murphy accents," Pickering said. "We exist to educate people."

Pickering added that approving such a ban could lead to a "slippery slope" regarding the fair's other animal attractions, which have been a part of the fair since its inception.

However, veterinarian Rene Gandolfi wondered what response fairgoers could expect if an elephant went wild.

"What hospital in the area is capable of providing immediate care to an elephant?" Gandolfi said. "How would the deputies respond?"

The decision left Mills dumbfounded. He questioned why Haggerty went into a long story about the lessons he and his daughter had learned while raising pigs for the 4-H club and showing them at the organization's display at the fair.

"The fair thing would have been to take it in front of the entire Board of Supervisors," Mills said. "It's a sad day for the animals and it's a sad day for us."

Reach Chris Metinko at 925-847-2125 or cmetinko at cctimes.com.