City of Wenatchee Bans Exotic and Wild Animals
And local animal-rights advocates celebrate it as 'a step in the right direction'
Wenatchee City Council voted unanimously to ban the possession and use of exotic animals at its April 11 meeting, marking a victory for animal rights activists who for months have been lobbying for an end to circus acts that use elephants, camels and other exotic animals at the Town Toyota Center.
Wenatchee City Administrator Laura Gloria said the city adopted a rule closely resembling the Traveling Exotic Animal and Public Safety Protection Act of 2021, which was introduced into the US House of Representatives but didn’t pass.
“It was about exotic and wild animals, and they came to a lot of different findings about how traveling can be harmful for animals, how it can be unsafe if you’re having these animals in restricted areas for a long time,” she said.
The decision will prohibit circus-like acts from using exotic animals in shows or even possessing them within city limits, and animal welfare advocates who worked to get the ban passed say it’s a step in the right direction.
Cindy Volyn is one of those advocates, and although she’s never taken up a cause like this before, she felt this was an important issue.
“Overall I'm very pleased. This was my first experience working on anything like this and I was pleasantly surprised by the support that we received from the community and those who signed our petition. I feel very fortunate to live in a community where our local leaders are open to public input, they listened to the concerns we outlined, and ultimately acted on our request,” Volyn wrote. “The City conducted independent research into congressional legislation and other city and state codes, and amended the Wenatchee City Code to reflect what they felt would be a good fit for our community. I would have liked to have seen a ban on all animals used in circuses, but this is a step in the right direction.”
Retired educator and local Rotarian Kris Cameron was also a part of the effort and said that while she would like to see a total ban on events that use animals for entertainment, this is a good start.
She attended last year’s circus at the Town Toyota Center, put on by the Las Vegas-based Jordan World Circus, and personally documented elephants and other large exotic animals penned up in small, seemingly makeshift enclosures.
To Cameron, it’s not the origin of the animal that should be the focus but rather the treatment of the animal.
“I'm disappointed that the new ordinance doesn't include domestic animals used in circuses, I too am grateful for the responsive and thoughtful leadership of the Wenatchee Mayor and City Council. They've updated our city codes in a way that enhances public safety and better aligns with our community values about the treatment of animals. Animals considered ‘domestic’ don't suffer any less under grueling circus conditions, but this is a positive step in the right direction,” she wrote.
The ban doesn’t apply to the use of animals the city considers domestic pets and “farmed animals” like dogs, cats, llamas, cattle, and bison. That means the new ordinance won’t affect events like the Lexar Homes “Hell on Hooves” Rough Stock Rodeo set to take place next month.
But to Cameron and others, poor treatment of domestic animals is no less inhumane just because they are considered native to North America. She said she hopes the Town Toyota’s governing board comes to the realization that the venue is not designed or equipped to house large animals.
“I hope that the recent focus on animal treatment at the Town Toyota Center will help the PFD board realize that the Center is not a suitable facility for overnight housing of animals, and is in violation of Wenatchee's animal cruelty laws,” she said.
Anna Gullickson, owner of Ridge 2 River Animal Sanctuary in Cashmere, echoed Volyn and Cameron’s sentiments. She, like Volyn, attended the April 11 meeting and shared her thoughts at the Sustainable NCW Earth Day Fair at Pybus Public Market on Saturday, April 13.
You can listen to my short interview with Gullickson here:
As for what’s next for the group, the trio said they’d like East Wenatchee City Council to join the Wenatchee City Council and pass a similar ban on exotic and wild animals in its jurisdiction.
For now though, they are content with celebrating the win and Cameron said she wanted to extend a huge thank you to everyone who got involved.
“I'm proud of the members of this group, proud of the over 450 local residents who signed the petition, proud of our city leaders, and proud to be a part of this community,” she said.
Yes, I had to listen to the sorrowful tale from a coworker, who took his grandchildren to this event, only to have find out that "Wenatchee's done gone all woke now".
It almost brought me to tears, more from laughing at how he's become a real snowflake.
Great news! Thank you to those who worked so hard to make this happen. I agree that all animals should be protected.