“Poor living conditions and stressful environments”

The governor of Massachusetts has signed a law banning circuses and traveling acts from using elephants and other animals.

Gov. Maura Healey signed the law in August and it will take effect Jan. 1, according to Boston.com. The law states that certain animals, including bears, elephants, giraffes, lions, primates and tigers, cannot be used for entertainment purposes at fairs, circuses and fairs.

There are exceptions, including for animals in zoos and for animals used in filming movies. In addition, traveling artists can present chickens, horses, pigs and rabbits.

The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife will be responsible for implementing the new regulations. Police officers from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs are authorized to implement the new rule. Violators can face civil penalties of $500 to $10,000 per animal.

“Proponents of the legislation said the goal is to prevent mistreatment of animals,” according to Boston.com.

Preyel Patel, director of the Humane Society of Massachusetts, said the law would mean an end to keeping wild animals in squalid conditions and kept in small cages.

While protecting animals may not seem necessarily linked to protecting human lives, “natural ecosystems provide people with an estimated economic value of $24 trillion each year in the Americas alone, equivalent to the entire gross domestic product of the region.” said Global Washington.

According to Boston.com, Massachusetts is only the eleventh state to pass such a law. New York, California, Hawaii and Colorado are a few others, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

If you want your state to ban the use of animals for entertainment, you can vote for politicians to take action.

While states prevent the use of wildlife for travel activities, other animal attractions are still ubiquitous. For example, swimming with sharks has become popular, but it negatively impacts whale sharks and alters their movements and feeding areas, which can negatively impact entire ecosystems.

Laws like this can also deter people from engaging in the illegal pet trade, further helping conservationists ensure species are protected and able to thrive.

“For years, circuses for entertainment purposes have compromised animal welfare and allowed animals to suffer poor living conditions and stressful environments,” Healey said in a news release. “I am grateful to the Legislature for taking the necessary steps to prevent this type of animal abuse in Massachusetts.”

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