California bill seeks to ban public contact with wild animals over welfare concerns
Sloths, lemurs and kangaroos are among species increasingly being used at roadside zoos and petting zoos, but experts say the interactions are unnatural and often lead to stress and trauma for the animals.
A new bill which would ban public encounters with wild animals has been introduced in California.
Known as the Public Contact Safety Act, the bill would prohibit the public from handfeeding, petting, holding, or playing with primates, elephants, sloths, otters, kangaroos, wallabies, servals, and caracals held in captivity.
“Wild animals are complex creatures with specific needs and desires that cannot be met with a life premised on human entertainment,” Assemblymember Nick Schultz said after the bill’s introduction last week.
If passed, California would join 14 other states which already prohibit public contact with specific animals.
Public encounters with wild animals at roadside zoos and shopping mall petting zoos has long been criticized by animal welfare groups, which say that the experiences are dangerous and unethical.
Sensitive wild animals are forced into “repeated, often traumatic” interactions as part of the experiences, according to Humane World for Animals (formerly known as HSUS), which is among several groups cosponsoring the newly introduced bill. Such unnatural, repeated interactions, ultimately lead to wild animals living a “lifetime of fear and chronic stress”, Humane World says.
Past investigations into wild animal encounters have revealed animal abuse and neglect, with operators accused of favoring customer entertainment over the welfare of animals.
The bill also aims to protect public safety. Not only can wild animals, particularly those in unnatural or stressful environments, be dangerous and cause injuries to customers, but they can also spread diseases including viral, fungal, and parasitic infections that pose health risks to the public. Such injuries and health risks can often be overlooked, as the handling of wild animals is largely unregulated by any agency.
By supporting wild animal encounters, customers can also end up financially contributing to the negative effect the industry can have on the unethical trade in wildlife. Animals can be taken from the wild in order to supply the demand for wild animal encounters. For wildlife bred in captivity, the surplus when animals grow too large or dangerous can lead to them being sent to live in backyard menageries or sent to auction.
Sloths are captured from the wild and imported into the US to meet the demand for captive sloths.
“This bill will not only help humans avoid situations where they could be needlessly harmed but will help to ensure that wild animals aren’t bred for human encounters and forced to endure a low quality of life,” said Kim Kelly, a director at Animal Legal Defense Fund, which also cosponsored the bill. “Californian’s have advocated for strong animal protection laws in the state and this bill will continue to build on those efforts.”
Despite the welfare concerns and public health risks, public encounters with wild animals is said to be on the rise, advocacy groups warn. The successful passing of the Big Cat Public Safety Act back in 2022 led to public encounters with big cats being outlawed nationwide. However, this has now led to operators turning to other wild animal species to use in encounters including servals and caracals, which are classified as small cats.
Sloths, otters, lemurs, kangaroos, and wallabies are species among those described as current “fad animals” being used for encounters and selfies, says Animal Legal Defense Fund.
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