We, the citizens of Duval County do hereby request that a ban is implemented against animal acts within our jurisdiction.� The signors of this petition also request that a citywide ordinance is written against using animals in any venue for the purpose of entertainment. Since the state of Florida is considered a �tourist state�, with many tourists visiting Jacksonville and St Augustine, we are encouraging signatures from those who would visit this area and spend their own hard-earned money in boosting our economy.

It is becoming a widely known fact that these animals used in the entertainment industry, such as the circus; are often wild-caught and viciously trained by various cruel methods only to perform acts for human entertainment. Circus training methods include beating animals with clubs and other objects and depriving them of food and water. Trainers resort to these brutal methods to maintain a position of dominance. Furthermore, watching wild animals perform unnatural tricks outside their natural habitats does not teach people anything about the animals. By displaying animals in this degrading manner, circuses present animals only as creatures whose purpose is to amuse us.

It is also a known fact to the United States Department of Agriculture that many of the animals used in entertainment, such as elephants; carry the human strain of Tuberculosis (a very common disease to elephants kept in captivity) - yet these very same acts encourage animal-human contact. As a result of abuse and confinement, many animals have lashed out and went on �rampages� against their trainers or the nearby public, either in private or in the public eye - thereby threatening the general public with bodily harm, not to mention the sure death of the rampaging animal when the recapture is unsuccessful. The animal will usually be shot to death.� There are many documented incidents of an animal becoming aggressive, or breaking free from their literal chains or cages in attempts to escape.

Is Jacksonville ready for this kind of responsibility?� Is our Animal Care & Control or the police equipped to handle the very real possibility of a large animal, such as an elephant or lion, running rampant? These animals should not have to die just because they do not wish to �perform�, or for acting �wild�. After all, they are wild animals. Is our city ready to handle the impending lawsuits should someone get hurt, or killed by one of these animals as they�re trying to run away from their abusers?

There is plenty of documented evidence of animal abuse within the ranks of these animal acts, and plenty of times where an animal has attempted escape - even here in NE Florida. Herein find documented evidence of animal abuse, neglect and tragedies, throughout the nation, and here in our own hometown. Below are two incidences where an animal either died or an attempted escape was made here in NE Florida.

Feel free to peruse the links below for even more evidence of the atrocities these animals endure for our entertainment.

http://www.circuses.com/feat/babykillers/kenny.html

http://www.circuses.com/pdfs/Universoul_fact.pdf#xml=http://www.petasearch.org/texis/search/pdfhi.txt?query=circus+jacksonville&pr=default&prox=page&rorder=500&rprox=500&rdfreq=500&rwfreq=500&rlead=500&sufs=0&order=r&cq=&id=4326033e53

http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/video.asp?video=angelica&Player=wm&speed=_med

http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=carson_barnes

http://www.wildlifepimps.com/AnimalActsLeg.pdf

http://www.circuses.com/

We, the signors of said petition request that the city of Jacksonville, FL no longer supports animal acts within our community, and only support non-animal acts; the days of the �freak shows� have ended, and we intend to see the days of animal acts end too, for the sake of human and animal safety.