Charlotte, North Carolina City Council Bans Wild-Animal Acts

In a surprising move and after many pleas from North Carolina residents, the Charlotte City Council voted down a bullhook ban and instead banned wild-animal acts altogether. This victory follows years of public advocacy and vigorous grassroots action—which PETA assisted by alerting locals to take action and providing comments arguing in favor of a ban on animal acts.

Kristen Moyer, who helped champion this local grassroots effort, says, “I think the key to our success was our unwillingness to give up, our public outcry, and our insistence that the council vote on the language we had asked for.” When faced with opposition, she noted, “[W]e knew we were doing the right thing, and that we had to be a voice for the animals.”

Despite pushback from UniverSoul Circus—which promoted an alternative that would have allowed it to continue with its animal-exploiting business as usual—local animal rights activists prevailed and proved that cruel animal circuses are on their way out.