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Date: 4/4/2023
NORTHAMPTON — Advocates for animal protection convened at Wild Chestnut Café in Florence for an “Advocate for Animals Workshop,” where attendees discussed upcoming state legislation that is crucial to the protection of animals.
With the 2023-24 legislative session underway in Massachusetts, representatives from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Humane Society of the United States gave a presentation on the current state legislation advocates can take action on to support the protection of animals.
Preyel Patel, the Massachusetts state director for HSUS, and Liz Magner, the animal advocacy specialist for the MSPCA, discussed the different statewide bills to fight for and ways in which people can advocate in their backyard, like reaching out to their state legislators or starting an online petition lobbying for animal protection.
In all, there are a little over 10 pieces of legislation advocates hope will be addressed during the upcoming legislative session, including one that would prevent the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits from new pet stores.
“We have about four or five active pet stores in Massachusetts that are selling their dogs and cats, and we’re trying to ban new pet stores from coming into Massachusetts,” said Patel. “This is definitely top tier bill for us right now.”
Patel said the bill would not impact any responsible local breeders, shelters or rescue organizations, and according to information provided, the bill was referred to the state’s Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.
This piece of legislation has already made waves locally, which means this bill may gain more momentum in the near future. According to Magner, around 1.7 million people in Massachusetts live in a community where this type of retail sale is banned.
“This is a great example of how movement on the local level and how passing pet store local laws can make a difference,” Magner said.
Another law that is gaining traction at the local level across the state is the one that prohibits the use of elephants, big cats, primates and bears in circuses and traveling shows in Massachusetts.
“These shows often use animals that are meant to be in the wild,” Patel said. “We’re subjecting really intelligent social animals to coerce in abusive treatment.”
This bill has garnered enough momentum to force circus acts like the Ringling Brothers to come back in 2023 without any animals. According to Patel, this is a good indicator that circus shows do not need to force animals through this treatment to have financial stability.
Additionally, 14 Massachusetts municipalities — including Northampton and Amherst — have passed various restrictions governing the use of wild animals in circuses and traveling shows.
In fact, Northampton recently passed an ordinance in December prohibiting the use of wild and exotic animals for performances and exhibitions for the purpose of entertainment.
“An ordinance like this is making a statement that more communities that don’t allow traveling shows for wild and exotic animals…in their community, it starts to remove the market share and sends a message to acts who are using these,” City Council Vice President Karen Foster said, during a December meeting.
Despite these positive steps, there is still work to be done, according to activists.
Sheryl Becker, an activist from the Western Mass. Animal Rights Advocates, has protested the Big E’s use of wild animal carnival attractions in the past, and she continues to fight for this bill to pass at the state level.
She is also on the board for Massachusetts for Elephants, which is an organization doing work to protect elephants on a global scale from poaching for international and domestic trades in elephant ivory as well as captivity for entertainment purposes.
“[We’re] working very hard on this bill this year,” Becker said. “I encourage everyone to contact their local legislators, as this is especially important in Western Mass.”
Becker and other activists have criticized the Big E for their use of animals as entertainment, especially after one elephant named Beulah died there in 2019 after suffering from a uterine infection and collapsing three times.
“We have to tell our legislators, after an elephant died at the Big-E, we have to get this bill passed,” Becker said. “This is a bill that is near and dear to my heart.”
Another bill aims to prohibit the sale of new fur products in Massachusetts with exemptions of fur used by Native Americans and fur from domestic species typically raised for food production — while another bill will protect both animals and consumers by requiring the state to promulgate minimum standards for certain types of kennels.
The latter legislation coincides with a 2002 survey that showed that 75 percent of Massachusetts voters would support a bill involving kennel safety.
Readers can learn more about the legislation being discussed by visiting the MSPCA website: https://www.mspca.org/animal_protection/state-legislation/. Patel and Magner also encouraged people to reach out to them with any inquiries.
According to Becker, interested readers should also educate themselves on the bills they want their legislators to co-sponsor, and then advocate for those bills by calling, emailing, or scheduling a meeting with their legislator.
"Call their district office to schedule a meeting, either virtually or in person," Becker said. "Meetings are often with the legislative aides, but they pass along your message and materials to the legislators. Send an email thanking them for the meeting and include the bill(s) numbers and names."
Becker said people can also spread the word on social media about the bills or by speaking or submitting testimony online at the bills' public hearings: Tips for testifying at a legislative hearing • MSPCA-Angell.
Anyone interested in these causes can keep up with updates from the Western Mass. Animal Rights Advocates on their Facebook and Twitter, where they usually post updates on bills. Becker said people who are interested in joining the group's emailing list can send an email to her at sher1earth69@gmail.com.