Pace’s Environmental Policy Clinic along with Assemblywoman Amy Paulin and Senator Terence Murphy held a press conference to once again bring awareness to their “Elephant Protection Act” legislation that if passed would prohibit the use of elephants in entertainment acts in New York in the Environmental Center Classroom on Feb 17.

Should the bill pass, it would be illegal to display elephants in entertainment acts, including through exhibition, circus, trade show, carnival, ride, performance, or similar undertaking.

In order to gain the support of the legislators, the clinic showed them evidence of animal cruelty in circuses. This included the fact that elephants are chained for 22 hours a day, denying them positive mental health and physical stimulation, and that they are intentionally dispirited, through a process called “breaking,” where trainers use extreme physical restraint and infliction of harm, such as the hooking or stabbing of sensitive spots of the body, using a bullhook, in order to cause the elephants to submit to their whims.

“[The treatment of elephants is] disturbing, unacceptable, and inhuman. [Paulin and I] are here to do the right thing. I’m here to thank you, the students and thank your professors for bringing this to our attention. Was there concern on our part about taking elephants out of the circus? Well you worry about the little kids, but when you see the evidence you presented to us, and the inhuman cruelty to these animals, it was a no-brainer,” Murphy said.

Last year the bill failed to pass because Paulin and Murphy were not able to gain enough support for the bill in both the senate and the assembly during the legislative session. They are confident the bill has a better chance of being passed this year.

“I think that we have an earlier start this year, last year the bill didn’t get introduced until pretty late in session, so it didn’t have a chance to build up the momentum, at least in my house I need a lot of time to build up the momentum and I didn’t have enough. So this year I believe we have a jump start, so we’re in a better place,” Paulin said.

According to Land, this year the clinic had more time for an educational outreach campaign, so the group can make several trips to Albany to gain the support of other legislators, as well as give the public outreach materials, so they can pressure their elected officials to support the bill.

“The first steps we’re going to take are currently starting to get some Albany trips organized. Because now we need to go to Assemblywoman Paulin and Senator Murphy’s colleagues and sit down with them and explain why this is so important to get passed,” Land said.

Even after the bill failed to pass last year Land, who has been working on this issue since 2009 and first introduced a bill in 2011, was not dishearten because she understands legislation takes time.

“You got to be in it for a long run when it comes to policy change, sometimes it can take a decade. You just don’t know, it depends on when the stars a line for you,” Land said. “I have a feeling it’s going to pass, I’m very optimistic.”

The group held the press conference in order to coincide with the Royal Hanneford Circus’ appearance at the Westchester County Center in White Plains over the Feb 17-19, which featured elephants as part of its show.