County Exotic Animal Ban Won't Affect Hanneford Circus

WHITE PLAINS, NY — With the announcement that County Executive George Latimer signed an executive order forbidding the use of exotic animals for performances on county property, the question was raised whether The Royal Hanneford Circus would be performing in the county again.

Nellie Hanneford, owner and producer of the circus, said the answer was definitely "yes."

She said the circus knew last year that the banning of exotic animals was a possibility, and performances at the County Center were prepared for with and without exotic animals.

"The Royal Hanneford Circus has been performing and entertaining thousands of area families for over 40 years," Hanneford said.

"When we return in 2021, it will be with another fun-filled lineup of stars from around the globe, ready, willing and able to provide the audience with the terrific performances they expect from The Royal Hanneford Circus," she said.

When Latimer signed the executive order in February, he said to to subject these animals to "whatever efforts are needed to control them to perform is not worth the entertainment value that people can get from them."

Shannon Laukhuf, executive director of the SPCA of Westchester, said she was proud that the county was taking a stance on exploiting exotic animals in circuses and shows.

"Wild animals are not meant to be confined in small cages, which is typically how they live when they aren't being used for human entertainment and are then forced to perform unnatural behaviors for no good reason," she said.

The Royal Hanneford Circus just completed performances at the Westchester County Center in mid-February.

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