SAN FRANCISCO—San Francisco has joined three dozen other American cities and counties that prohibit the use of wild animals in performances.

The ordinance was proposed by Supervisor Katy Tang and voted into approval on Tuesday, April 21.
This measure has been enacted to prevent abuse of exotic animals that is notorious within the entertainment industry.The treatment of elephants was amongst the highest concern about safety, closely followed by large cats and bears.
The bounds of this new ordinance go beyond the use of wild animals in the circus, as it includes backyard birthday parties and filming of movies with animals within the city limits. Domesticated animals and certain reptiles are exempt. A violation of this policy will result in a misdemeanor for the accused party.
San Francisco is the largest metropolitan city to enact this prohibition; other large California cities such as Los Angeles and Oakland have also taken proactive measures to protect animals in entertainment.
San Franciscans can still catch an unregulated circus performance at the Cow Palace, due to it’s reach outside of city limits.