\u201cIn signing this bill, Governor Pritzker advanced the dignified and compassionate care of our wild animals,\u201d said a spokesperson for the governor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
The law took effect Wednesday.<\/p>\n
But Dolci and some rural communities say the legislation casts too wide a net and should just target bad actors.<\/p>\n
Gilligan and Bert have been well taken care of for over 20 years, Dolci said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey enjoy it, and I enjoy it,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019d be a liar if I didn\u2019t see these kids laughing and smiling and sitting with their grandparents. I know people and I see people, and it\u2019s a beautiful thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Phil](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ctc-lake-county-fair-opening-day-met-03_180667741.jpg\")
Phil Dolci, who runs the Banana Derby race, launches the first of two races at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Grayslake on July 29, 2015. (Jos\u00e9 M. Osorio\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
While agricultural and fair groups previously argued such attractions were important revenue generators for county fairs, animal welfare advocates say their popularity has declined.<\/p>\n
Alyssa Berman-Cutler, senior director of government affairs at Lincoln Park Zoo, said she grew up attending circuses in Illinois. But she said public understanding of animal welfare has changed in her lifetime.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe as humans can learn and evolve, and we can say we thought that was OK, and now we know better,\u201d she said. \u201cWe can celebrate our communities, in the case of county fairs, in the case of coming together in circus performance and other forms of circus arts, and do this in ways that don\u2019t impact animal welfare.\u201d<\/p>\n
State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Democrat from Chicago and the bill\u2019s lead sponsor, said protecting animal welfare in Illinois, not the livelihood of exhibitors, was a key priority.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not here to help make it easier for you to harm animals,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Closing the gap<\/p>\n
Illinois became the first state to ban elephants in traveling acts when lawmakers passed the Traveling Animals Act in 2017. Ayers helped lead that legislative effort.<\/p>\n
Since then, several states have adopted similar restrictions. But Ayers said Illinois\u2019 original law left out many of the animals most commonly used in traveling entertainment, allowing shows such as the Banana Derby to continue operating in the state.<\/p>\n
In pushing for legislation to close that gap, the Humane World for Animals, Lincoln Park Zoo and other animal welfare advocates, argued that highly intelligent and social species such as primates, bears and big cats suffer when transported continuously between performances.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not given proper veterinary attention because they\u2019re constantly in travel, they don\u2019t have a home that is expansive or dynamic or a habitat of any sense,\u201d said Maureen Leahy, senior vice president of animal care, horticulture and facilities at Lincoln Park Zoo.<\/p>\n
Leahy said captive animals, particularly primates, can experience significant psychological effects from prolonged confinement, frequent transport and repeated performances.<\/p>\n
When she reviewed footage of the Banana Derby, she said the monkeys\u2019 facial expressions immediately stood out.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they\u2019re baring their teeth, they\u2019re scared,\u201d Leahy said. \u201cWhen it\u2019s sort of the curled lips back, it is a full-on fear grimace of, \u2018I am in discomfort right now.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
In testimony supporting the legislation, representatives from Humane World and Lincoln Park Zoo cited years of U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection reports of animal welfare violations by the Banana Derby and Oklahoma-based circus Culpepper & Merriweather.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re fed up with the constant cycle of abuse that we see in the records with these exhibitors,\u201d Ayers said. \u201cIt\u2019s year after year with the same exhibitors. We were seeing life on the road, egregious USDA violations, animal exploitation for human entertainment. And it\u2019s got to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
Culpepper & Merriweather had its license suspended for six months in 2011, according to a USDA order, after the owner was found to be operating without a veterinarian and had provided inadequate care for a wounded tiger cub.<\/p>\n
The circus served the suspension, and the tiger cub was confiscated by the USDA, according to USDA records. Culpepper & Merriweather has been operating ever since, performing in Illinois as recently as April 25 at the Williamson County Fairgrounds.<\/p>\n
But the circus\u2019s August show at the Dwight Rotary Club in Dwight has been canceled due to the new state ban on big cats in circus performances, said Donald McClarey, incoming president of the club.<\/p>\n
A representative of the circus declined to comment on the violation or the Illinois ban.<\/p>\n
In an email to the Tribune on June 23, McClarey said the circus act has come to Dwight for 22 years, performing for packed audiences in the Livingston County village of less than 4,000.<\/p>\n
McClarey said he\u2019s saddened the circus won\u2019t be returning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a rural community, and no one that I am aware of in Dwight would tolerate mistreatment of any animal,\u201d he said. \u201cI wish the legislature instead of a blanket ban, had focused in on those found guilty of mistreatment of animals.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he was made aware of the circus\u2019s animal welfare violations through email outreach from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an international animal rights organization, but that didn\u2019t affect the Rotary Club\u2019s decision to continue sponsoring the circus.<\/p>\n
McClarey said activist groups \u201chave been targeting circuses for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to USDA reports, the Banana Derby has never been suspended but has been cited for inadequate space, lack of psychological enrichment and improper transport.<\/p>\n
Ayers said that because traveling acts frequently move between states, enforcement can be difficult.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main issue with this industry is they\u2019re mobile,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen a complaint comes in, well, they\u2019re gone the next day, typically to somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n
For advocates, that reality made a ban on multiple species necessary. Ayers said his team at the Humane Society tracked county fair records year over year and saw them continuing to book acts despite USDA violations.<\/p>\n
Cassidy said she believes growing bipartisan support for animal welfare helped clear the way for the legislation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was very little opposition,\u201d she said, noting that even representatives from county fairs and the circus industry largely stayed out of the debate.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you going to sit at the table and try to defend some of these actions?\u201d Cassidy said. \u201cWhether it\u2019s a monkey riding a dog or a majestic creature like a big cat in a tiny cage, none of these things is defensible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Illinois joins\u00a0states including California, Colorado, Massachusetts and New Jersey in prohibiting lions, tigers, bears and primates from performing in traveling acts.<\/p>\n
![\""Bobo,"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ctc-lake-county-fair-opening-day-met-11_180667769.jpg\")
Bobo, a 15-year-old white-faced capuchin monkey waits to pose for photographs with people following a Banana Derby race held at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Grayslake on July 29, 2015. (Jos\u00e9 M. Osorio\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n