"Dumbo" was a big hit in our house when we were kids. For anyone who saw this trippy movie witnessed the fact that animals were often treated poorly while in the circus, so it's no surprise that this new ban took effect yesterday.

Mass. Statewide Animal Ban Begins January 1, 2025

It's now the law.

Traveling acts, like circuses, carnivals and fairs, will be prohibited from using certain animals, including lions, tigers, bears, elephants, giraffes, and primates, for entertainment, under the law.

Exceptions include animals that live at a zoo and the use of animals in filming movies. Non-exotic animals like horses, chickens, pigs, and rabbits can continue to be exhibited. -apnews.com

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy signed this bill back in August, and the new law took effect on Wednesday.

"For years, circuses have harmed the welfare of animals for the sake of entertainment, allowing animals to suffer in poor living conditions and stressful environments," Healey said in a news release. "I'm thankful to the Legislature for taking the steps needed to prevent this kind of animal mistreatment in Massachusetts." -yahoo.com

I had written about this upcoming animal ban in respect to the circus earlier this year. 14 towns in Massachusetts already have bans in place.

Already, eight states and nearly 150 other localities in 37 states have passed various restrictions governing the use of wild animals in circuses and traveling shows — including fourteen Massachusetts municipalities: Amherst, Braintree, Cambridge, Mendon, Northampton, Pittsfield, Plymouth, Provincetown, Quincy, Revere, Somerville, Topsfield, Weymouth, and Wilmington. -aldf.org