By the end of World War II, Eddie (Edwin Kane ‘EK’ Fernandez,) was being called “the Barnum of the Pacific.” He produced Honolulu’s first circus, imported Hawai‘i’s first ice show, first bullfight, first boxing match and first rodeo.
EK Fernandez Shows “crossed the Pacific with tents, elephants and ice-making equipment to transport entertainment to Guam, Tokyo, Manila, Hong Kong, Singapore, Java and Shanghai.”
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E.K. Fernandez is a 112 year old third generation Hawaiian owned company, and is a part of the fabric of these islands. Their life's work has revolved around presenting unique attractions of various types to all the people of Hawaii. E.K. Fernandez Shows is the only nationally recognized circus in the State. Unfortunately, the vocal minority has influenced our State Government to band wild animal acts.
ReplyDeleteHSUS references the escape and subsequent death of the elephant named Tyke. This was the most serious and tragic event to occur in the State of Hawaii with regard to importing restricted animals. I don’t believe anyone could fault any agencies in the state or city for allowing anyone other than E. K. Fernandez Shows the right to import restricted animals. Until this event, it was assumed that other organizations would apply the same level of care and due diligence as E. K. Fernandez Shows would. This was a terrible event, the responsibility of which lies at the feet of the mainland company who brought in the attraction.
E.K. Fernandez Shows has been providing wild animal acts to the people of Hawaii for 100 years without incident.
The Humane Society of the United States(HSUS) which is not a federal agency is a mainland outfit targeting an irreplaceable 100 plus year old company.