The state Board of Agriculture is expected to vote today on an initiative that would ban wild animals, such as lions, elephants and tigers, from being brought to Hawaii for display at circuses and fairs.

The proposed rules — which would still need to go through a public comment process and be approved by Gov. David Ige — have been backed by animal welfare advocates concerned that the show animals are being mistreated and endanger public safety.

The proposal is generating opposition, however, from fair and circus advocates, as well as the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, which is concerned that the proposal could open the door to restrictions on the cattle industry.

The proposed ban on wild animals comes more than two decades after a circus elephant named Tyke severely injured a groomer and crushed a trainer to death before escaping from a performance at the Neal Blaisdell Center onto the streets of Kakaako. Local police killed the elephant in a hail of bullets.

Inga Gibson, Hawaii director of the Humane Society of the United States, which has backed the rules, said that the show animals endure stressful trips as they are carted across the country and transported on ships to Hawaii.

"Whether taken from the wild or born and bred in captivity, they are wild animals and they are unpredictable," said Gibson. "They are not able to engage in the their most natural behaviors. That is why we see incidents where they attack or harm people. They are just doing what comes natural."

Hawaii would become the first state to institute such a ban, according to the Humane Society.

About four dozen towns and cities in the United States and Canada have passed similar restrictions, according to Born Free USA, an animal advocacy organization, but there haven’t been any statewide bans.

Ige signaled his approval for such restrictions when he announced in May that the state would no longer issue permits for bringing wild animals to Hawaii for exhibits or performances.

The proposed rules would not apply to zoos or wild animals temporarily brought to Hawaii for film and television productions, according to Board of Agriculture documents.

However, Gibson said that the Humane Society plans to push for amendments that would ban both the film and television industry, as well as zoos that lack national accreditation, from importing the animals.

The Agriculture Board proposal comes after a similar legislative initiative failed this year. House Bill 1012 also would have banned wild animals from being brought to Hawaii for circuses and exhibits.

The measure was opposed by zoological associations, the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, the Maui Fair Alliance and the Circus Fans Association of America.

In written testimony on the bill, the Circus Fans Association characterized the bill’s proponents as "animal rights extremists" who wrongly claim that the animals are mistreated or living in stressful situations.

"The true advocates for animal welfare are the circus and animal folk themselves," wrote Sarah Conley of the Circus Fans’ animal welfare committee.

Dale Sandlin, managing director of the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, said that his organization opposes this latest effort because safeguards are already in place under the current state permitting process.

While the rules wouldn’t directly affect the cattle industry, he said the organization is worried that the proposal could set a precedent for regulating the transport of cattle for rodeo shows.

Avery Chumbley, a former state senator and president of the Maui Fair Alliance, also said that he opposes the rules. Maui’s fair hasn’t included animals covered under the ban in recent years, but he said that the proposal is unfair to Maui children who don’t have access to the Honolulu Zoo. Maui fair organizers might want to import wild animals in the future, he said.

"It would take away our opportunity on the neighbor islands," he said. "Our children here don’t have the experience or exposure to exotic animals."

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CORRECTION: Tyke the elephant was shot in killed in Honolulu in August 1994. An earlier version of this story said it happened "nearly two decades" ago.