(UK) Laws to ban wild animals being used for circus performances [View all]
Source: The Guardian
Laws to stop tigers, camels, zebras and snakes being used as performing animals in circuses have been announced by the government.
The environment minister, Jim Paice, told MPs he hoped the laws would be brought in before the end of the parliament in 2015. Currently between 35 and 50 wild animals are thought to be used by circuses in England, where the laws would apply, and Defra offered to help find new homes for the retired performers.
"There is no place in today's society for wild animals being used for our entertainment in travelling circuses," said the animal welfare minister, Lord Taylor. "Wild animals deserve our respect."
The announcement follows a campaign by animal charities for the ban, which came to a head when video evidence emerged last year of a circus elephant being beaten by a worker. Campaigners were angry when Paice previously announced tougher licensing instead, arguing that a ban was not viable because of European regulations and an outstanding legal challenge to a similar law in Austria.
Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/01/laws-ban-wild-animals-circus
My opinion: Animal acts at circuses are obsolete and pander to the most scientifically ignorant or heartless among us. Want to see those amazing animals? Go to a zoo, or watch "Nature" on PBS. (Or since this in the UK, the BBC has plenty of nature documentaries with animals putting on the NATURAL greatest show on earth.)
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