In a long-awaited move, a new Bill has been introduced to ban the use of wild animals in traveling circuses in England.
As noted in a statement released by the UK Government, “the use of wild animals in traveling circuses has no place in modern society and does nothing to further the conservation or our understanding of wild animals.”
The introduction of The Wild Animals in Circuses Bill comes more than one year after the UK Government indicated it would bring in legislation before temporary regulations placed ahead of a ban expire in January 2020. Similar legislation has also been passed in Scotland and is planned for Wales.
“This legislation has been long time coming and as successive UK governments have prevaricated, more than half of the world’s circus bans have passed,” said Jan Creamer, President of Animal Defenders International, one of many animal welfare organizations that have long advocated for the ban. “Animal Defenders International has documented suffering and abuse in UK circuses for more than 20 years, and this long-awaited measure will stop circus suffering in England, and take us another step closer to the UK-wide ban the public wants and the animals need.”
As noted by the organization, by changing attitudes and awareness of animal suffering, the number of wild animal circuses in Britain has plummeted. Opinion polls consistently show that the UK public remains overwhelmingly opposed to the use of wild animals in circuses, with a high proportion against using any animals at all.
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