Tag Archives: animal circus

Another Month on the frontline for animals

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Another month of ADI campaigns and activity around the world has flashed by. Here’s the news on how together, we are changing the world for animals:

Two decades ago, ADI sent a team to investigate the circus industries of Spain and Portugal. Our investigators moved across the country, monitoring and working inside circuses, securing horrific images of elephants being jabbed in the face with bullhooks, animals whipped and beaten, a dead tiger was dragged from its cage, beheaded, and skinned in front of his cage mates. NOW THE MISERY IS OVER. ADI’s campaign in Portugal won the first ban, and now Spain’s new animal welfare law includes a ban on wild animals in circuses – joining 50 other countries. Isn’t it time the US joined them? Support the reintroduction of TEAPSPA to prohibit wild animal acts in the US.

Two rescued wild tortoises have joined our native leopard tortoise population on the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, after their rescue from wildlife traffickers. Stolen from the wild, the SPCA saved the tortoises when they were up for sale on the internet and asked ADI to help.
Did you know: ADI has rescued and returned to the wild more tortoises and turtles than any other species (mainly in seizures from traffickers with Peru wildlife officials)?

A symbolic victory saw the 300-year-old Hudson’s Bay Company, once the heart of the global fur industry, go fur-free. In Massachusetts, Lexington became the state’s sixth municipality to ban the sale of new fur products, and in Hawaii, ADI is backing a fur sales ban which has passed the state Senate and House and now goes to conference, where the House and Senate must agree on the amendments made to the bill. Other state bills to ban fur sales are being supported in Washington DC, New York, and Massachusetts. If you live in one of these states, find out how you can take action here. In Europe, the European Citizen’s Initiative (ECI) to end fur farming and stop the sale of farmed fur products closed with 1.7 million signatures. The European Commission must now respond.

For the third reading of the UK Hunting Trophy (Import Prohibition) Bill, we joined Ranulph Fiennes, Charles Dance, Vicki Michelle, Peter Egan, Felicity Kendal, Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards, and Marc Abraham at a parliamentary reception with Ban Trophy Hunting. The bill was passed and moves to the House of Lords.
The same day, The Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill, to stop UK advertising of cruel animal attractions overseas like bullfights and elephant rides, also passed its third reading.

ADI’s worldwide investigations of monkey factory farms has exposed miserable welfare, brutality and how western lab importers seem to turn a blind eye. In another twist, eight people, including two Cambodian officials, have been charged in the US with smuggling wild endangered monkeys for experiments and passing them off as captive bred. Now the US Department of Justice has subpoenaed Charles River Laboratories in its investigation into Cambodia’s primate supply chain. In addition, Quebedeaux’s Transport has been shut down by the US Department of Transportation for illegally transporting monkeys. Last year one of the company’s trucks crashed and macaques imported from Mauritius escaped, later captured, and killed.

ADI investigators and lawyers have been working intensely in Ayacucho, Peru to prevent the return of the horrific Jalatoro bull run. ADI previously exposed the event, where drunken, baying mobs punched, kicked, spat at, and tormented terrified young bulls in the streets. Last year’s ban was a huge victory, but ADI learned of plans to stage it anyway this year. ADI Peru has been speaking with members of Congress and officials and held press conferences with former Congressman Urquizo (instrumental on Peru’s animal circus ban) and community leaders, to stop the event proceeding. The campaign appears to have been successful, but ADI is now investigating reports of small, illegal events in the region.

A new anti-bullfighting mural in Bogota will greet members of Congress when they return after the Easter recess. ADI Colombia and Colombia sin Toreo coalition lobbied and staged events at Congress until recess and will be back when Congress resumes work. The bill to ban bullfighting was passed by the Senate and is supported by President Gustavo Petro. It now goes before the House of Representatives. This is a huge battle, with Congress divided by a powerful lobby working to block the ban.

As part of a study of Africa, I had a 45-minute Zoom call with pre-k and kindergarten students from New Jersey’s Lacordaire Academy. The students were able to get up close with our Cusco family (Kiara, Amazonas, Scarc, and Mahla) as I talked through their stories, rescues, and characters. They also got to meet our Resident Welfare Team, who care for our residents every day. Education and awareness are a huge part of ADIWS work, and later this year we will be ready to start the development of the Jean Warner Sprague Education Center, where we will welcome South African schools to study animals and the environment. We are always happy to do live talks to students like this from ADIWS. Get in touch if you are interested.

The UK’s Online Safety Bill aims to place more responsibility on social media platforms to moderate/restrict illegal and harmful content to protect children and vulnerable people. We’re calling on the government to include online animal cruelty content within its scope. This can include dog fighting, to terrorizing animals in fake rescues, to staging puppies or kitten being eaten by snakes. A study has shown children who witness animal cruelty are up to 8 times more likely to abuse animals themselves.

Pima County Fair in Arizona (April 20-30) is to feature a tiger show, sea lions, petting zoos, and a reptile show. Email them at office@pimacountyfair.com and America@pimacountyfair.com. If you’re on Facebook message them here.

A ban on live animal exports and the keeping of primates as pets was promised by the UK Government and the Kept Animals Bill was introduced to parliament in 2021. However, the Bill has not moved since May 2022. ADI is calling for the Leader of the House of Commons and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to bring back the Bill. Please contact your MP to press the government to include online animal cruelty in the Online Safety Bill.

After five decades living in Miami Seaquarium’s tiny tank, the company has announced that 57-year-old orca Lolita could be returned to the ocean. The plan is to airlift Lolita to a sea pen in the waters off Washington state, where she will learn to feed herself again, under 24-hour care. Whether it will be possible for her to learn to fend for herself or not, a sea pen will hopefully be a vast improvement on a concrete tank – perhaps she may be able to communicate with other orcas. Her loneliness is hard to imagine. We await developments on this desperately sad story.

With a million species threatened with extinction, the world is facing a biodiversity crisis. Yet, since the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) came into force in 1975, wildlife trade has increased ten-fold. In a joint letter, ADI and others have called on CITES Parties and Secretariat to play a more effective role in tackling the crisis.

More positively, the UN High Seas Treaty has been signed, to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030. This provides a legal framework to establish and manage marine protected areas in the high seas and could prohibit or limit commercial fishing, oil or gas drilling, and other damaging human activities to protect the ocean from biodiversity loss, pollution, and climate change.

Held on April 24 each year, World Day for Laboratory Animals (Lab Animal Day / World Day for Animals in Laboratories) commemorates the suffering of animals in laboratories and it’s an opportunity to show the problems of species differences and how advanced scientific non-animal methods are the way forward for research and testing. This World Day we’ll be calling for positive change to help lab animals and hope we can count on your support! Find out more here. Contact your elected representative and ask them to support a move to advanced technology to replace animals – better for humans and animals.

In a horrific development, there are plans to establish the world’s first industrial octopus farm in Gran Canaria, Spain, with plans to rear a million animals. These complex, intelligent, and sentient animals will suffer terribly. ADI supports the call for an EU wide ban on octopus farming.

In March, we were live on Facebook all day as Dr Peter Caldwell and Dr Gerhard Steenkamp examined animals and performed dental surgery. Rey Cusco and David both had dental surgery while Tarzan, Tanya, Sasha, Kimba, and Tomas were sedated, examined, and moved to beautiful new habitats. The key events from the live broadcasts have been compiled into a video giving a great insight into the sanctuary. It has the added bonus of seeing the animals in their new homes at the end. Watch here.

AND FINALLY – Welcome to Milo!
Many of you will be familiar with our lovely sanctuary protector, Rollo, the lovely Anatolian/cross dog who came with the property and monitors the humans, ducks, chickens, turkeys, and guinea fowl to ensure we are all in order. We always planned for Rollo to have a rescued friend, but the COVID shutdown put all our plans on hold. We are delighted to welcome a new rescue, Milo, who has proved to be a great friend for Rollo and learning his guard dog duties.

As usual there is not enough space to cover all the campaigns to protect animals here, but do follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, where we publish daily updates.
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Our campaigns are vital for bringing lasting change and enabling us to rescue animals, please keep us on the frontlines for animals with a donation for this essential work. Donate here.

EFRA report on Wild Animals in Circuses Bill makes no sense

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The report of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee (EFRA) on the UK Government’s Wild Animals in Circuses Bill is so shallow that it makes no sense. Profoundly disappointing.

Flying in the face of overwhelming public opinion (94.5% favour a ban in a DEFRA survey); 63% of Members of Parliament favour a ban (Dods poll), and a 2011 vote of the Backbench Committee of Members of Parliament instructing the Government to introduce a ban – EFRA has decided that we only need to ban the species that we no longer have in UK circuses.

We were pleased that after twenty years of investigations, reports, studies and four criminal convictions secured through ADI investigations, the Government finally introduced a Bill to end use of wild animals in travelling circuses.

It is disturbing that now, without requesting or examining evidence of animal suffering, EFRA has recommended that only elephants (no longer in UK circuses), lions, tigers and other large cats (no longer in UK circuses) should be banned. They recommend the licensing scheme be extended indefinitely, despite that not a single prosecution nor any exposé of abuse, has been found by inspectors. On the contrary, we have filmed inspections during periods where animals have been abused or where their care is poor, and the problems were not identified. The veterinary visits and inspections of Anne the elephant at Bobby Roberts’ Super Circus did not prevent the abuse or her suffering from constant chaining, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

EFRA also claims that it is not necessary for a circus owner or worker to be banned from keeping animals under any new legislation, because the Animal Welfare Act 2006 can be used to prosecute and then ban if a conviction follows. This is far more problematic than EFRA suggests. Bobby Roberts was convicted for his failure to protect Anne under the Animal Welfare Act, however he did not receive a fine, nor did he receive a ban. If he had not given up Anne due to the media pressure, she would be with him now.

The suggestion that a list of proscribed species be added to the Bill, rather than an clear-cut end to the use of wild and exotic animals is illogical and impractical. A simple ban on non-domesticated species is clear for everyone to follow and has the support of public and parliament. A proscribed list of species invites European circuses to bring to Britain a whole range of species such as primates, rhino and even hippos – species that, currently, many of our local authorities have already banned. Over 200 local authorities in the UK do not allow animal circuses, or certain species, on their land. A list of species added to any Act would need to be regularly updated.

See our comments in The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/09/plan-ban-wild-animals-circuses-too-far

Sunday Express on British Government’s animal circus licensing failure

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Excellent piece in the Sunday Express today, about the failure of the Government’s “interim” inspection/licensing regime for circus animals. We looked at ADI’s photographs of these camels in 2009, 2012 and 2013. Their facilities are just the same. So is it just that the Defra team that has been so lauded by the circus industry for helping them, has set up a scheme to legitimise the use of wild animals in circuses? We think so. We are impressed that the Sunday Express decided to speak up for the poor camels, so often ignored in these debates. In our experience, they frequently suffer brutality and get a hard time because they are seen as slow to respond and stubborn. But they like to explore, stretch their legs, stand under the sun, feel the wind, just as all animals do. But they can’t in the circus. See the Sunday Express piece by the excellent James Fielding at:
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/384873/Circus-camels-are-still-facing-life-of-misery

UK wild animal circuses, Anne Trial and Lion Ark

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Catching up… It’s been a very busy time with the UK Government discussing the wild animal circus issue and the new legislation on animal experiments. We’ve had the Los Angeles circus animal ban under discussion, and our Hollywood Lion Ark Night event with Bob Barker, Jorja Fox and a host of celebrities for the private preview of our new movie, Lion Ark, http://www.lionarkthemovie.com/ , then back to London for the Roberts cruelty trial.

After many promises, many delays and time and money wasted on a flawed licensing regime, we may indeed see some progress from the UK Government on the wild animal circus ban.

In a move which appears to signal the beginning of the end for the remaining wild animals in circuses in Britain, ADI revealed on 4th February that Martin Lacey, owner of the Great British Circus, had shipped his tigers off to Ireland to perform with the Courtney Brothers Circus. http://bit.ly/WM8gzp

We told ‘The Observer’ http://bit.ly/WM8gzp, “There has been enough evidence, enough consultations, all the experts agree – putting large cats and other exotic animals in tiny cages that fit on a truck, with no environmental enrichment, and then beating them to perform tricks to entertain people is unacceptable in modern society. The day of the animal circus is over.”

Only two circuses have applied for a licence under the much-criticized new licensing scheme – Circus Mondao and Peter Jolly’s Circus – and there are only a handful of wild animal acts performing across Ireland. Clear evidence of their growing unpopularity with the public.

In February, we met with John Griffiths, Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development at the National Assembly for Wales to discuss the use of wild animals in circuses.  We were heartened by the minister’s support for a ban and hopeful that Wales will introduce legislation in parallel with the UK Government.

In response to an oral question in the Welsh Assembly by Jocelyn Davies on 16th  January, the Minister had responded “….the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is considering legislation that would ban the use of wild animals in circuses. I have been liaising with the UK Government to make it clear that were that legislation to proceed, the Welsh Government would be interested in being a part of it, perhaps through a legislative consent motion, for example.”

We have also met with the Northern Ireland Assembly minister, and will be following this up, see the update at http://bit.ly/14zy8UC

It has been almost two years since our investigation exposed the terrible suffering of Anne the elephant at the winter quarters of the Bobby Roberts’ Super Circus.  Following media pressure arising from release of the footage, Roberts allowed Anne to be removed from the circus. A criminal prosecution followed using the video evidence, at a week long trial last November. Roberts was convicted of cruelty to Anne but received a derisory ‘conditional discharge’ sentence, which means that unless he commits another offence, he escapes a proper punishment.

Roberts was convicted for keeping Anne chained to the ground by two legs for the whole of the time she was in the barn, and for his failure to protect Anne from harm. However, the sentence sends the wrong message to circus owners and workers about their obligations under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The Act cannot protect these animals. And no, the inspections of the Roberts barn did not identify any of the husbandry problems, nor cruelty to Anne.

Anne has remained at Longleat Safari Park and we understand plans for an ‘elephant sanctuary’ are progressing. It’s worrying that it has taken over a year to add a grass paddock to Anne’s enclosure, she is still controlled with the traditional ankus (bullhook) weapons, and she remains alone. We were also deeply saddened to hear Longleat staff defending Roberts in the media before the trial and in court during the trial. However, let’s hope these plans will mean better life for Anne in the long term, see http://bit.ly/X2mKi2

British Government’s report card – good and bad

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In response to a question from Mike Hancock, MP, the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has admitted to plans to spend £261,000 on developing the unwanted wild animal circus licensing scheme for the UK, despite calls for a ban from 95% of the public – and approaching 63% of Members of Parliament.

It almost defies belief that in this grim economic climate, the Government is prepared to spend so much money on their unpopular policy. This issue is an ethical and political matter – a ban can be passed on a vote of Parliament. Yet the savage beatings and extreme environmental and social deprivation suffered by these animals is ignored while Defra dithers about – probably hoping that we will all go away.

Meanwhile the UK Home Office gets a slightly better report, having confirmed that the British ban on the use of stray cats and dogs for experiments will remain in place when the new law is introduced next yet.  However, exceptions will be made where it is claimed that the use of feral domestic species might be essential for “essential studies relating to either the health or welfare of the animals or a serious threat to the environment or to human or animal health and where the purpose can only be achieved by using feral animals”. Something to watch very closely and insist that there is full public consultations whenever use of ferals is proposed.

Meanwhile in Los Angeles our battle continues to persuade the City Council to ban the use of wild animals in traveling circuses – Ringlings is attempting to use economic muscle to push the City around, but we hope that the City’s residents will not stand for this kind of interference.

The Bogota office are still pressing authorities in Argentina and Paraguay to move on the seizure of the circus lions and tigers that were stopped at the border and don’t appear to have correct paperwork. There’s a surprise.  The cats are currently being cared for in the local zoo. Let’s hope officials in these two countries will stand up for what is right and protect these vulnerable cats.

Don’t forget to join us for Lion Ark Night on October 13 in the Hollywood Hills! Meet Bob Barker, Jorja Fox, Tonya Kaye and other celebrity supporters to help us save animals.  Private preview of Lion Ark, the movie – the story of the Bolivian circus ban and how we emptied the country of circus animals.  See http://www.adievents.com/

Circuses and elephant rides and all sorts

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Circuses and elephant rides and all sorts
Apologies for the silence! Busy couple of months – ADI refused to take part in the Government’s consultation on an inspection scheme for animal circuses, and we issued a joint statement with all the leading animal welfare groups, everyone boycotted the consultation.
It’s simply not reasonable that an expensive licensing regime is proposed, to be replaced by a ban at a later date. Nobody believes that. The Government has lost all credibility with the public and animal protection groups on this issue.
Everyone wants to see a restriction on the use of wild animals in circuses – public want to see and end to their use (94/5% in Defra survey) – parliament has voted repeatedly for it to end (63% of MPs want to see an end to the suffering). And so it goes on, while other animals like Anne the elephant, filmed being beaten in her barn by ADI investigators, continue to suffer.
The Government is responsible for Anne’s suffering and will be responsible for the next animal that is seen on TV screens, being abused.
The trial of circus owners Moira and Bobby Roberts on charges of failure to protect Anne the elephant from cruelty inflicted by their staff, as required under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, starts on 18 June. This will tell us whether the AWA can indeed, hold owners responsible for what happens to their animals.
The constant round of consultations and calls for evidence as the UK changes its rules on animal experiments, has continued. The new European Directive has to be functioning by 2013, so this autumn is when the new regulations will be tabled. We were pleased this week, when the Government announced that some of the key issues that have been demanded by the public have been taken up – no reduction in UK animal welfare provisions, no reduction in inspections. Our campaign to push through the regular reviews of animal experiments, with all stakeholders involved, continues. It has widespread political support; we need to ensure it happens.
In the US, we persuaded Orange County Fair Board in California, to cancel their elephant rides with Have Trunk Will Travel, after they saw how the elephants were trained with bullhooks and stun guns. Many will recall the horrific footage from our investigation when we launched the real training of Tai, the elephant star of ‘Water for Elephants’.
The city of Santa Ana in California has also ended 25 years of elephant rides at their zoo. The town of Sierra Madre cancelled the 4th July Parade appearance by Tai. Then Fountain Valley also cancelled their elephant rides when they saw the video. Well done to those cities and authorities who looked at the evidence, decided that this kind of treatment of animals is not accepted in civilised society, and made the right decision.
Colombia – we’re nearly there with the animal circus ban. Passed unanimously in the House of Representatives. Now on way to Senate.
We also filed a lawsuit this week with PETA against USFW over the export and re-import permits of elephants and tigers for Ringlings Bros Barnum and Bailey Circus.

Jan

Mark Pritchard MP is not fooled by Defra’s cynical tactics on animal circuses

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See the article by Mark Pritchard, MP, on Politics Home:
http://www.politicshome.com/uk/story/25082/circus_escape_animals_ban.html

All credit to the MPs who have worked so hard on this issue, for not being fooled by such a cynical ploy – deferring a ban until 2015 (after the General Election, making it a potential manifesto pledge), and an “interim” inspection and licensing regime that can be declared “success” at a later stage.

Mr Pritchard commented: “If the government ignore the will of Parliament they will be moving towards a constitutional crisis as well as once again confirming their reputation as being against animal welfare legislation”

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary: 
 
”Last year Parliament voted unanimously for a ban on wild animals in circuses with the backing of 95% of the public. Defra Ministers showed how out of touch with the public they are and hid behind spurious threats of legal challenges in the EU as an excuse for doing nothing.

“Today, Ministers announce a licensing regime until a ban comes in 2015, saying there is no room on the parliamentary timetable for new legislation. Yet only yesterday they introduced a water bill into the house, which will be passed in 2 days. There is nothing to stop them doing the same thing for circus animals, but it’s clear that animal welfare is way down the list of this Government’s priorities.”

This aside, it is clear that Defra plans to keep their inspections secret. ADI requested sight of the circus inspection reports from 2008 and 2009. This was refused, and we now have a Freedom of Information appeal lodged. So it was doubly interesting when Chris Baltrop, ringmaster and occasional spokesperson for the Association of Circus Proprietors, said during media interviews yesterday, that Defra vets had recently inspected the circuses and given them a “clean bill of health”.  Secret inspections, secret reports and a licensing regime forced on an unwilling public and Parliament.

Defra’s deal with the animal circuses

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Today’s announcement by the British Government that it plans to “ban wild animals in circuses” may be the most cynical announcement we’ve heard in years.

Has the Government struck a secret deal with circuses?  http://bit.ly/zXKfOO

Whilst claiming to acknowledge the suffering of wild animals in circuses, the Government has today introduced another delaying tactic to avoid introducing the necessary ban, which is so widely supported by public, Parliament, and animal protection bodies, including vets. 

Instead of a ban, Defra has called yet another consultation and laid proposals for an inspection/licensing regime which, if introduced, will consign these animals to suffer forever. 

The Coalition Government’s claim that primary legislation must wait for a slot in the Parliamentary timetable (conveniently, predicted to be after the next General Election) is nonsense.  If a Government wants to push something through, they do it. 

As Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, Mary Creagh MP, commented:  “Today, Ministers announce a licensing regime until a ban comes in 2015, saying there is no room on the parliamentary timetable for new legislation. Yet only yesterday they introduced a water bill into the house, which will be passed in 2 days.  There is nothing to stop them doing the same thing for circus animals, but it’s clear that animal welfare is way down the list of this Government’s priorities.”

Precisely. 

We were promised a ban during debates in the House of Commons and the House of Lords in 2006, when several MPs and members of the Lords had tabled amendments for a ban under the (then) Animal Welfare Bill. 

Defra persuaded the Members to withdraw their amendments on the promise that a ban would be enacted under the auspices of the new Animal Welfare Act 2006.  There followed years of Defra expert consultations, working parties, impact assessments, and feasibility studies.  This successfully kicked the issue into the long grass until after the 2010 General Election.

The last Defra public consultation (2009-2010) produced a 94.5% approval rate for a ban on wild animals in circuses. 

Then, following ADI’s undercover expose of the beatings of Anne the elephant, a body of MPs led by Mark Pritchard, together with Caroline Lucas, Jim Fitzpatrick and others, pushed for a crucial debate and vote at the Backbench Committee in June 2011.  MPs voted for a ban and directed the Government to introduce proposals for a ban by June 2012.

There is absolutely overwhelming evidence of circus suffering and not a single animal welfare body that will defend this industry. Yet Defra has decided to ignore both public and Parliament in this extraordinarily cavalier and arrogant move. 

Mark Pritchard MP, who led last year’s Commons debate:  “If the government ignore the will of Parliament they will be moving towards a constitutional crisis as well as once again confirming their reputation as being against animal welfare legislation”  http://bit.ly/z9v777

Animal Defenders International (ADI), Four Paws, Animal Aid, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), and the BVA (British Veterinary Association) want to see a clear ban on the use of wild animals in circuses. 

Meanwhile, Defra has given the circuses some cover.   Chris Baltrop, ringmaster and occasional spokesperson for the Association of Circus Proprietors, today claimed in a radio debate with me, that Defra had conducted inspections of circuses and pronounced them to enjoy a “clean bill of health”.

This is interesting.  Especially since ADI has been asking to see reports of Defra inspections of circuses dating back to 2008, and access has been blocked, forcing us to follow up with an appeal to the Freedom of Information Commissioner.

Does this mean that the fundamental tenet of the licensing regime is ‘trust-us-you-don’t-need-to-know’?

The problem with inspections and licensing is that it does not work – we have produced video of a sick lioness being hidden behind bales of hay, while an inspectors stands feet away, chatting to the circus workers.  In another undercover operation, of Great British Circus in 2009, we show how a series of inspectors (apparently six inspections in one tour), failed to note that the elephants were being beaten and were being chained for 11 hours a day.  The police, local authority inspectors, Defra inspectors and RSPCA did not see the hasps for the chains, hidden under straw.

See ADI’s report ‘Out of Control’ at:  http://bit.ly/y3l5Gg

And certainly the beatings of Anne the elephant would not have been revealed by an inspection:  http://bit.ly/u7phf2

What our independent polls say:

  • ADI ComRes poll, 2011, 71% of the public backed a ban.
  • 2011 Dods Parliamentary Poll commissioned by ADI asked 100 MPs whether the Government should ban the use of wild animals in circuses, or let the industry self-regulate:  63% of MPs agreed or strongly agreed; 14% disagreed or strongly disagreed; 6% did not respond.
  • MORI opinion poll in Autumn 2005, commissioned by ADI –
    • 80% say ban all wild animal circus acts.

    • 65% say ban all animal circus acts.

    • 90% against whipping and beating when training circus animals.

    • Only 7% strongly opposed the calls for bans
  • ADI 2004 NOP poll found–
    • 63% of the public wanted to see all animal acts banned from circuses
    • only 8% disagreed
  • 1999, an ADI MORI poll found 72% wanted wild animals banned.

Greece ban is won!

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Success! The Greek Government has banned the use of all (yes, ALL) animals in circuses following a campaign by Animal Defenders International (ADI) and the Greek Animal Welfare Fund (GAWF), backed by over 50 local animal protection groups across Greece.

The new law follows ADI’s undercover circus investigations showing horrific suffering, launched across Greece in 2006 – the same year that the UK announced it was going to bring in a wild animal ban. We’re still waiting.

We applaud the decisive action of the Greek government, who made the time to make this statement about what kind of society they want to be, clearly civilized and responsible towards other species. Surely this must spur on the British government, now that they find themselves lagging behind Greece, Portugal, Austria, Denmark and Croatia in Europe on this issue?

South America is on the case – Bolivian banned in 2009; Peru banned last year; Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador are all discussing it. Greece shows that Europe is on the case – come on United Kingdom! And then there’s the United States….

Greece is the first country in Europe to ban all animals in circuses, not just wild animals. This acknowledges that the traveling circus is no place for animals and that the barren, deprived, unnatural environments, constant travel and stress of being forced to perform are just as damaging for domesticated species as it is for wild animals.

Let’s hope Washington is listening – this is a world-changing movement and its moment has arrived. Together with Congressman Jim Moran, we launched our federal circus bill for a ban on animal circuses in the US last November – get your member of congress to sign up to the Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act, H.R. 3359!