England Announces It’ll Ban Wild-Animal Circuses – but Not Until 2020
The government announced this week that wild-animal circuses would be banned in England in 2020. This is welcome news – but the ban is already long overdue, and animals suffering in circuses shouldn’t have to endure another two years of cruelty.
This isn’t the first time the government has promised to introduce a ban: David Cameron pledged that wild-animal circuses would be a thing of the past by 2015 yet failed to follow through. Meanwhile, dozens of other countries – including Scotland and Ireland – have already outlawed these cruel acts.
Wild animals should be free, not held captive and carted up and down the country in barren trailers. Circus “trainers” bully animals into performing confusing tricks against their will and often beat them into submission if they don’t obey. With no opportunity to engage in their natural behaviour, they frequently develop chronic health problems and psychological disorders – and many die prematurely.
What You Can Do
Please contact the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Michael Gove, and urge him to introduce a ban immediately. For animals’ sake, the show must not go on.
