Italy Has Just Voted to Ban Cruel Circus Acts
On 8 November, the Italian Parliament voted to introduce a ban on the use of animals in circuses. Several other countries have already banned wild-animal circuses, but Italy is one of the few to ban the use of domesticated animals as well.
Details of how the law will be implemented have not yet been set out, but this is already a huge victory for animals, who suffer terribly when forced to perform for human entertainment. In circuses, they spend the majority of their lives confined to cramped cages and barren trailers as they’re carted from show to show. Trainers bully them into performing confusing tricks in the ring, often beating them into submission if they don’t obey.
Italy joins the list of countries making progress on this issue, along with Ireland, which announced a ban on wild-animal circuses this week. England continues to lag behind. Its neighbour Scotland is currently passing legislation through its Parliament to ban wild-animal circuses, and the Welsh Government recently held a public consultation on mobile animal exhibits which included a similar proposal, yet England has so far failed to take any meaningful action.
What You Can Do
Please contact the UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Michael Gove, and ask him to introduce a ban on wild-animal circuses as soon as possible.
