Stop Circus Suffering

ADI welcomes ban on animals in circuses

ADI is delighted at the announcement by Defra minister Ben Bradshaw yesterday that the Government is looking at a ban on the use of animals in circuses, with exemptions for domesticated species.

Tarzan in rescue centre

ADI Chief Executive Jan Creamer said: “This is wonderful news and the culmination of over ten years hard work for ADI – we have conducted undercover investigations, filmed, and gathered evidence. We are delighted that Defra has responded to the evidence we have presented and to the huge public support for a ban.”

In a recent MORI poll, 65% of the public wanted to see a ban on ALL circus animal acts. 80% of the public would ban “wild” animals. 90% are against the whipping and heating of animals during training for entertainment.

ADI believes that this demonstrates that the Government has finally acknowledged that there is a fundamental animal welfare problem at the heart of the travelling circus. The use of animals in circuses fails the animal welfare test at the heart of the Animal Welfare Bill.

Although the Government is currently looking at evidence on specific exotic species, ADI believes that a cleaner measure – and one that the public and industry will readily understand – would be to ban the use of animals in travelling circuses, but with the exception of domesticated species such as horses and dogs.

Click here for more information on the suffering of animals in circuses

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