Circuses without wild animals in Colombia forum
On 23 May 2017, a special forum titled “Circuses without wild animals in Colombia: creation and challenges of Law 1638 of 2013” was held at Javeriana University in Bogota.
Discussing the Colombian law which bans wild animal acts, attendees also learned about the ADI Operation Spirit of Freedom rescue mission, during which similar legislation was enforced in Peru and began in Colombia, and how our rescued animals were getting on in their forever homes, one year on.
Organised by ADI, the Bioethics Institute of the Javeriana University and the Legal Office for the Protection of Non-Human Animals of the University Libre – Cúcuta, and presented by actors Marcela Valencia and Fabio Rubiano, the event was divided into two parts:
Creation of the law: background, campaign, process in congress
Moderator: Javier Gonzalez of the Animal Observatory
Speakers: Claudia Rodriguez of the Ministry of Environment and sustainable development, Forest Management; Manuel José Alvarez of the Ministry of Culture and Director of the Colon Theater; Samuel Ramirez, Judge of the Court of Cundinamarca; Eduardo Peña of ADI
Challenges of the law: implementation, legal voids, large-scale ADI rescues
Moderator: Javier Gonzalez
Speakers: Claudia Rodriguez of the Ministry of Environment and sustainable development, Forest Management; Juan Carlos Losada, former congressman and author of law 1774/2016 penalizing animal abuse in Colombia; Sergio Manzano, ADI’s allied attorney; Jeisson Moreno of the Prosecution; Nubia Rubio of the Attorney General’s Office; Maria Eugenia Triana (House representative) and Mauricio Aguilar (Senator) who presented a bill to protect endangered species; Yani Mateus of ADI
Eduardo Rueda, director of bioethics Institute of University Javeriana, and Carlos Muñoz, director of legal office on animal protection of University Libre of Cucuta, also spoke at the forum which ended with a cocktail reception sponsored by Opain – El Dorado airport, during footage of the Spirit of Freedom lions being relocated to their forever homes in Africa was shown. You can adopt your favourite lion here!
Attendees of the event included representatives of the Attorney General’s Office, Public Prosecutor’s Office, as well as members of Congress and Councilman Álvaro Múnera from Medellín.