New Bill Banning The Use Of Wild Animals In Traveling Circuses Is Passed

Aug 17, 2019 by apost team

In a move supported by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals(PETA), England has banned the use of wild animals by traveling circuses. The ban was first announced by Michael Gove, the former United Kingdom Environment Secretary, in May and will take effect next January.

Animals in traveling circuses are often confined in cramped trailers for 20 hours a day. Many succumb to heatstroke and dehydration. They might spend more than 100 hours straight in smaller cages during transport, and their travel conditions aren't even the worst part of circus life.

Circus animals are forced to perform tricks for an audience. These animals aren't performing because they enjoy it; they are doing it out of fear.

Trainers use whips, bullhooks, and prods to make them cooperate. There are countless confirmed reports from activist groups of animals being kicked, stabbed, beaten, spit on and burned by circus employees.

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The Born Free Project, RSPCA, Animal Defenders International and the Animal Justice Project all joined PETA in the fight against animal cruelty. They protested at circuses and provided educational materials to curious bystanders.

Several celebrities backed the ban on circuses that use animals, and a petition circulating online garnered nearly 1,000,000 signatures.

England isn't the first country to ban traveling circuses. Scotland, Bolivia, Ireland, Mexico, Peru, Costa Rica, Colombia, Guatemala, the Netherlands, El Salvador and India all have laws that prohibit the use of wild animals for entertainment purposes.

Unfortunately, only one state in the United States protects animals from the barbaric practices used in association with circuses. In 2018, New Jersey approved Nosey's Law.

Nosey was an African elephant that lived in captivity in the US for more than 30 years.

She was subjected to unthinkable physical and psychological abuse. Nosey spent her entire life in chains until she was removed from the circus and sent to a sanctuary. Nosey's law prohibits the use of animals in traveling exhibits in the hopes that no animal will ever have to suffer the way that Nosey did.

Nosey now lives in Tennessee, and she is experiencing freedom for the first time in nearly four decades. You can follow her story on her official website.

Do you think the United States should pass a law to protect wild and exotic animals? Send this article to your friends and family to help us raise awareness about this important cause.