Eluned Morgan has welcomed legislation that will address ethical concerns by banning the use of wild animals in travelling circuses in Wales.
The new Welsh legislation will make it an offence for an owner of a travelling circus to use, or permit another person to use, a wild animals like camels, zebra and reindeer in travelling circuses.
Only two circuses in the UK now have wild animal licenses – Circus Mondao, which regularly visits locations in Mid and West Wales and Peter Jolly’s.
Together, they have 19 animals between them: six reindeer, four zebra, three camels, three racoons, a fox, a macaw and a zebu.
Opinion polls show the public’s overwhelming opposition to wild animal acts. The eight week public consultation attracted over 6,500 responses, with the overwhelming majority of respondents supporting the introduction of this legislation.
For too long, animals have been mistreated, detached from their natural environment, been kept in cramped conditions and subjected to cruel training routines in the name of entertainment. Across the world, thousands remain housed in these terrible conditions – often injured.
Eluned, a keen animal welfare campaigner, voiced her support for the new legislation, branding the cruel practice “outdated, unjustified and ethically unacceptable”.
She said that the declining numbers of animals being kept in circuses reflected a lack of appetite for the spectacle.
“Under no circumstance should an animal be exploited for entertainmen. These acts do not teach appreciation or respect for the importance and wonder of these creatures. Being forced to perform bizarre routines is neither natural for the animal, nor educational for those watching – other living beings are not objects to be manipulated for enjoyment.”
“I am proud that the Welsh Government has taken positive steps to protect the welfare of animals; working towards a fairer, sustainable future for our shared planet.”
The Bill will now begin its journey to the statute book.
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