Tigers, camels and zebras to be banned from circuses by 2015

[Hum]

Jim Paice, the environment minister, will also unveil plans for new licences to improve welfare standards in the circuses that still use wild animals in their acts.

The number of circuses which use wild animal has dwindled to fewer than a handful in recent years. There are now only three circuses which together keep between 35 and 50 tigers, camels, zebras and snakes. Elephants and lions in circuses are now consigned to history.

It is likely that they will all be moved into zoos or animal sanctuaries after the ban comes into force. The ban does not include horses and ponies and other animals which are defined under law as ?domesticated?.

Mr Paice will tell MPs that an outright ban will not become law for between up to two years because of pressures on the Parliamentary timetable.

As an interim measure, he will announce an eight week consultation on new animal welfare licences which circuses will have to apply for in a bid to improve standards.

The announcement will complete an about-turn by the Coalition which started last year when under pressure from MPs ministers came out in favour of a ban.

That came amid a furore over the suffering of Anne, an elephant rescued from a circus after her maltreatment was caught on film.

Tens of thousands of animal lovers signed a petition urging the Government to bring in a ban.

Prime Minister David Cameron was forced to back down and allow MPs to support the ban after dozens of Tory MPs threatened to rebel.

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[Dick Montage]

Good! Should have happened sooner. If kids want to watch animals there are TV Shows, movies, documentaries, zoo's, sancturaries etc for that.

[shakey]

Awesome.

[Southern Patriot]

I really wish articles like this would give some kind of indication where they were talking about. Until I got to the line about Parliament, there wasn't much indication at all where this was at.

edit: OK, now I notice the "Britain" tag, but coming here from the ticker on the front page, there wasn't any way of seeing that.

[Hum]

If they want to see wild animals, send them to Africa. :laugh: