Circus Cruelty Ads Target Politicians

For Immediate Release:
16 October 2017

Contact:
Olivia Jordan +44 (0) 20 7837 6327, ext 229; [email protected]

CIRCUS CRUELTY ADS TARGET POLITICIANS

New PETA Ads Urge the Government to Introduce Long-Overdue Legislation to Ban Animal Circuses in England

London – Wild animals belong in the wild: that’s the message that government ministers will receive when they open this week’s issue of The House magazine, in which PETA has placed three brand-new full-page adverts. The group hopes the ads will persuade the government to introduce a long-overdue bill to ban the use of wild animals in travelling circuses.

Images of the three ads are available here.

“England has a reputation as an animal-friendly nation, but it’s dragging woefully far behind other countries in passing this crucial legislation,” says PETA Director Elisa Allen. “PETA is calling on the government to get moving and put an end to circuses that beat, whip, and electroshock animals into performing tricks for a dwindling number of attendees.”

Parliament instructed the government to implement a ban on wild animals in circuses, yet ministers have been stalling on introducing the bill. Former Prime Minister David Cameron promised to put a stop to these archaic animal acts by January 2015 but failed to do so, even though 94 per cent of respondents to a government consultation – including the British Veterinary Association – demanded a complete and permanent ban.

Wild animals in circuses spend their lives confined to cages or trailers when they’re not being bullied into performing tricks. They commonly endure abuse and are denied the opportunity to engage in natural behaviour. They also frequently display abnormal behaviour and suffer from chronic health problems and psychological disorders – and many die prematurely. PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment” – notes that by implementing the legislation, England and Wales would catch up with Austria, Belgium, Finland, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the many other countries that have already banned wild-animal circuses – as well as with Scotland, where MSPs voted through the Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (Scotland) Bill earlier this month.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.

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