Mexico City Bans Use of Wild Animals in Circus Acts

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On Monday, Mexico City’s city council voted in a landslide to ban the use of animals in circuses. Under the new law, circuses have one year to remove all animals from their acts, or face fines of $45,000 – $60,000.

The law, however, does not apply to water shows (that includes dolphins and whales), bullfighting or Mexico’s traditional rodeos, known as “charreadas.”

Mexico City joins a host of other states and cities in Mexico, as well as other nations, which already have such bans in place.

Last June, Colombia became the fifth South American country to ban the use of animals in circuses. The other countries with a ban in place are Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Paraguay.

England currently has a bill on the table that would ban wild animals from appearing in circus shows, of which Prime Minister David Cameron promised to act on by the end of the year.

In the United States, Virginia Representative Jim Moran has recently reintroduced the 2011 Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act (TEAPA) to Congress.

Circuses, on the other hand, continue to claim that the animals in their care are treated humanely and that some even enjoy performing. That’s not a surprising position considering that those who stand to make money off of animals almost always make that argument.

Though the new law in Mexico City is a victory for animal rights activists, so much more needs to be done in Mexico and around the world to prevent all animals, not just those performing in circuses, from being held in captivity and forced to perform.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Source: Global News