Has the use of wild animals in Circuses been banned yet?

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Whilst catching up with the Animal Blogs I follow I stumbled across this post from Four Paws remarking on how appalled they are that the UK Government continues to drag its feet over banning the use of wild animals in circuses.  Despite the ban being supported by the vast majority of the British public and politicians from all parties there has been no movement.  

Four Paws alludes to the House of Commons backbench debate in June 2011 where MPs approved unanimously of a motion for the government to ban the use of wild animals in circuses by July 2012.

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) referred to a legal challenge to a similar ban in Austria as the reason they could not proceed with the ban.  The legal challenge to Austria's ban has since been dismissed which leaves Defra with no reason to refuse the ban.

Four Paws tells of two new Early Day Motions that have been launched this month calling on the Government to listen to the will of the House of Commons and endorse a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses, the other asking the Government to release reports of circus inspections that were carried out by Defra staff.  Previous requests to release these reports under the Freedom of Information Act have been refused.

What are they trying to hide?

Please e-mail your MP and ask them to sign EDM 2563 calling for a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses and also EDM 2586 calling for the release of circus inspection reports.  You can find your MP by clicking here and typing in your postcode.  You are then able to click on the name of your MP and be directed to their e-mail address.  It would be better if you were to personalise your e-mail but here is a template in case you don't have enough time:

Dear _____,

I am writing to ask you to please sign DM 2563 calling for a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses and also EDM 2586 calling for the release of circus inspection reports.  This ban is supported by the vast majority of the British public as well as politicians across all parties.  Several other European countries have enacted such bans, the latest being Greece.

I feel very strongly about this issue and ask that you sign both EDM's without further delay.

Yours sincerely,

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Please also e-mail the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Caroline Spelman and ask her to tell Defra to stop stalling and enact a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.  The template e-mail can be found at the bottom of this post, but do personalise it if you can please.

Please share this post with your friends and family on Facebook and Twitter, the more people that contact their MP's and Caroline Spelman - the better!

Christmas is cancelled for Badgers.

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I was saddened to hear the Environment Secretary, Caroline Spelman's announcement yesterday that badger culls in two trial areas of the UK will be going ahead in late autumn next year in an attempt to control Bovine TB.

Caroline was my MP for a number of years when I lived in her constituency, she has always responded to my numerous letters and e-mails on various animal welfare issues, I wrote to her several times about this issue and I am disappointed that she, and the Government as a whole, have ignored both science and members of the public in order to come to this decision.

Watch Caroline's announcement here.

In response to the announcement Humane Society International is submitting a formal complaint against the policy and stated that ministers had failed to examine alternatives to the cull and claimed it lacked "legitimate purpose" whilst posing a significant threat to badger populations.  Read what the HSI has to say here.

The League Against Cruel Sports has also expressed dismay at the decision and accused the Government of being cowardly, not acting appropriately and ignoring science, public opinion and past mistakes.  Read more from the League here.

Read my previous badger cull posts here and here to gain some background information

Contact Caroline Spelman by e-mailing her at caroline@carolinespelman.com and politely let her know you oppose the decision for a trail cull to go ahead.  

Key points to bring up in the e-mail include: 

- Why did you decide upon this action when there is a distinct lack of evidence that a badger cull would be effective? 

- How are the Government going to prosecute people that use the badger cull as an excuse for the unlicensed shooting of badgers?

- How will this effect the population of badgers?

- Which alternatives were examined and why weren't they feasible?

If you haven't already, sign this petition for 38 Degrees asking the government to re-think.

Check out the Badger Protection League web page.

Follow me on Twitter for all the latest news (I am using this a lot more lately as it is a fantastic way to obtain information and spread the word)

Thank you.

Back Off Badgers! - Update

It is expected that soon the government will be making an announcement on whether to cull badgers in England as part of a plan to control Bovine TB in cattle.  The government in Wales have announced that they will be postponing a planned badger cull until after they have reviewed the evidence.  The RSPCA have been led to believe that the English government will NOT be following suit.

A cull could mean the eradication of 70% of the badger population and it could involve farmers and landowners being allowed to fund and carry out the cull themselves using a variety of methods including free shooting.  The RSPCA are just one of the organisations to oppose the cull and have fought against various plans put forward by different governments due to the severe welfare implications.  Licensing farmers and/or landowners to free shoot would be impossible to monitor and be inhumane.

In 2010, the RSPCA's Back Off Badgers campagin provoked an overwhelming response which recorded nearly 40,000 objections to the controversial plans for the badger cull in England.  Unfortunately it seems that the government are not paying attention to the views of the general public which has prompted the RSPCA to ask that we go directly to the top and ask the Prime Minister himself to listen.

Ask David Cameron to stop ignoring science and public opinion and Back Off Badgers! 


Click the link, enter a few details and you will be directed to a readily prepared e-mail to David Cameron.  I have changed the subject line and re-worded the e-mail as this way it is more likely that the reader will not just skip through.

Also:


The Humane Society are also asking supporters to contact the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Caroline Spelman.  Click here to do the same as above, enter a few details and hit submit  I have already written to Caroline Spelman and received a response but a reminder won't hurt!


Remember to share on Facebook and Twitter!  Thank you.

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Stop clowning around, we need to think seriously about Circuses...

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The RSPCA and Animal Aid have long been campaigning for the use of animals in circuses to be banned.  A few months ago some video footage was released by an organisation called Animal Defenders International showing an elephant named Anne, being abused by her keeper at Bobby Robert's Super Circus.  The good news is that Anne has now been moved to Longleat Safari Park where you can see below that she is a whole lot happier.

Read more about Anne here.

Anne was the last elephant to be used in a circus but according to the RSPCA there are still 37 animals left including zebras, lions, snakes, tigers, camels, a kangaroo and crocodiles

After Anne's experiences had come to light, Caroline Spelman MP, the Secretary of State said that she was "minded" towards a ban on wild animals in circuses.  Unfortunately there has been no further announcement by Mrs Spelman.  In recent weeks, Defra announced that it is unable to ban the use of wild animals in circuses because of a lawsuit taking place in Austria.  However, Jim Paice, Defra’s pro-hunt animal welfare Minister was forced to admit that these legal proceedings don’t actually exist. 

Mr Paice was reported to have said "if you don't like the idea of elephants and lions performing in circuses, don't go". 

The RSPCA is asking for one final push to urge Prime Minister, David Cameron to ban wild animals in circuses once and for all.

How to Help

If you click on this link you will be taken to the RSPCA's campaign site where you will be asked to enter a few details, once you have done this you will be taken to a readily prepared e-mail where, if you have time, you can enter your own (polite) comments.  Hit submit and we're another step closer to a better life for animals.

Don't forget to tell your friends.  Thank you!

Sources:  RSPCA, Animal Aid.

Response from Caroline Spelman on The Badger Cull.

I received a response from Caroline Spelman regarding the Badger cull. It is always interesting to hear what your local MP may have to say about issues that concern you. Unfortunately I did not receive the response I wanted and I do feel that money seems to be Mrs Spelman's chief concern.

"Thank you for contacting me about bovine TB and badger culling. Bovine TB is one of the most serious diseases facing our livestock industry. Last year over 36,000 cattle were slaughtered and the annual costs of control measures reached £108.4m. Since 1997, around 250,000 cattle have been slaughtered at a total cost of over £600m. The emotional and financial toll on farmers is considerable, as underlined by a recent report by Farm Crisis Network.

As you are aware, the Government has committed that as part of a package of measures, it will introduce a carefully-managed and science-led policy of badger control in areas with high and persistent levels of bovine TB.

Please be assured that I am considering all the issues carefully, including the scientific evidence, to work out the detail of the package to ensure we get it right and we are looking at vaccine options as part of that package. I want to see healthy wildlife alongside healthy cattle.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Spelman"

Update on the repeal

Most of the action alerts appearing in my inbox over the past few weeks have been about the possible repeal of the hunting ban. It really does seem like the new Government is prioritising repealing the ban. Rumor has it that the Prime Minister has appointed Jim Paice as Minister for Agriculture and Food and made him responsible for hunting and shooting. This is a new addition to the role as none of Labour’s last Defra team was responsible for either of these things.

I had an e-mail from IFAW today asking me to contact my MP and urge to protect the Hunting Act but unfortunately my MP, Caroline Spelman has already decided that the Ban should be repealed. Maybe your MP feels differently?

More ways to help.