WILD ANIMALS IN EU CIRCUSES - PROBLEMS, RISKS AND SOLUTIONS - Eurogroup for Animals

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WILD ANIMALS IN EU CIRCUSES - PROBLEMS, RISKS AND SOLUTIONS - Eurogroup for Animals
WILD
ANIMALS
IN EU CIRCUSES
PROBLEMS, RISKS AND SOLUTIONS
WILD ANIMALS IN EU CIRCUSES - PROBLEMS, RISKS AND SOLUTIONS - Eurogroup for Animals
WILD
                                                                                                  ANIMALS
                                                                                                  IN EU CIRCUSES
                                                                                                   PROBLEMS, RISKS AND SOLUTIONS

DISCLAIMER                                                                                        ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Every effort has been made to ensure the information in this report is accurate and up-to-date.   This research was made possible by the hard work of Margherita Savonitto, Eurogroup for Animals, and the contribution of
It should be noted, however, that this information is subject to change without notice and        Eurogroup for Animals’ member organisations. Special thanks to the following members who provided crucial knowledge and
Eurogroup for Animals can accept no liability for the accuracy of all the information presented   data: AAP Animal Advocacy and Protection, Animalia, Animal Action Greece, Animals Defenders International, Animal Friends
at any given time.                                                                                Croatia, Associacion Nacional para la Defensa de los Animales (ANDA), Deutscher Tierschutzbund, Djurens Rätt, Dyrenes
                                                                                                  Beskyttelse, Dyrevern Alliansen , Dzīvnieku Draugs, Fondation Brigitte Bardot, Four Paws Austria, Four Paws Bulgaria, Four Paws
©Eurogroup for Animals                                                                            Romania, ISPCA, La Fondation Droit Animal, Ethique et Science (LFDA), LAV, Loomus, Nadace na Ochranu Zvířat, RSPCA, and
All rights reserved.                                                                              Sloboda Zvierat.
No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or       In addition, the following non-Eurogroup for Animals’ organisations have been extremely helpful during the preparation of this
transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise         report: InfoCircos, Society for the protection of Animals Ljublijana, EARS, PeTA UK, PeTA France and Cyrk Bez Zwierząt.
without the prior permission of the publisher.
                                                                                                  Furthermore, Eurogroup for Animals wishes to thank A. C. J. Vergossen-Otten, Directorate of the Animal Agro-chains and
Eurogroup for Animals                                                                             Animal Welfare Ministry of Economic Affairs, and Stephanie Vanhamme, Inspector of Leefmilieu Brussel, the Animal Health
Rue Ducale 29, 1000 Brussels, Belgium                                                             and Animal Welfare Division of the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant
Tel. +32 2 7400829                                                                                Protection, for their collaboration in compiling the questionnaire on the enforcement of national bans.
www.eurogroupforanimals.org                                                                       A final special thanks to Laura Panini from LAV, Olga Kikou from Compassion in World Farming, Cristina Rodrigues, chef of
                                                                                                  cabinet for the Pessoas-Animais-Natureza Party, Portugal.
WILD ANIMALS IN EU CIRCUSES - PROBLEMS, RISKS AND SOLUTIONS - Eurogroup for Animals
TABLE OF CONTENTS

    EXECUTIVE SUMMARY....................................................................................................................................................................................... 6                    5.3 Issues of public safety and security in circuses............................................................................................................................... 19

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  5.4 Database of wild animals in EU circuses........................................................................................................................................... 23

    1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................................................................. 7                 5.5 Rescue centres and sanctuaries database....................................................................................................................................... 23

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Descriptive information on rescue centres and sanctuaries...................................................................................................... 23

    2 CONTEXT........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 8
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           6 DISCUSSION................................................................................................................................................................................................. 26
    3 DEFINITIONS.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 9             6.1 Overview of the current legislation................................................................................................................................................... 26

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  6.2 Enforcement of national bans............................................................................................................................................................ 27

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  6.3 Issues of public safety and security in circuses............................................................................................................................... 27
    4 METHODOLOGY.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 10                    6.4 Database of EU circuses with wild animals...................................................................................................................................... 29
           4.1 Overview of the current legislation in EU Member States to ban the use of wild animals in circuses................................ 10
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  6.5 Rescue Centre and sanctuaries database........................................................................................................................................ 29
           4.2 Analysis of the enforcement of legislation in the respective countries.................................................................................... 10

           4.3 Risks to public safety and security in circuses................................................................................................................................ 11

           4.4 Database of wild animals in EU circuses........................................................................................................................................... 11
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           7 CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................................................................................................................. 30
           4.5 Database for rescue centres and sanctuaries that could rehome dismissed animals............................................................ 11
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           8 REFERENCES................................................................................................................................................................................................ 31
    5 RESULTS........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 12
           5.1 Overview of the current legislation................................................................................................................................................... 12                   Annex 1: FVE position on the use of animals in travelling circuses.......................................................................................................... 33

                  National legislation............................................................................................................................................................................. 12     Annex 2: Statement on ethological needs and welfare of wild animals in circuses.............................................................................. 34
                  Overview on the legal proposal for a ban on the use of animals in EU Member States/countries..................................... 16
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Annex 3: Psychologists’ statement on the anti-pedagogical value of the abuse of animals in circuses and performances....... 38
           5.2 Enforcement of national bans............................................................................................................................................................ 16
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Annex 4: Resolution of the Committee of Psychology of the Polish Academy of Sciences on endorsing
                  Main challenges.................................................................................................................................................................................... 16   the activities aimed at limiting the use of animals for circus entertainment......................................................................................... 39

                  Competent national authority.......................................................................................................................................................... 17                Annex 5: Questionnaire on the adoption of the ban on the use of animals in circuses....................................................................... 40
                  Monitoring enforcement of the ban................................................................................................................................................ 17
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Annex 6: List of circuses using wild animals in the EU................................................................................................................................. 41
                  Need for additional specific resources............................................................................................................................................ 17
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Annex 7: Animals in circuses: portugal, Germany and Italy........................................................................................................................ 48
                  Responsibility for dismissed animals............................................................................................................................................... 18
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Annex 8: Criteria for joining the European Alliance of Rescue Centres and Sanctuaries (EARS) ....................................................... 49
                  Vocational retraining........................................................................................................................................................................... 18

                  Compliance with the ban.................................................................................................................................................................... 18

                  Challenges in court.............................................................................................................................................................................. 18

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WILD ANIMALS IN EU CIRCUSES - PROBLEMS, RISKS AND SOLUTIONS - Eurogroup for Animals
EXECUTIVE                                                                                                                             1
    SUMMARY                                                                                                                               INTRODUCTION

    Nowadays, there are growing concerns about the ethics of using wild animals for public entertainment, with increasing calls
    from the public to put this to an end. In Europe, this is reflected in the national legislation of 19 Member States, who have
    adopted restrictions on the use of either all, or exclusively wild, animals in circuses.

    This report provides an overview of the current legislations and restrictions on the use of animals in circuses in all EU Member
    States, with a particular focus on the process of enforcement of total bans on the use of wild animals in the respective countries.
    The goal of this analysis is to recommend solutions that can be adopted when phasing out wild animals in circuses.

    Furthermore, the report aims at demonstrating that the use of wild animals in circuses is not only a problem for animal welfare,
    but also an important issue of public safety and security. Wild animals are unpredictable and can be very dangerous to people.
    The temporary nature of traveling circuses and the close proximity of dangerous animals to the public mean that this type
    of public entertainment can never be entirely safe. An extensive list of incidents involving the public and wild animals in EU
    circuses has been developed. 305 incidents involving 608 wild animals were recorded in the EU circuses in the past 22 years.

    Data concerning the number of circuses using wild animals has also been collected in each EU Member State and a total of 300
    facilities have been recorded.

    When bans on the use of wild animals in circuses are adopted, circuses and/or national authorities have to find a solution for
    managing the dismissed animals. With the aim of facilitating this process, the report presents a list of rescue centres and
    sanctuaries, mainly based in Europe, that have been identified by Eurogroup for Animals’ member organisations as being
    particularly appropriate to rescue dismissed circus animals.

    Although most EU Member States and municipalities within them have legal restrictions, circuses belonging to these countries
    are still allowed to travel to places where wild animals can still perform. This raise concerns not only about the welfare of         All over Europe and worldwide, there is increasing               can become aggressive and very dangerous to people.
    animals when performing but also about the length of time animals are transported.                                                    doubt about the ethics of using wild animals for public          The temporary nature of traveling circuses and the close
                                                                                                                                          entertainment. This growing concern has been supported           proximity of dangerous animals to the public mean that
    Consequently, only a coordinated and full ban in all EU Member States can guarantee a coherent and effective solution to the          by opinion polls recently carried out in several EU Member       this type of public entertainment can never be entirely
    physical and emotional suffering of wild animals in circuses and to the related public security risks. Given the cross-border         States and countries that have shown a clear public desire       safe. Around the world, circus workers and members of
    nature of the issue and the related risks for the safety of both people and animals, Eurogroup for Animals believes that an           to end the use of wild animals in circuses. This is reflected    the public, including children, have been killed and injured
    action of the European Commission for an EU ban is also legitimate and perfectly justified. It is intended that the information       in the national legislation of 19 EU Member States who           by circus animals. Lions, tigers and elephants have all
    provided in this report will contribute to reaching these goals.                                                                      have already adopted restrictions on the use of either all, or   escaped.
                                                                                                                                          exclusively wild, animals in circuses. In addition, hundreds
                                                                                                                                          of European municipalities have decided to prohibit such         Eurogroup for Animals and its member organisations have
                                                                                                                                          public entertainment in their cities.                            systematically collected data on the incidents in circuses
                                                                                                                                                                                                           in all EU Member States, in order to provide objective
                                                                                                                                          There is widespread acknowledgement by veterinarians,            evidence of the important public security risks related to
                                                                                                                                          animal behaviour experts and governments worldwide               the use of wild animals in circuses.
                                                                                                                                          that due to the constant travelling and temporary
                                                                                                                                          accommodation, the welfare of animals will always be             This report aims at providing an overview of the situation
                                                                                                                                          compromised in circuses.                                         across Europe regarding the national legislation and
                                                                                                                                                                                                           restrictions adopted in each member state. It also provides
                                                                                                                                          Most of the time, bans and restrictions have been adopted        the necessary evidence to support a ban on the use of wild
                                                                                                                                          on animal welfare grounds; yet, the use of wild animals          animals in circuses on public security grounds. Finally, the
                                                                                                                                          in circuses also represents an important issue for public        report recommends solutions that can be adopted when
                                                                                                                                          safety and security. Wild animals are unpredictable and          phasing out wild animals in circuses.

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WILD ANIMALS IN EU CIRCUSES - PROBLEMS, RISKS AND SOLUTIONS - Eurogroup for Animals
2                                                                                                                                 3
    CONTEXT                                                                                                                           DEFINITIONS

    In 2015, the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe stated        by over 100 Italian psychologists [6] (Annex 3). This states
    in a Position Paper that the exploitation of wild animals in     that attending this kind of performance with animals can
    circuses “reflects a traditional but out-dated view” of them     hinder the normal development of empathy in children,
    (Annex 1).                                                       soliciting joy and amusement responses while looking
                                                                     at animals behaving unnaturally, feeling discomfort and
    The document supports a total phase out of wild animals’         being punished. Similarly, the Committee of Psychology
    performances in circuses. [2] Their main argument is that        of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) released an
    circuses cannot provide adequate physiological, mental           opinion declaration stating that circuses with animals are
    and social requirements for wild animals, thus seriously         detrimental for children’s educational growth [7] (Annex 4).
    jeopardising their welfare.
                                                                     All the above mentioned arguments highlight the necessity
    A statement published in 2015 by Eurogroup for Animals           and urgency to phase out the use of wild animals in circuses.
    and signed by 28 scientists with extensive research records      The steps already taken by 19 EU Member States to restrict
    in wildlife biology/ecology/ethology, identified in particular   the use of wild animals in circuses are a move in the right
    five main welfare implications: 1) limited space availability,   direction, but it is not enough. Only 11 EU Member States
    2) maternal separation, 3) restricted social interactions,       have adopted a total ban on the use of wild animals. In
    4)frequent traveling, and 5) training and performance [3]        addition, circuses belonging to countries or municipalities
    (Annex 2). Furthermore, a recent report commissioned by          that have adopted restrictions can simply move to places
    the Welsh Government analysed the scientific evidence            where wild animals are still allowed to perform. This
    available in more than a thousand scientific peer-reviewed       unfortunately means that the 19 EU Member States with
    papers, recognising that circuses cannot guarantee               legal restrictions are still obliged to accept circuses using
    optimal welfare conditions to wild captive animals,              banned animals to move through their territory.
    thwarting all the “Five Freedoms”, as described by the
    Farm Animal Welfare Council in 1992. [4] The very nature of      At EU level, there is no legislation dealing with circuses and   WILD ANIMALS: For the purpose of this report, the term            of hybridisation between domestic forms and wild
    these infrastructures, with their constant movement and          animal welfare. However, circuses are supposed to comply         “wild animal” comprises those species of which populations        ancestors, for example between the llama (Lama glama)
    confinement, regardless of the willingness of the caretaker,     with the provisions of Council Regulation 338/97/EC (9           still exist in a wild state, in the country of origin - that is   and the guanaco (Lama guanicoe).[15] Morphologically and
    is what mainly harm the animals’ well-being. In addition,        December 1996) on the protection of endangered species           to say, a species whose collective behaviour, life cycle or       physiologically “domestic” individuals are equal to their
    constant human handling and forced performance of                of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein. [8]         physiology remains unaltered from the wild conspecific            wild ancestors, and therefore it can be assumed that their
    unnatural behaviours are daily routines in the circus            Council Directive 92/65/EEC (13 July 1992) provides for the      despite their breeding and living conditions being under          behavioural needs are the same, in particular regarding
    environment, and are stressors detrimental for the welfare       establishment of specific health requirements for imports        human control for multiple generations. This definition was       their nomadic lifestyle to which they are still adapted. [3] [14]
    of animals. [5]                                                  into the Community of animals intended for circuses,             developed through a review of national Animal Welfare and         For all of the above mentioned reasons and for the purpose
                                                                     according to species. In addition, European Commission           Protection Acts, in particular the Italian Law 157/92,[10] the    of this report, we consider that species belonging to the
    Besides animal welfare arguments, there is increasing            Regulation (EC) 1739/2005 [9] lays out animal health             Dutch Royal Decree 2014 [11] and the Scottish Bill 2017,[12]      Camelidae family should be included in the “wild animal”
    concern that public entertainment with the use of wild           requirements for the movement of circus animals between          scientific papers and reports such as the paper by Dorning        category.
    animals does not have any educational value and, on              EU Member States and provides for the registration of            et al. (2016) [4] and the report by Radford (2007).[13]
    the contrary, may have a negative impact on the public’s         circuses that move from one Member State to another. The                                                                           CIRCUS: For the purpose of this report, a circus is defined
    perception (especially children) of wild animals. This is        Minister may grant or revoke a registration of a circus on       A special case is the one of the Camelidae family, and            as a temporary outdoor facility or tent where animals
    coherent with a recent declaration that has been signed          the basis of human or animal health considerations.              in particular the species of Bactrian camels (Camelus             are held and perform for the amusement of the public
                                                                                                                                      bactrianus), dromedaries (Camelus dromedaries), llamas            for which they are stimulated and/or trained by a trainer
                                                                                                                                      (Lama glama) which are often used in circuses. These species      during the performing and behind the scenes, with the
                                                                                                                                      are generally considered domestic, yet many experts have          exception of zoological parks. In this report we often use
                                                                                                                                      raised concerns over their process of domestication.              the word ‘circus’ or ‘circuses’ to refer to those using wild
                                                                                                                                      Several studies argue that there is not enough evidence           animals to perform.
                                                                                                                                      to support the camel domestication,[14] even though there
                                                                                                                                      are few genetic differences. Others argue the evidence

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WILD ANIMALS IN EU CIRCUSES - PROBLEMS, RISKS AND SOLUTIONS - Eurogroup for Animals
4.3                                                             4.4
     4                                                                                                                               RISKS TO PUBLIC SAFETY AND
                                                                                                                                     SECURITY IN CIRCUSES
                                                                                                                                                                                                     DATABASE OF WILD
                                                                                                                                                                                                     ANIMALS IN EU CIRCUSES

     METHODOLOGY
                                                                                                                                     In order to collect evidence about whether the use of wild      The aim of this section was to compile an exhaustive
                                                                                                                                     animals in circuses represents a serious risk to public         database of EU circuses with performances by wild
                                                                                                                                     safety and security, an extensive list of incidents involving   animals. For each circus, the following information has
                                                                                                                                     the public and wild animals in circuses has been developed      been included in the database: country of origin, link to
                                                                                                                                     for those occurring in the EU between 1995 and 2017.            the circus’ website and the source of information. Again,
                                                                                                                                     Eurogroup for Animals started the research in 2015, with        Eurogroup for Animals’ member organisations were the

                                                                      4.1
     Data has been collected over six months from January to                                                                         the aim of covering the past 20 years. With the purpose         main sources of information. In addition, information
     June 2017. The information and data used in this report                                                                         of updating the research, the list was then extended until      was obtained from the websites of circuses or from other
     have been provided by Eurogroup for Animals’ member              OVERVIEW OF THE CURRENT LEGISLATION                            2017, covering in total 22 years.                               animal welfare organisations. Only for the case of Portugal,
     organisations, other animal welfare and protection               IN EU MEMBER STATES TO BAN THE                                                                                                 the government provided the data.
     organisations, national authorities, and a wide range of         USE OF WILD ANIMALS IN CIRCUSES                                For each incident, the following information has been
     reliable and referenced resources.                                                                                              collected:

                                                                                                                                                                                                     4.5
                                                                      A review of all national legislations adopting restrictions
                                                                                                                                     • Year;
     Data collection and analysis were hindered by several            on the use of wild animals in circuses in the EU has been
                                                                                                                                     • EU Member State;
     challenges due to the multiplicity and diversity of data         made. The following information has been collected for                                                                         DATABASE FOR RESCUE CENTRES
     sources as well as, in some cases, the difficulty in accessing   each legislation (N.B. the description of the rationale for    • Animal species;                                               AND SANCTUARIES THAT COULD
     information (e.g. incidents are not always reported by the       the implementation of a ban/ restriction on the use of         • Number of involved animals;                                   REHOME DISMISSED ANIMALS
     media). Thus, despite the rigor applied during the research,     animals in circuses was taken from Dorning et al. [4] ):       • Number of involved people;
     Eurogroup for Animals cannot guarantee that the results                                                                                                                                         A database has been prepared of several rescue centres
                                                                      • Legislation;                                                 • Category of the incident, and;
     are exhaustive. However, we consider that the data                                                                                                                                              and sanctuaries which have already rescued wild animals
     obtained provides a realistic overview of the situation and      • Date of adoption;                                            • Source of information.                                        from circuses or those centres which have the potential to
     that the report is a credible, representative and reliable       • Date of implementation;                                                                                                      rehome these animals.
     source of information.                                           • Specific legislation’s clause on circuses;                   Incidents were classified in accordance to their effects and
                                                                      • Summary of the legislation’s specific clause on circus;      gravity and three main categories were identified:              The structures which have been included in the database
     The report covers five main topics that are discussed in                                                                                                                                        have been selected not only according to their availability
                                                                      • Exceptions;
     separate chapters. These include:                                                                                               Category 1                                                      to rescue circus animals, but also because they are
                                                                      • Rationale.                                                                                                                   regularly licensed and have been evaluated by Eurogroup
     • An overview of the current legislation in EU Member                                                                           Incidents with no consequences: animals escaped but
                                                                                                                                     did not cause any harm or problems to the public.               for Animals’ members as providing adequate care to the
       States to ban the use of wild animals in circuses;
                                                                                                                                                                                                     animals. Thus, the database is not meant to be exhaustive
     • An analysis of the enforcement of such legislation in                                                                         Category 2
                                                                      4.2
                                                                                                                                                                                                     (e.g. it does not include all existing facilities), but instead
       the respective countries;                                                                                                     Incidents with consequences (road blocks, car accidents,        act as a collection of examples of rescue centres and
     • The risks to public safety and security in circuses;           ANALYSIS OF THE ENFORCEMENT OF                                 traffic jams, injury of people or animals, killing of           sanctuaries, whose suitability has been confirmed.
                                                                      LEGISLATION IN THE RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES                        animals, high levels of public fear).
     • A database for wild animals in EU circuses;                                                                                                                                                   Location of the rescue centres and species of the animals
     • A database for rescue centres and sanctuaries that             A questionnaire was distributed by Eurogroup for Animals’      Category 3                                                      that could be rescued, together with information (website)
       could rehome dismissed animals.                                member organisations to the competent authorities in           Incident that caused the death of a person(s).                  about the rescue centre or sanctuary were captured in the
                                                                      EU Members States who have adopted a ban on the use                                                                            database. Information specifically on the identification of
                                                                      of either all, or exclusively wild, animals. These include:    The main sources of information included news published         the most appropriate facility for each species can be found
                                                                      Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Malta,    online or in the Eurogroup for Animals’ databases and           on the website of the European Alliance of Rescue Centres
                                                                      The Netherlands and Slovenia. The questionnaire aimed          archives. In most of the cases, Eurogroup for Animals’          and Sanctuaries partners (EARS [18] ).
                                                                      at collecting information on the process of enforcement        member organisations have provided the information, with
                                                                      of a ban at national level, with a particular focus on the     translations into English. A few non-member organisations
                                                                      challenges encountered and the solutions adopted, in           also contributed with relevant information.
                                                                      order to identify best practices. The full questionnaire can
                                                                      be consulted in Annex 5.                                       In most of the cases, the used sources of information
                                                                                                                                     reported the exact number of involved animals in the
                                                                                                                                     incidents. When more animals were involved, but the
                                                                                                                                     exact number was not specified, the minimum number
                                                                                                                                     of two individuals was recorded. Conversely, when a total
                                                                                                                                     number was given for a group including different species,
                                                                                                                                     equal numbers of individuals have been assigned to each
                                                                                                                                     species.

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5
                                                                                                                                        Austria                                                                   Croatia
                                                                                                                                        Legislation: Bundesgesetz über den Schutz der                             Legislation: Animal Protection Act 2006. Official Gazette
                                                                                                                                        Tiere(Tierschutzgesetz – TSchG) – Federal Act on the                      135/06, Art. 53.
                                                                                                                                        Protection of Animals, 2004                                               Implementation date: 1/1/2007

     RESULTS
                                                                                                                                        Implementation date: 1/1/2005                                             Clause on circuses: Article 4
                                                                                                                                        Clause on circuses: Clause 2 § 27. (1)                                    Summary: It is prohibited to use wild animals in circuses
                                                                                                                                        Summary: Species of wild animal are not allowed to be                     and other shows, film and television productions,
                                                                                                                                        kept in circuses, variety show institutions and similar                   advertisements, exhibitions or competitions in which
                                                                                                                                        facilities.                                                               animals are forced to behave unnaturally, or are subject to
                                                                                                                                        Rationale:1 Animal protection                                             pain, suffering, injury or fear.
                                                                                                                                        Reference: https://goo.gl/V4y2xy                                          Rationale: Animal protection
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Reference: https://goo.gl/GVrGtw

                                                                                                                                        Belgium
                                                                                                                                        Legislation: Arrêté royal modifying the Arrêté royal of 2                 Cyprus
                                                                                                                                        September 2005 about the welfare of animals used in                       Legislation: Official Journal of the Republic of Cyprus,
                                                                                                                                        circuses and temporary exhibitions.                                       Annex I, Animal Welfare Law, 5/7/2013
                                                                                                                                        Implementation date: 11/02/2014                                           Implementation date: 2013
                                                                                                                                        Clause on circuses: Chapter 2                                             Clause on circuses: Annex One, Law Part I
                                                                                                                                        Summary: All wild animals (except domesticated species                    Summary: The installation and operation of circuses
                                                                                                                                        listed in Annex 1) are not allowed to be kept in circuses.                that include in their programme any species of animal,
                                                                                                                                        Exceptions: List of domesticated animals allowed: geese,                  whether to perform, parade, or that are exhibited to the
                                                                                                                                        ducks, cattle, Indian buffaloes, dromedaries, Bactrian                    public, is prohibited.
                                                                                                                                        camels, dogs, goats, pigeons, horses, ponies, donkeys,                    Rationale: Animal welfare
                                                                                                                                        cats, fowls, llamas, ferrets, rabbits, sheep, pigs, parrots.              Reference: https://goo.gl/4u4x5o
                                                                                                                                        Rationale: Animal welfare
                                                                                                                                        Reference: https://goo.gl/QjPrFf
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Czech Republic

                                                                                                                                © LAV
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Legislation: Act No. 77/2004
                                                                                                                                        Bulgaria                                                                  Implementation date: 7/4/2004
                                                                                                                                        Legislation: Animal Protection Act No 13/8.02.2008                        Clause on circuses: Part 4 § 14a

     5.1                                                                                                                                Implementation date: 8/2/2008
                                                                                                                                        Clause on circuses: Chapter 3 § 27 (1,2)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Summary: No person shall constrain new-born primates,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  pinnipeds, Cetacea (excluding the Delphinidae family), rhi-
     OVERVIEW OF THE
                                                                                                                                        Summary: No wild mammals, including species of the                        noceros, hippopotami or giraffes to a special training for
     CURRENT LEGISLATION                                                                                                                                                                                          the preparation and performance of tricks or for a circus.
                                                                                                                                        order of primates, shall be used in circuses, variety shows,
     Below we outline all the national legislation that, at the   below: France, Germany, Ireland, Italy,         Lithuania,            and other entertainment facilities.                                       Rationale: Animal protection
     date of the publication of the present report, includes      Luxembourg, Spain, and the United Kingdom.                            Exceptions: Prohibition shall not apply to the species of                 Reference: https://goo.gl/pr4E1W
     specific requirements/restrictions on the use of wild                                                                              the Cetacean order, the Delphinidae - Tursiops truncatus
     animals in EU Member States. The information and details     However, it should be mentioned that in some Member                   and Delphinus delphis, reared and used for dolphin park
     contained in the clauses of the legislation regarding the    States, such as Spain, municipalities and/or regions have             shows, provided that the specimens are marked, at least                   Denmark
     use of animals in circuses are also indicated.               adopted local bans on the use of wild animals in circuses.            third-generation born and raised in captivity, not kept                   Legislation: Protection of Animals Act (No. 252 of 2013)
                                                                                                                                        separately, and hold a permit issued by the Minister of                   Implementation date: 8/3/2013
     The rationale for implementing a ban varied among EU                                                                               Environment and Water under the Biological Diversity Act.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Clause on circuses: Chapter 3 §17
     Member States: in 15 countries the reason was primarily                                                                            Rationale: Animal protection
     for animal welfare/protection, in two there were mixed       National legislation                                                                                                                            Summary: Wild animals must not be used for circus
                                                                                                                                        Reference: https://goo.gl/Z7ZH1y                                          performances, variety shows etc. Animals must not be
     reasons, one for animal health and one that is unspecified
     [4].                                                         The National legislation including specific legally binding                                                                                     shown in travelling menageries.
                                                                  requirements/restrictions on the use of wild animals in EU                                                                                      Exceptions: Elephants, sea lions, zebras, foxes, mink and
     The following EU Member States have no legally binding       Member States has been summarized below. The sign ‘[-]’                                                                                         parrots are excluded from the ban.
     restrictions at national level on the use of animals in      indicates the lack of a specific section on circus animals,                                                                                     Rationale: Animal welfare
     circuses and therefore were not included in the summary      whereas the sign ‘/’ indicates that the information was not                                                                                     Additional notes: The Minister of Justice can grant
                                                                  found.                                                                1   S. Harris, J. Dorning and S. Harris, The welfare of wild animals in   exemption from the rule in Subsection 2 if it is
                                                                                                                                            travelling circuses, 2016.                                            unobjectionable.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Reference: https://goo.gl/k1Z8P4
12   WILD ANIMALS IN EU CIRCUSES                                                                                                        Problems, Risks and Solutions                                                                                                           13
WILD ANIMALS IN EU CIRCUSES - PROBLEMS, RISKS AND SOLUTIONS - Eurogroup for Animals
Estonia                                                         Clause on circuses: Section 27                                  Romania                                                      Table1: Summary of the legislation/restrictions in each EU
     Legislation: Animal Protection Act 2000                         Summary: It is forbidden to train wild animals (both            Legislation: Law No. 205/2004 (modified by Law 9/2008        Member State.
     Implementation date: 1/7/2001                                   caught in wilderness and bred in captivity) and use them        and Order 523/2008), 13/06/2017
                                                                     as amusement animals as well as it is forbidden to display      Implementation date: 2018

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 restrictions on the use of
     Clause on circuses: Chapter 3 §27
                                                                     them as entertainment animals.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      strictions on the use of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      animals in EU circuses

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 animals in EU circuses
     Summary: In animal shows, animals, which have been                                                                              Summary: It is forbidden to use animals (vertebrates)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Ban of wild animals
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Legally binding re-
                                                                                                                                     no matter the degree of training, born in captivity

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 No legally binding
     born under artificial conditions, shall be used.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Ban of all animals
                                                                     Malta                                                           or captured from the wild, in circus shows, travelling
     Rationale: Animal protection
                                                                                                                                     circuses, travelling shows or any other kind of similar
     Reference: https://goo.gl/N4QncG                                Legislation: Animal Welfare (Amendment) Act 2014
                                                                                                                                     shows.
                                                                     Clause on circuses: It shall not be lawful for any person to
                                                                                                                                     Exceptions: Exceptions are horses, dogs and exotic birds.
                                                                     use animals for performances, exhibitions, and shows or
     Finland                                                                                                                         Rationale: Animal welfare                                     Country
                                                                     for the training thereof in circuses.
     Legislation: Animal Welfare Act 247/1996 amendment                                                                              Reference: https://goo.gl/EHHdkY                              Austria                                         
                                                                     Rationale: Animal protection
     No. 1430/2006                                                                                                                                                                                 Belgium                                         
                                                                     Reference: https://goo.gl/t4dk9b
     Implementation date: 2006                                                                                                                                                                     Bulgaria                                        
                                                                                                                                     Slovenia
     Clause on circuses: Chapter 2, Section 20a                                                                                                                                                    Croatia                                         
                                                                     The Netherlands                                                 Legislation: Animal Protection Act 38/13, 7/3/2013
     Summary: It is prohibited to use monkeys, predatory                                                                                                                                           Cyprus                    
                                                                     Legislation: Besluit, houdende wijziging van het                Implementation date: 2/4/2013
     animals, wild ruminants, ungulates, marsupials, seals,
                                                                                                                                     Clause on circuses: Section 14a
                                                                                                                                                                                                   Czech Republic                                                              
     elephants, rhinos, hippos, birds of prey and crocodiles.        Besluit houders van dieren in verband met het verbod
                                                                     op deelname met zoogdieren behorende tot wilde                  Summary: Using wild animals in circuses is prohibited.        Denmark                                                                     
     Exceptions: Camels and yaks are allowed
                                                                     diersoorten aan circussen en andere tentoonstellingen en                                                                      Estonia                                                                     
     Rationale: Animal welfare                                                                                                       Rationale: Animal protection
                                                                     op vervoer van die dieren ten behoeve daarvan, Ast. 4.14,
                                                                                                                                     Reference: https://goo.gl/DVe9dk                              Finland                                                                     
     Reference: https://goo.gl/Yzkqw2                                8/12/2014
                                                                                                                                                                                                   France                                                                                                  
                                                                     Implementation date: 15/9/2015
                                                                                                                                                                                                   Germany                                                                                                 
     Greece                                                          Clause on circuses: § 2                                         Sweden
                                                                                                                                     Legislation: Animal Welfare Act 1988:534 and Animal           Greece                    
     Legislation: Law No. 4039, 2012                                 Summary: It is prohibited to use mammals, other than the
                                                                     ones belonging to the species listed in Annex IV in a circus.   Welfare Ordinance 1988:539, 1/1/2010                          Hungary                                                                     
     Implementation date: 2/2/2012
                                                                     Exceptions: Annex IV - list of allowed species: donkey,         Clause on circuses: Section 35, 36                            Ireland                                                                                                 
     Clause on circuses: Article 12, 13, 14
                                                                     horse, dog, cat, bovine, sheep, goat, pig, llama, alpaca,       Summary: 1) Animals must not be taken from place              Italy                                                                                                   
     Summary: Prohibition to use any animal in every kind of
                                                                     camel, dromedary, rabbit, brown rat, house mouse,               to place and exhibited to the public menageries. Few
     entertaining shows, events and other relevant activities.                                                                                                                                     Latvia                                          
                                                                     guinea-pig, golden hamster, and gerbil.                         exceptions are listed in subsection 2). 3) The animals
     Rationale: Animal welfare                                                                                                                                                                     Lithuania                                                                                               
                                                                     Rationale: Animal health                                        referred to in subsection 2 must not be exhibited to the
     Reference: https://goo.gl/xMxRBX                                                                                                public in performances or otherwise at circuses, variety      Luxembourg                                                                                              
                                                                     Reference: https://goo.gl/DgvE3j
                                                                                                                                     shows or similar entertainments.                              Malta                     
                                                                                                                                     Exceptions: Subsection 2) Monkeys, predators, with the        The Netherlands
     Hungary                                                         Poland
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                     exception of domesticated dogs and cats, pinnipeds with
     Legislation: Government Decree 222/2007 (VIII.29) on                                                                                                                                          Poland                                                                      
                                                                     Legislation: Animal Protection Act 1997                         the exception of sea-lions, rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses,
     the detailed rules of authorising the establishment and                                                                                                                                       Portugal                                                                    
                                                                     Clause on circuses: Chapter 4                                   deer, with the exception of reindeer, giraffes, kangaroos,
     maintenance of a circus menagerie
                                                                                                                                     birds of prey, ratite birds and crocodilians must not be      Romania                                         
                                                                     Summary: Only animals born and bred in captivity may
     Summary: A wild animal caught after this decree entered                                                                         taken from place to place and exhibited to the public in
                                                                     be used for training, shows and entertainment, and                                                                            Slovakia                                                                                                
     into force cannot be kept and displayed in a circus                                                                             other circumstances either.
                                                                     only those to which it is possible to provide such living                                                                     Slovenia                                        
     menagerie. After the entry into force of this decree it shall
                                                                     conditions that are appropriate to the need of a given          Rationale: Animal protection
     be prohibited to purchase and train new elephants and                                                                                                                                         Spain                                                                                                   
                                                                     species are allowed.                                            Reference: https://goo.gl/YkNNVj
     primates for the purpose of a circus performance. Animal                                                                                                                                      Sweden                                                                      
     species mentioned in Appendix I the CITES Convention,           Rationale: Animal protection
                                                                                                                                                                                                   UK (England)                                                                                            
     dated 3rd March 1973, are not allowed to be purchased,          Reference: https://goo.gl/9se6mx
     trained and to participate in shows after 1st January 2010.                                                                                                                                   UK (Northern Ireland)                                                                                   
     Rationale: Animal protection and wildlife conservation                                                                                                                                        UK (Scotland)                                                                                           
                                                                     Portugal
                                                                                                                                                                                                   UK (Wales)                                                                                              
                                                                     Legislation: Ordinance 1226/2009
     Latvia                                                          Summary: It is prohibited to keep and breed CITES listed
     Legislation: Animal Protection Law (APL), Cabinet of            species and their hybrids.
     Ministers Regulations No. 959 (20/12/2005)                      Rationale: Wildlife conservation, animal welfare, animal
     Implementation date: 2017                                       health and public safety
                                                                     Reference: https://goo.gl/yVKrRZ

14   WILD ANIMALS IN EU CIRCUSES                                                                                                     Problems, Risks and Solutions                                                                                                                                                            15
WILD ANIMALS IN EU CIRCUSES - PROBLEMS, RISKS AND SOLUTIONS - Eurogroup for Animals
Overview on the legal proposal for                                UK Scotland                                                     Greece                                                             Monitoring enforcement of the ban
     a ban on the use of animals in EU                                 Proposal: Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses Bill              After the ban was adopted, initially there was a limited
                                                                                                                                       response by the authorities.                                       Which measures have been established to monitor the
     Member States/countries.                                          Expected approval date: 2018
                                                                       Description of section: This Bill prohibits the use of wild                                                                        enforcement of the ban?
     Some EU Member States or countries are currently                  animals in travelling circuses.                                 The Netherlands
     undergoing the process of adopting legal proposals for the
                                                                       Rationale: Ethical                                              After the ban was adopted, a challenge concerned                   Belgium
     prohibition of the use of all animals, or exclusively wild, and
     these are expected to enter into force in the near future. An                                                                     solutions needed regarding the re-allocation of the                General follow-up as for all animal welfare legislation.
                                                                                                                                       forbidden animals held in circuses. For some species of
                                                                       5.2
     overview of these Member States/countries is presented
     below.                                                                                                                            wild animals it was hard to find place in a shelter; in other
                                                                       ENFORCEMENT OF                                                  cases circus owners and care providers were very attached          Croatia
                                                                                                                                       to their animals and did not want to relocate them.                Veterinary inspectors of the Ministry should monitor the
                                                                       NATIONAL BANS
     Estonia                                                                                                                                                                                              enforcement of the ban. However, generally AFC reacts
     Proposal: Amendment of Animal Welfare Act                         The most meaningful information obtained from the                                                                                  to infringements and then contacts the Ministry of
                                                                                                                                       Slovenia                                                           Agriculture.
     Expected approval date: 2018                                      questionnaire has been summarised below. Austria,
                                                                       Bulgaria, Cyprus and Malta have not replied to the              No major challenges during or after the adoption of the
     Description of section: Ban on wild animals act                                                                                   ban – politically favourable situation.
                                                                       questionnaire; therefore no data from them has been
     Rationale: Animal welfare
                                                                       included in the report.                                                                                                            Greece
                                                                                                                                                                                                          Local/regional authorities decide whether to grant

     Finland                                                                                                                           Competent national authority                                       permission to a circus to perform in the jurisdiction.

     Proposal: Revision of Animal Welfare Act
                                                                       Main challenges                                                 Who is the national authority in charge of verifying the correct
     Expected approval date: 2017                                                                                                      enforcement of the ban?
                                                                                                                                                                                                          The Netherlands
     Description of section: Proposal of a positive list of            What were the main challenges encountered during the                                                                               Communication activities to inform the circuses and the
     animals that can be used in circuses (domesticated                process of adoption of the ban? What were the main challenges                                                                      Dutch municipalities by the Association of Netherlands
     species only).                                                    encountered after the adoption of the ban?                      Belgium                                                            Municipalities (VNG – Vereniging van Nederlandse
                                                                                                                                       The Animal Welfare Veterinary Offices in each Region.              Gemeenten). An enforcement strategy was developed by
     Rationale: Animal welfare
                                                                                                                                                                                                          the NVWA.
                                                                       Belgium
     Italy                                                             During the process of adoption of a ban, the main               Croatia
                                                                       challenge was to find consensus between competent               The Ministry of Agriculture.                                       Slovenia
     Proposal: Bill n. 2287-BIS
                                                                       authorities and animal welfare associations.                                                                                       Circuses have to apply for a permit under the public
     Expected approval date: 2018
                                                                                                                                                                                                          gathering legislation through the Administrative
                                                                       After the ban was adopted, the challenge was to find
     Description of section: Gradual dispel of all animals from                                                                        Greece                                                             Office. According to veterinary legislation, AFSVSPP
                                                                       compliance with standards defined in the ban.
     circuses.                                                                                                                         Local councils.                                                    gives prior consent (after documentation check) to the
     Rationale: Animal welfare                                                                                                                                                                            Administrative Office in form of conditions that circuses
                                                                       Croatia                                                                                                                            have to meet when touring in Slovenia. AFSVSPP always
                                                                                                                                       The Netherlands                                                    inspect circuses to check whether the conditions stated in
                                                                       During the process of adoption, there was a great
     Luxembourg                                                                                                                        The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety                   the prior consent are met.
                                                                       resistance from the Ministry of Agriculture. The ban
     Proposal: Projet de règlement grand-ducal précisant les           was adopted because of the hard and persistent work of          Authority (NVWA).
     conditions spécifiques de détention des animaux                   Animal Friends Croatia (AFC) and support of the media
     Expected approval date: 2017                                      and the public.                                                                                                                    Need for additional specific resources
                                                                                                                                       Slovenia
     Description of section: Proposal of a positive list of            After the ban was adopted, camels and lamas were still
                                                                                                                                       Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and              Did the national government allocate additional specific
     animals that can be used in circuses. Animals allowed in          performing in circuses, presenting them as domestic
                                                                                                                                       Plant Protection (AFSVSPP).                                        resources (financial or technical) to the agencies tasked with
     circuses are: dogs, cats, ferrets, donkeys, horses, domestic      animals. AFC continued to protest and asked the Ministry
     pig, bovines, goats, sheep and European rabbits.                  of Agriculture to ban their use in shows. In 2013 the                                                                              the enforcement of the ban? If YES, in which way?

     Rationale: Animal welfare                                         Ministry amended the Animal Protection Act with a new                                                                              • Belgium: No
                                                                       definition of domestic animals: “animals that have been                                                                            • Croatia: No
                                                                       tamed and domesticated by man, farmed and bred for                                                                                 • Greece: No
     Slovakia                                                          the purpose of the production of food, feed and animal
                                                                                                                                                                                                          • The Netherlands: No
     Proposal: Revision of Veterinary Law                              by-products and for other economic purposes”. Although
                                                                       this definition does not allow performances of camels and                                                                          • Slovenia: No
     Expected approval date: 2018
                                                                       lamas in circuses as they are not domesticated according
     Description of section: Ban on the use of wild animals in
                                                                       to the new definition in Croatia, veterinary inspectors
     circuses.
                                                                       keep allowing such animals to perform in circuses.

16   WILD ANIMALS IN EU CIRCUSES                                                                                                       Problems, Risks and Solutions                                                                                                       17
Responsibility for dismissed animals                                 Vocational retraining

     Have circuses been allowed to keep their animals belonging to        Has any procedure been put in place by your national
     forbidden species until the natural end of their lives? If YES: a)   government for the vocational retraining of animal’s trainers
     Could circuses still use them in performances? b) Could they         and other employees involved in the management of the
     transport them from one performing location to another?              animals? If yes, please detail.
                                                                          • Belgium: No
     If the answer to the previous question is NO and the animals had
                                                                          • Croatia: No
     to be rehomed, please answer the following questions: a) Who
     was responsible for their rehoming? b) Did the government            • Greece: No
     compensate the circuses for giving up the animals? Did the           • The Netherlands: No
     government pay their rehoming and keeping? c) Where                  • Slovenia: No
     were they re-homed? d) Is there a record of the species and
     numbers of animals that were rehomed? If possible, please
     provide this information.
                                                                          Compliance with the ban
     Belgium                                                              Did circuses respect the ban or were there cases of
     Circuses were not allowed to keep the forbidden animals.             infringement? If there were, please briefly describe the cases
     Circuses were responsible for their rehoming. No                     and what measures have been taken.
     government compensation was given to the circuses for
                                                                          • Belgium: Some cases at the beginning of the adoption
     giving up the animals. The animals were rehomed often in
                                                                            of the ban.
     other countries, as there were only a few Belgian circuses,
     and sometimes in specialised shelters.                               • Croatia: Attempts of using camels and llamas as do-
                                                                            mestic animals.
                                                                          • Greece: No cases of infringement.
     Croatia
     There were no national circuses with animals in Croatia;             • The Netherlands: Enforcement was necessary on some
     foreign circuses were not allowed to perform any longer in             occasions. Administrative sanctions (such as warnings)
                                                                            were taken.
                                                                                                                                            5.3                                                             gravity. Figure 4 shows the percentages for each category,
     the country if they had animals.                                                                                                       ISSUES OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND                                     with an almost 50/50 split between incidents that had
                                                                          • Slovenia: No cases of infringement.                             SECURITY IN CIRCUSES.                                           some consequences and those that had no consequences.

     Greece                                                                                                                                 In total, 305 incidents involving wild animals in circuses      A total of 11 people were killed and 86 people were injured
     There were no national circuses with animals in Greece;                                                                                were recorded in the EU in the past 22 years, from 1995         as a consequence of an incident involving a wild animal in
     foreign circuses were not allowed to perform any longer in           Challenges in court                                               to 2017. Figure 1 shows the distribution of the incidents       a circus (Figure 5,6).
     the country if they had animals.                                                                                                       throughout EU Member States, with the highest number
                                                                          Has the ban been challenged in court? If so, what was the final   recorded in Germany (138 cases) followed by France (49)         The species of animals involved in incidents that caused
                                                                          result? If the process is on-going, please briefly describe the   and Italy (29).                                                 injury or death of one or more people are outlined in
     The Netherlands                                                      current state of affairs.                                                                                                         Figure 7, with the highest numbers caused by tigers and
     Circuses were not allowed to keep the forbidden animals.                                                                               No incidents occurred in the following countries: Belgium,      elephants.
                                                                          • Belgium: Yes, there has been one challenge in court,
     In certain cases, an exemption (ontheffing) was requested                                                                              Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Latvia,
                                                                            but it failed.
     and in some cases granted. Under that exemption, the                                                                                   Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia.            A total of 91 individuals belonging to the Camelidae family
     animals were allowed to be transported along with                    • Croatia: No                                                                                                                     were involved in incidents (63 in Category 1 accidents
     the circus but were not allowed to perform. Circuses                                                                                   Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands,      and 28 in Category 2, Figure 8). This corresponds to 15%
                                                                          • Greece: No
     were responsible for the rehoming. No government                                                                                       Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom           of the animals that have been implicated in incidents,
     compensation was given to the circuses for giving up the             • The Netherlands: Only the date of implementation was            reported incidents in the last five years, for a total of 118   underlining the potential danger represented by these
     animals. Most of the circuses with wild animals stopped                challenged in court. The circuses won and they were             cases; between January and May 2017, eight incidents            animals, often included among the domesticated ones by
     going to The Netherlands.                                              allowed to stay until the beginning of January 2016.            occurred in France, three in Italy and one in the Czech         national legislations.
                                                                            After that date, they went to their winter residence in         Republic, representing the most recent data (Figure 2).
                                                                            Germany for the season.                                                                                                         In total, 305 incidents involving wild animals in circuses
     Slovenia                                                             • Slovenia: No                                                    A total of 608 animals have been involved in 305 incidents.     were recorded in the EU in the past 22 years, from 1995
     There were no national circuses with animals in Slovenia.                                                                              Germany presents the highest number of animals involved,        to 2017. Figure 1 shows the distribution of the incidents
     Foreign circuses were not allowed to perform any longer in                                                                             coherently with its highest amount of incidents (Figure 3).     throughout EU Member States, with the highest number
     the country if they had animals.                                                                                                                                                                       recorded in Germany (138 cases) followed by France (49)
                                                                                                                                            As described in the Methodology, incidents were divided         and Italy (29).
                                                                                                                                            into three categories depending on their effects and

18   WILD ANIMALS IN EU CIRCUSES                                                                                                            Problems, Risks and Solutions                                                                                                 19
Figure 1: Incidents caused by wild animals in circuses in EU Member States between 1995 and 2017.

      140

      120

      100

       80

       60

       40

       20

           0
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     Figure 2: Number of incidents between 2013 and 2017 in EU Member States.

      16                                                                                                                                                          ¢ Czech Republic
                                                                                                                                                                  ¢ Denmark
      14
                                                                                                                                                                  ¢ France
      12
                                                                                                                                                                  ¢ Germany
      10                                                                                                                                                          ¢ Ireland

       8                                                                                                                                                          ¢ Italy
                                                                                                                                                                  ¢ The Netherlands
       6
                                                                                                                                                                  ¢ Poland
       4

                                                                                                                                                                                      ©BOLOGNATODAY
                                                                                                                                                                  ¢ Romania
       2                                                                                                                                                          ¢ Spain
       0                                                                                                                                                          ¢ Sweden
                      2013                             2014                             2015                          2016                       2017

     Figure 3: Total number of wild animals involved in incidents in EU Member States between 1995 and 2017.                                                                                          Figure 4: Percentage of events for each category of            Figure 5: Number of people who were either injured or
                                                                                                                                                                                                      incidents. The definitions of each category are described      killed during an incident involving a wild animal in a circus.
     300                                                                                                                                                                                              in section 4.3.

     250                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Category 3

     200                                                                                                                                                                                                                        4                                    Number of killed   11
     150

     100

      50                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          49    Category 1

       0                                                                                                                                                                                                                        %                                                                               86
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Number of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      injured
                                                                                                                                                                                              Category 2        47
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20   WILD ANIMALS IN EU CIRCUSES                                                                                                                                                                      Problems, Risks and Solutions                                                                                                   21
5.4                                                            5.5
       Figure 6: Number of people killed and injured in each EU member state.

        30
                                                                                                                                                                              DATABASE OF WILD ANIMALS IN EU CIRCUSES.                       RESCUE CENTRES AND
        25                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   SANCTUARIES DATABASE
                                                                                                                                                                              Data concerning circuses using wild animals has been
        20
                                                                                                                                                                              collected in each EU Member State and a total of 300           In strict collaboration with Eurogroup for Animals’ member
        15                                                                                                                                                                    facilities have been recorded (Table 2). The circuses          organisations, a list of rescue centres and sanctuaries,
                                                                                                                                                                              were divided according to their country of origin, which is    mainly based in Europe, have been identified as being
        10
                                                                                                                                                                              not necessarily the country where they perform. A more         particularly appropriate to rescue circus animals (see
         5                                                                                                                                                                    detailed list with name of circuses, website links and         below). These facilities have been evaluated as suitable
                                                                                                                                                                              sources is provided in Annex 6.                                either because they adhere to determinate criteria (like
         0
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             those specified by EARS in Annex 8), or because Eurogroup
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                                                                                                                                                                              More precise data on the number of wild animals has been       for Animals’ member organisations reported them as

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                                                                                                                                                                              collected only for Portugal (762 wild animals in 41 circuses   being particularly respectful to the welfare of animals. The
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                                                                                                                                                                              [16]), Germany (more than 900 wild animals in total –          column named ‘additional information’ includes further

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                                                                                                    Th
                                                                                                                                                                              excluding camelids – in more than 330 circuses officially      data about the centres, provided by Eurogroup for Animals’
                                                                                                                                   People killed         People injured
                                                                                                                                                                              registered in 2012 [17]; minimum 300 wild animals –            member organisations.
                                                                                                                                                                              excluding camelids – in 90 circuses estimated by Deutscher
       Figure 7: Number of people that were either injured or killed during an incident versus the species of the involved wild animal(s).                                    Tierschutzbund in 2017) and Italy (more than 2,000 wild        In addition to the rescue centres and sanctuaries
                                                                                                                                                                              and domestic animals in approximately 100 circuses in          mentioned below, the NGO Animal Defenders International
        30                                                                                                                                                                    2010 [18] ). More details can be found in Annex 6.             (http://www.ad-international.org/adi_home/)            is
        25                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   regularly collaborating with a network of structures that
                                                                                                                                                                              Table 2: Total number of circuses with wild animals            rescue wild animals from circuses all around the world.
        20                                                                                                                                                                    in each EU Member State.                                       More information can be requested by contacting the
        15                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   organisation directly.
                                                                                                                                                                               Country of Origin                          Number of
        10                                                                                                                                                                                                                circuses
         5                                                                                                                                                                     Czech Republic                             9
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Descriptive information on rescue
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             centres and sanctuaries
         0                                                                                                                                                                     Denmark                                    3
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                                                                                                                                                                               France                                     52
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                                                                                                                                   People killed          People injured                                                                   Bärenwald Arbesbach
                                                                                                                                                                               Germany                                    98                 www.baerenwald.at
                                                                                                                                                                               Hungary                                    5                  Animals: Bears
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Ownership/Affiliation: EARS partner and Vier Pfoten
                                                                                                                                                                               Ireland                                    1
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             rescue centre
       Figure 8: Number of individuals of the family Camelidae                                                                                                                 Italy                                      66                 Additional Information: They have former circus bears.
       involved in each category of incidents.                                                                                                                                 Lithuania                                  1
                                                                                                                                                                               The Netherlands                            2                  Belgium
                                                                                                                                                                               Poland                                     5                  De Zonnegloed Sanctuary
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             http://www.dezonnegloed.be/
                                                                                                                                                                               Portugal                                   41
     Category 2          28                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Animals: Birds of Prey, Ungulates (Zebras)
                                                                                                                                                                               Romania                                    3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Ownership/Affiliation: EARS partner
                                                                                                                                                                               Slovakia                                   1
                                                                                                                                                                               Spain                                      9                  Natuurhulpcentrum Wildlife Rescue Centre
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             www.natuurhulpcentrum.be
                                                                     63        Category 1                                                                                      Sweden                                     3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Animals: Bears, Parrots, Birds of Prey, Great Apes
                                                                                                                                                                               UK                                         1                  (Chimpanzees), Lions, Tigers, Jaguars, Pumas, Cheetah,
                                                                                                                                                                               Grand Total                                300                New World Monkeys, Old World Monkeys, Prosimians,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Ungulates, other Mammals, Reptiles
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Ownership/Affiliation: EARS partner

22     WILD ANIMALS IN EU CIRCUSES                                                                                                                                            Problems, Risks and Solutions                                                                                                 23
Bulgaria                                                     Bärenpark Worbis                                            Animals: Parrots, New World Monkeys, Old World               South Africa
     Dancing Bears Park Balista                                   https://www.baer.de/projekte/alternativer-wolf-und-         Monkeys, Lions, Tigers, Reptiles, Birds                      Lionsrock
     www.vier-pfoten.org                                          baerenpark-schwarzwald                                      Ownership/Affiliation: Company owned rescue centre           http://www.lionsrock.org
     Animals: Bears                                               Animals: Bears                                              Additional Information: Partnership with LAV. In 2014 LAV    Animals: Big cats
     Ownership/Affiliation: EARS partner and Vier Pfoten          Additional Information: They host former circus bears.      bought 23 new hectares to double the size of the centre.     Ownership/Affiliation: Vier Pfoten rescue centre
     rescue centre                                                                                                            Developments of new infrastructures ongoing.
                                                                  Bärenwald Müritz                                                                                                         Additional Information: It rescued 6 tigers from a German
     Additional Information: The rescue centre is supported by    www.baerenwald-mueritz.de                                   Centro Tutela e Ricerca Fauna Esotica                        circus and has circus animals that came from the Dutch
     Fondation Brigitte Bardot.                                   Animals: Bears                                              e Selvatica Mont Adone                                       Felida project
                                                                                                                              www.centrotutelafauna.org
                                                                  Ownership/Affiliation: EARS partner and Vier Pfoten
                                                                  rescue centre                                               Animals: Parrots, Birds of Prey, Great Apes (Chimpanzees),
     France                                                                                                                                                                                Spain
                                                                                                                              Lions, Tigers, Old World Monkeys, Ungulates, other
     Elephanthaven                                                Additional Information: They host former circus bears.                                                                   AAP Primadomus
                                                                                                                              Mammals
     http://www.elephanthaven.com                                                                                                                                                          https://www.aap.nl/en/primadomus-spain
                                                                  Gnadenhof für Bären in Bad Füssing                          Ownership/Affiliation: EARS partner
     Animals: Elephants                                           http://gewerkschaft-fuer-tiere.de/gnadenhof-in-bad-                                                                      Animals: Bears, Elephants, Great Apes, Lions, Tigers,
     Additional Information: No animals are hosted yet, as the    fuessing.html                                                                                                            Jaguars, Leopards, Pumas, Cheetah, Kanagroos, Wallabies,
     project is still in the planning phase.                                                                                  Kosovo                                                       New World Monkeys, Old World Monkeys, Prosimians,
                                                                  Animals: Bears
                                                                                                                              Prishtina Bear Sanctuary                                     Ungulates (Zebras, Hippopotamus), other Mammals
                                                                  Additional Information: They rescued the last German
     Refuge de l’Arche                                                                                                        www.vier-pfoten.org                                          Ownership/Affiliation: EARS partner
                                                                  circus bear last year and also other bears in the past
     http://www.refuge-arche.org                                                                                              Animals: Bears
     Animals: Bears, Parrots, Birds of Prey, Lions, Tigers,       Raubkatzenasyl Ansbach
                                                                                                                              Ownership/Affiliation: EARS partner and Vier Pfoten          Spain
     Leopards, New World Monkeys, Old World Monkeys,              http://www.raubkatzenasyl.de
                                                                                                                              rescue centre
     Prosimians, Ungulates, Reptiles                                                                                                                                                       Fundaciò Mona
                                                                  Animals: Big cats
                                                                                                                                                                                           www.fundacionmona.org
     Ownership/Affiliation: EARS partner
                                                                  Tierart                                                     The Netherlands                                              Animals: Great Apes (Chimpanzees), Old World Monkeys
                                                                  http://www.tierart.de
     Tonga Terre D’Accueil                                                                                                    AAP Rescue Centre for Exotic Animals                         Ownership/Affiliation: EARS partner
                                                                  Animals: Big cats                                           https://www.aap.nl
     http://www.association-tonga.com
                                                                  Ownership/Affiliation: Vier Pfoten rescue centre            Animals: Great Apes, Lions, Tigers, Jaguars, Leopards,
     Animals: Primates, Big cats                                                                                                                                                           UK
                                                                  Additional Information: They host one former circus tiger   Pumas, Cheetah, Kangaroos, Wallabies, New World
                                                                  from Bulgaria.                                                                                                           Lakeview Monkey Sanctuary
                                                                                                                              Monkeys, Old World Monkeys, Prosimians, other
     Germany                                                                                                                                                                               www.lakeviewmonkeysanctuary.com
                                                                                                                              Mammals, Ungulates
                                                                  Tierschutzverein Keller-Ranch                                                                                            Animals: New World Monkeys, Old World Monkeys,
     Auffangstation für Reptilien                                                                                             Ownership/Affiliation: EARS partner
                                                                  http://www.kellers-ranch.de                                                                                              Prosimians
     https://www.reptilienauffangstation.de
                                                                  Animals: Primates                                           Alertis Fund for Bear and Nature Conservation                Ownership/Affiliation: EARS partner
     Animals: New World Monkeys, Old World Monkeys, other
                                                                  Ownership/Affiliation: Member of Deutscher                  http://www.alertis.nl
     Mammals, Reptiles
                                                                  Tierschutzbund                                                                                                           Wild Futures
                                                                                                                              Animals: Bears
     Ownership/Affiliation: Member of Deutscher                                                                                                                                            www.wildfutures.org
     Tierschutzbund                                               Additional Information: They rescued several apes (for      Ownership/Affiliation: EARS partner
                                                                  example some Barbary macaques from circus Alberti) and                                                                   Animals: New World Monkeys
     Additional Information: They rescued a circus alligator                                                                  Felida
                                                                  also llamas and a dromedary from circuses.                                                                               Ownership/Affiliation: EARS partner
     that was confiscated in 2015. They could provide shelter                                                                 www.felidabigcats.nl
     for small exotic mammals
                                                                                                                              Animals: Big cats
                                                                  Greece                                                                                                                   Ukraine
     Anholter Bärenwald                                                                                                       Ownership/Affiliation: Vier Pfoten rescue centre
     http://www.baeren-anholt.de                                  Arcturos Environmental Centre                                                                                            Bear Sanctuary Nadiya
                                                                  www.arcturos.gr                                             Stichting Leeuw                                              http://www.vier-pfoten.org/en/projects/bears/bears-
     Animals: Bears
                                                                  Animals: Bears                                              http://www.stichtingleeuw.nl                                 in-ukraine/bear-cub-bodia-in-four-paws-bear-rescue-
     Ownership/Affiliation: Rescue centre of International Bear                                                                                                                            centre-nadiya/
                                                                  Ownership/Affiliation: EARS partner                         Animals: Big cats
     Federation (IBF) and Deutscher Tierschutzbund
                                                                                                                                                                                           Animals: Bears
     Additional Information: They host former circus bears as
                                                                                                                                                                                           Ownership/Affiliation: Vier Pfoten rescue centre
     well as rescued bears from zoos and private owners                                                                       Romania
                                                                  Italy                                                                                                                    Additional Information: They host former circus bears
                                                                                                                              LiBearty Rezervatia de Ursi
     Bärenpark Schwarzwald                                        Centro Recupero Animali Selvatici                           www.ampbears.ro
     https://www.baer.de/projekte/alternativer-wolf-und-          Esotici di Semproniano
     baerenpark-schwarzwald                                                                                                   Animals: Bears
                                                                  http://www.regione.toscana.it/-/centri-di-
     Animals: Bears                                               conservazione-ex-situ-della-fauna-e-della-flora-            Ownership/Affiliation: EARS partner
     Additional Information: They host former circus bears.       selvatica-art-9-lr-56-00-                                   Additional Information: They host former circus bears

24   WILD ANIMALS IN EU CIRCUSES                                                                                              Problems, Risks and Solutions                                                                                            25
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