Yesterday we stopped for a little shopping at a small supermarket and there was a circus setting up nearby. The circus people had put their horses on a field next to the supermarket. I looked at the horses closely. They appeared to be OK from a distance, but as I approached the electric fence and observed their behaviour I saw that about half had trouble with their eyes; they were squinted up, as if they were not used to the light or perhaps were infected. They did not look happy. They were not running or interacting with each other, just eating grass slowly and with little enthusiasm.
Sadly, circus animals are still being used in France. Not "wild animals" like lions and tigers - but horses and other animals classed as bred by humans over generations and hence "domestic". This is a loophole in French law and the circus people are exploiting it to the full.
Wild animals are being phased out of circuses via legislation. See:
https://www.france24.com/en/france/20210...n-circuses
This is not immediate; it is phased. But it is better than nothing.
However, the use of domestic animals does not seem to be banned. Hence the exploitation of the poor horses I saw.
I suspect that UK legislation may have similar loopholes, as the ban there is on wild animals, just like here. What is the position in Canada, Catherine?
Sadly, circus animals are still being used in France. Not "wild animals" like lions and tigers - but horses and other animals classed as bred by humans over generations and hence "domestic". This is a loophole in French law and the circus people are exploiting it to the full.
Wild animals are being phased out of circuses via legislation. See:
https://www.france24.com/en/france/20210...n-circuses
This is not immediate; it is phased. But it is better than nothing.
However, the use of domestic animals does not seem to be banned. Hence the exploitation of the poor horses I saw.
I suspect that UK legislation may have similar loopholes, as the ban there is on wild animals, just like here. What is the position in Canada, Catherine?
