Romania has passed a new bill in the Parliament to implement a ban on the use of the wild animals in circuses. The animal rights group has welcomed this move.
The bill says any animal whether captured or born in the captivity will no more be allowed to become a part of the public shows. That means circuses can't use wild animals for public shows. The director of the WWF Romania, Magor Csibi, utters that no wild animal will suffer for the amusement of the people in Romania.
According to Phys.org, circuses in Romania will get 18 months to abide by the rules. The circuses have to transfer the animals to the zoos or the reserves. President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, needs to sign the bill into law. The signature of the President would help the bill to become effective to enforce the rules.
The important fact is circus owners in Romania have to abide by the rules strictly. They could face the criminal charges and simultaneously one-year imprisonment if they fail to follow the new rules. Though, the owners will still have the authority to use certain animals, like the dolphins and the exotic birds in some specific situations.
The decision by the Parliament of Romania comes after a painful incident took place in January that includes the death of eleven animals. According to Romania-Insider, 11 animals died after a circus building caught fire in Bucharest. The firefighters were able to save only 21 animals.
These eleven animals include four cats, two tigers, three dogs, and two Vietnamese pigs. The animals mainly belonged to the Globus Circus of Romania. The manager of the Globus Circus, Victor Coman, informed that some of the animals also belonged to a trainer from the Ukraine.
After this incident, a public campaign regarding the ban on the use of the trained animals in the circuses gained momentum. Above sixty thousand signatures in support of the campaign built pressure on the authorities to address the issue properly. So far six European Union countries have banned the use of the wild animals in circuses. Romania will be the seventh EU state to follow that footprint.
