Wild Animals and Circuses (Wales) Act 2020
{{Infobox UK legislation|type=seneddact|parliament=Senedd Cymru|long_title=An Act of the National Assembly for Wales to make it an offence to use wild animals in travelling circuses; and to make miscellaneous changes to the licensing of circuses and dangerous wild animals|year=2020|citation=2020 asc 2|introduced_by=Lesley Griffiths MS|territorial_extent=Wales|royal_assent=7 September 2020|commencement=1 December 2020|status=current|legislation_history=https://business.senedd.wales/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId=25643|original_text=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asc/2020/2/enacted|revised_text=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asc/2020/2}}
The Wild Animals and Circuses (Wales) Act 2020 (asc 2) is an act of Senedd Cymru, which bans circuses from using wild animals.
Background
Wild animals had been a feature of travelling circuses in the United Kingdom since the birth of the modern circus.{{Cite book |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/9781108750127/type/book |title=The Cambridge Companion to the Circus |date=2021-07-01 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-75012-7 |editor-last=Arrighi |editor-first=Gillian |edition=1 |doi=10.1017/9781108750127 |editor-last2=Davis |editor-first2=Jim}} Wild animals were hunted and captured in the colonies on an increasing scale in the second half of the nineteenth century with high mortality rates for the animals
From 2006, the RSPCA had been campaigning for circus animals to be banned, since the passage of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which did not explicitly banning wild animals from being used in circuses instead leaving this to regulations through secondary legislation that was not laid before Parliament before the 2010 general election.{{Cite news |last=Gregory |first=Rhys |date=2020-09-08 |title=Wales' wild animal circus ban given Royal Assent |url=https://www.wales247.co.uk/wales-wild-animal-circus-ban-given-royal-assent |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023034258/https://www.wales247.co.uk/wales-wild-animal-circus-ban-given-royal-assent |archive-date=2020-10-23 |access-date=2024-09-25 |work=Wales247.co.uk |publisher=Media-247}}{{Cite web |last=Stone |first=Kristin |date=2011-12-13 |title=The British Circus Debate: A Timeline |url=https://www.hsi.org/news-resources/uk_wild_animal_circuses_timeline/ |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=Humane Society International |language=en-US}}
In 2015, Rebecca Evans, the Deputy Minister for Farming and Food described there being "no place" for animal circuses in Wales, hinting at a possible future ban.{{Cite news |last=Deans |first=David |date=2015-10-21 |title=Circuses with wild animals could be banned in Wales, reveals minister |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/circuses-wild-animals-could-banned-10307878 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519074228/https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/circuses-wild-animals-could-banned-10307878 |archive-date=2024-05-19 |access-date=2024-09-25 |work=WalesOnline |publisher=Reach plc}}
In 2016, the Welsh Government held a review about potentially banning on the use of wild animals in circuses.{{Cite news |date=2016-02-12 |title=Circus animal ban in Wales 'could lead the way', campaigners say |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-35553446 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227164251/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-35553446 |archive-date=2019-02-27 |access-date=2024-09-25 |work=BBC News }} After the consultation, Powys County Council banned the use of council property to promote circuses using wild animals and stopped licensing circuses that used wild animals.{{Cite news |title=Wild circus animals banned from Powys |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-45925440 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021092652/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-45925440 |archive-date=2018-10-21 |access-date=2024-09-25 |work=BBC News }}
The bill was introduced into the Welsh Assembly in 2019 by the Welsh Government.{{Cite news |title=Wild animals in circuses to be banned in Wales under new law |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-48881165 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012030117/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-48881165 |archive-date=2019-10-12 |access-date=2024-09-25 |work=BBC News }} Lesley Griffiths AM, the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, affirmed her support for the legislation on the grounds of ethical concerns, but said that the evidence for doing it on the grounds of animal welfare was lacking.{{Cite news |title=No welfare evidence for wild animal circus ban, says minister |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-50001665 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012030104/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-50001665 |archive-date=2019-10-12 |access-date=2024-09-25 |work=BBC News}}
Provisions
The provisions of the act include:{{Cite legislation Wales|type=seneddact|year=2020|chapter=2|title=Wild Animals and Circuses (Wales) Act 2020}}
- Prohibiting the use of wild animals in travelling circuses in Wales. Breaching this law was made an offence punishable with a fine.
- Making provision for inspections of circuses to ensure compliance.
The act defines "wild animals" as those which are not normally found in the British Islands.
Reception
The Act was described as "illiberal" by Thomas Chipperfield, a circus performer described as "Britain's last lion tamer".
RSPCA Cymru supported the Act, describing it as "a historic day" and describing policy in Wales matching "societal norms and values" towards "fellow creatures".{{Cite web |date=2020-07-15 |title=Use of wild animals in circuses to be banned in Wales after Bill passed |url=https://www.gov.wales/use-wild-animals-circuses-be-banned-wales-after-bill-passed |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423083445/https://www.gov.wales/use-wild-animals-circuses-be-banned-wales-after-bill-passed |archive-date=2021-04-23 |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=Welsh Government |language=en}}