This is good news for all animal rights activists! Even though Paris isn’t the policy maker on this matter, all the elected representatives from the town council showed support on Wednesday December 13, 2017 by forbidding the use of wild animals in Parisian circuses. Paris becomes then the 47th French town to adopt this kind of measure.
On November 24, 2017, this issue returned to public debates when a tiger escaped from a circus in Paris and shot by its owner. Mayor of the 2nd arrondissement Jacques Boutault explains: “wild animals in circuses are mistreated. They’re exploited to entertain the public and it hurts more and more Parisians”.
“We cannot talk about biodiversity during all our debates and think that it’s normal that critically endangered species are tamed to act the clown and locked down in narrow cages the rest of the time” MoDem (Democratic Movement) spokesperson and general secretary Yann Wehrling points out.
Yet, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo underlines Paris isn’t the policy maker on this matter because the responsibility of such a ban depends on the State, but it doesn’t prevent from committed to this decision. In a press release passed on by Paris Match Anne Hidalgo adds that the “due date” needs “to be clarified” between the State and the circus professionals.
No need to say that circuses will have to progressively work on a new business model allowing them to keep their market shares and comfortable incomes while excluding wild animals from their acts. The question about the future and the possible reintroduction of animals currently being used is a real matter.
In short, even though this decision is of little significance today, it shows a real wish from elected representatives, supported by the current communal mission focused on the more general theme of the “animals in town”, to take account of the animal welfare as a whole.