Wild animals banned from circuses in Republic of Ireland
The Irish government is to ban the use of wild animals in circuses from next year, with a new regulation that will come into effect on 1 January 2018, according to BBC.
Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed said the ban reflected a "commitment to animal welfare".
"The use of wild animals for entertainment purposes in circuses can no longer be permitted," he said.
"This is the general view of the public at large and a position I am happy to endorse."
A statement from his department said the minister acknowledged that circus owners and operators may have "regrets" about the ban.
But it added that the ability of a travelling circus to "provide fully for all the needs of animals such as camels or tigers is no longer a tenable proposition".
The ban has been welcomed by the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA), which had collected more than 27,600 signatures in support for a change in the law.
"Travelling circuses cannot and will never be able provide a suitable environment for wild animals such as elephants, tigers and lions which have complex physical and psychological welfare needs," said the ISPCA's chief executive, Dr Andrew Kelly.
"Coercing wild animals into doing tricks, which are actually abnormal behaviours for these animals, for human entertainment is outdated and it is right that it is being consigned to the history books where it belongs."
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