► Circo Francia becomes third circus to give up wild animals in less than year ►
Animal-rescue organization Primadomus Spain, the Spanish section of Netherlands-based organization AAP Primadomus, has negotiated the rescue of two lions and a tiger that had been kept in “terrible conditions” by Circo Francia, which also operates in Spain as Circo Paris, as part of an agreement in which the circus has said it will relinquish all wild animals used in its performances within the next 12 months.
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Primadomus, which is a member of the InfoCircos coalition of organizations working to end the use of animals in circus acts in Spain, says the lions and tiger had had their claws removed, a common practice in circuses, leading one of the animals to injure itself from repeated slipping and falling on the wet floors of the circus cages. One of the lions was also missing a part of its tail, the organization said.
According to Primadomus, the circus had been keeping the animals in facilities that did not meet the legal requirement of a zoological enclosure and were being handled by individuals who were unqualified to ensure their health and welfare.
As a result of the negotiations with the animal-rescue group, the circus has agreed to find new homes for the rest of its animals by year-end, including ponies and a bull. Circo Francia is the third Spanish circus to end the use of animals in performances over the past 12 months. Four of Spain’s 17 autonomous communities have banned the use of wild animals in circus acts and some 450 municipalities nationwide now refuse to issue permits for circus acts involving animals.
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