France has announced that it will ban the use of wild animals in marine parks and circuses, in a move that has delighted animal rights activists and animal lovers around the world. This means that no longer with acts within France, or acts travelling to France, be able to put on shows involving lions, tigers and other exotic creatures who are often kept captive in poor conditions and are forced to live an existence far removed from their natural habitat.
Similarly, this will mean that killer whales (orcas) and dolphins will no longer take part in water shows at the nation's water park. Campaigners have long worried about the physical and mental health of creatures designed for huge oceans being kept in small tanks and then made to perform for an audience.
Barbara Pompili, France's environment minister, announced the ban will be entered into incrementally and that a few shows involving animals in zoos under special circumstances, and where no harm can come to the animal, will still be allowed to take place.
"It is time to open a new era in our relationship with these (wild) animals."
The French government says it will provide a funding package of 9.2 million Euros to make sure anyone losing their job as a result of this legislation will be able to find a new one.
In other animal rights legislation, the French government says it will ban mink farming. Mink are often bred for their fur and for their use in the cosmetics industry, notably the creation of fake eyelashes. The move comes as mink are slaughtered across Europe as they have now been identified as a natural viral reservoir for the CoVid-19 virus. Denmark announced last month that it has begun eradicating its mink population on health and safety grounds.
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