Animal Rights Watch: A national campaign for removing animals from circuses has gained fresh momentum after more provincial departments of environment endorsed the plea.
A spokesperson for Iran’s Animal Rights Watch announced Saturday that environmental departments in 21 out of 31 Iranian provinces have joined the national campaign to ban circuses that use animals.
The “Not in Circuses” campaign, launched in the province of Isfahan based on religious decrees banning animal abuse, has entered into operational phase with the accession of 21 provinces, Shahram Amiri Sharifi said in an interview with ISNA.
“By staging circuses that are free from animals, we want to show that we can stage entertaining shows without abusing animals,” he said.
The animal rights activist said more than 40 nongovernmental organizations have already joined the campaign. He also called on Iran’s Ministry of Education to ban tours that take students to animal circuses.
Visiting circuses is not a popular hobby in Iran, but shows still use animal performers to entertain people, especially in southern Iranian provinces.
MS/HMV/SS