ADI: Las Vegas lion and tiger act blocked from appearing in Bolivia
Friday, 6 June 2008 12:00 AM
ADI applauds decision to uphold circus animal prohibitions, as the Fercos Brothers are told with human only performers.
Bolivian entrepreneur Marco Montenegro, one of the organizers of the Fercos Brothers Show tour, has announced that the Las Vegas based magic show will be prevented from using any of its wild animals during performances in Bolivia. This is due to municipal bans on animal circuses in various cities across Bolivia. This pioneering decision echoes the continual campaigning by animal groups in Las Vegas to put an end to anymore animal entertainment on the Strip.
The decision not to allow the wild animal acts has been hailed a milestone by Animal Defenders International (ADI) who will be heading to Las Vegas in the imminent future with a powerful new launch, highlighting their global campaign to prevent circus cruelty to animals.
The bans were the result of ADI's campaign Stop Circus Suffering in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru and have been heralded as major steps forward in animal protection in the region. Shows by the Fercos Brothers, from Las Vegas, whose act includes lions, panthers and white and orange Bengal tigers were met by protests in Peru, where legislation to ban the use of animals in circuses is currently before Congress. The decision by the Fercos Brothers to bring their wild animals to Bolivia was the first major test of the Prohibitions there.
These moves in Bolivia set an important precedent for South America, confirming that measures to prevent animal suffering at national and local government level can be effectively enforced. This success puts all eyes on Las Vegas to take a stand against cruelty and create a plan for human-only entertainment acts through out the city.
Local animal rights campaigner, Linda Faso, said "We are down to one animal act that is performing here in Las Vegas and this is a clear example that people now longer want to see outdated shows relying on animals as 'props'. The fact that acts such as Cirque de Soleil and other human circus shows are taking the strip by storm speaks volumes for the city known as the entertainment capital of the world - animals are just not needed."
Tim Phillips, ADI Global Campaigns Director: "The days are now numbered for shows with performing animals. Already, many of the old animal acts have been replaced in Las Vegas with human only shows, but the Fercos Brothers are finding that they cannot simply export these shows elsewhere. Measures to ban the use of animals in travelling circuses under national legislation are currently under consideration in Peru, Bolivia, the UK, and Greece, with bans already secured in countries like Austria, Costa Rica and Singapore, and through hundreds, if not thousands, of municipality bans around the world."
ENDS
For more information about ADI campaigns please contact:
sarahdickinson@ad-international.org
07785 552 548 / 415 543 23 44
NOTES TO EDITOR
Animal Defenders International group comprises ADI, NAVS and LDF and campaigns to protect animals from abuse and neglect all over the world. ADI also promotes and funds non-animal research instead of unreliable, unethical and unnecessary testing on animals.
ANIMAL DEFENDERS INTERNATIONAL
As our name suggests, Animal Defenders International (ADI)'s mission is to educate, create awareness and alleviate suffering as well as to safeguard and protect animal species and their environment.
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