The Environment Minister of France, Barbara Pompili, announced a ban on the use of wild animals in traveling circuses, keeping dolphins and killer whales in captivity at marine parks and on raising mink on fur farms.
‘It is time to open a new era in our relationship with these (wild) animals,’ she said during the announcement on Tuesday, September 29 according to Associated Press. ‘It is time that our ancestral fascination with these wild beings no longer means they end up in captivity.’
The ban, however, does not apply to zoos.
The breeding and keeping of captive marine animals for shows is now banned in France.
This radical change in the country’s entertainment and fashion industries will take place gradually, with implementation to start ‘as soon as possible,’ according to the Jakarta Post. ‘That transition will be spread over several years, because it will change the lives of many people,’ Pompili added.
The French government will offer circuses and marine entertainment parks an aid package of up to €8 million (R159 million) to help them adapt to the bans.
Circuses in the country currently use some 500 wild animals in their shows.
The ban on mink farming might not be well received by French fashion houses, as France is known for its world-famous clothing brands and is one of the few European countries still using fur in clothing.
According to Fashion United UK, the French fur sector has earned the country around ‘€300 million in revenue, a figure that remains stable,’ Pierre-Philippe Frieh, spokesman for the French Federation for the Fur Profession, said in April 2019.
Animals rights group PETA, called the ban ‘an historic victory’, reports Fashion Network. ‘Champagne bottles are being uncorked here. Thank you to all those who have helped bring this about,’ the organisation said.
Picture: Twitter/aTravelCompanio
