Said James on his incredible acheievement:

“We had quite an epic 8-day ascent, and I successfully made it to the summit. The summit day itself was the toughest and most gruelling 14 hours I have ever endured and it was such a fantastic relief to make it to the top.”

CAPS Director, Liz Tyson said:

“It’s awe-inspiring to think of the lengths that James has gone to to higlight the plight of captive animals and to support CAPS’ work – we are very lucky to count him amongst our wonderful supporters. And his support couldn’t come at a better time for us – with the team working flat out towards securing a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses, and a major report on zoos being released in the next few months, the money raised is making a vital contribution. We can’t thank James enough!”

It’s not too late to donate towards James’ efforts – please show your support for his by making a donation on his Virgin Money Giving page

We would like to thank Paulo’s for their decision and wish the outfit a very successful (all-human) circus season.

This positive move by the circus is encouraging, but this year we ask for your continued support as there are still seven other circuses using animals in their shows. The circuses to look out for this year are:

Bobby Roberts Super Circus

Circus Mondao

Circus Tyanna

Gifford’s Circus

Peter Jolly’s Circus

The Great British Circus

Zippos Circus

For more information, if you have any updates or concerns about a circus with animals near you or you would like to find out more about getting involved in our campaigns, please get in touch: info@captiveanimals.org

CAPS argues that there is no ethical justification for this type of publicity stunt at the animals’ expense, and that using animals in this way seriously compromises their welfare. Animals used in the entertainment industry are denied the ability to express normal behaviour, take part in natural socialisation, live in a natural environment and have their individual needs substituted for those of the industry.

The stunt sits uncomfortably when considering that the use of wild animals in circuses is currently being hotly debated at the highest levels of Government and a complete ban on the practice has great public, parliamentary and expert support. Whilst CAPS fights to see an end to the use of animals in the big top, it is extremely disappointing to see ITV showing a programme which exposes wild animals to bright studio lights, human interaction and a noisy atmosphere (including loud music and cheering crowds) for the amusement of the studio audience.

It is particularly disturbing that the two penguins in question are endangered, and CAPS believes that using them for entertainment value takes away from the urgency of vital conservation work.

In 2010 Hamleys on Regents Street cancelled plans to create and exhibit a penguin pool, which would house live penguins in the cramped and busy city-centre store. However, after criticism over the welfare of the animals, CAPS was pleased to see this plan was cancelled.

In a statement the store said: “Whilst we were taking every measure possible to ensure the welfare of the penguins, we have listened closely to people’s views and feel this is the best course of action”.

We hope that ITV will follow in the footsteps of Hamleys and change the way it considers animals in the entertainment business by ceasing to broadcast programmes which could be harmful to the individuals involved in the future.

The information was obtained in the last week from the Scottish Government by the charity using the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Conservationists have lambasted the panda deal and the zoo was beset with problems throughout 2011.

CAPS Director, Liz Tyson said:

“We were pleased when we heard that taxpayers’ money would not be used to fund the new panda exhibit as we believe it is both unethical and, importantly, will not make any relevant contribution to the conservation of this incredible species. The monetary contribution from the Scottish Government was reported in press to be “small” but, in these times of austerity, it is difficult to see how the Government can justify spending nearly £43,000 on a welcome party for the two animals.

This, coupled with the fact that the deal has been regularly referred to as a “gift” when it is, in fact, costing the zoo hundreds of thousands of pounds a year to lease the pandas just adds to the growing number of misleading statements being made on the deal which is, as the Scottish Government stated when the deal was first mooted, “primarily a commercial transaction””.

Your support is more vital than ever. If you are not already a member of CAPS, please consider joining us. Your membership will mean you are kept up to date with our ongoing work and, most importantly, support our work campaigning for captive animals. Click HERE to join now. Thank you.

Defra Called to Come Clean on Plans for Wild Animals in Circuses. Charities may turn to the High Court for Answers.

Today, The Born Free Foundation and the Captive Animals’ Protection Society called upon the Government to make their position clear on wild animals in circuses as the two organisations stated their intention to look to the High Court to clarify the nature of the “legal obstacles” that Defra officials and Ministers claim are standing in the way of a ban on the use of wild animals in travelling circuses.

In a letter sent to the Secretary of State on the 23rd December, the two organisations, who have been campaigning for a ban on the practise for a number of years, expressed their frustration at the Government’s failure to make its decision clear on the issue. The letter highlighted the result of the previous government’s 2010 public consultation process, which saw an incredible 94.5% of respondents calling for a ban, and the unanimous motion passed by MPs in the House of Commons in June of this year “directing” the Government to implement the same.

In spite of this, the Government has apparently opted for a regime to license the use of wild animals in circuses; a process which leading animal welfare organisations say will be unworkable. Numerous statements from Defra officials have cited potential (but vague) legal obstacles to a ban, referring to an ongoing court case challenging an Austrian ban, as an example of what could happen here. However, last week the Austrian case was dismissed by the Constitutional Court in Vienna, apparently clearing the way for action in Westminster.

The charities have appealed to the Government to make its position clear and clarify whether or not the perceived legal obstacles are still cause for concern. If unspecified legal difficulties remain, the two groups will consider going to the High Court to try to overcome the current stalemate using the Judicial Review process as part of “friendly proceedings” in which the Secretary of State would be the named respondent.

Said Liz Tyson, Director of CAPS:

“We sincerely hope that the resolution of the Austrian court case will give rise to the Government taking the decision to make good their promise to listen to the will of the House of Commons and we are eager to clarify their next steps. If the perceived legal obstacles persist then the only way we can see to resolve the current impasse is to take the matter to court. We can speculate forever about what the outcome of a legal challenge to a ban might be and, during this procrastination period, animals will continue to suffer. We are asking Defra to allow this process to be decided once and for all and to work with us to seek a solution.”

Will Travers, CEO of the Born Free Foundation added:

“Having personally worked on this issue now for nearly two decades and in light of overwhelming public, Parliamentary and professional support for a ban, the Born Free Foundation and its supporters sincerely hope Defra will move swiftly and decisively to humanely end this form of wild animal exploitation. We seek nothing less than a guarantee that no wild animals will be subjected to life on the road when the circuses season starts again next spring.”

More on this story can be found in the Independent this morning: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/coalition-faces-court-fight-over-refusal-to-ban-circus-animals-6282997.html

– ENDS –

Notes to Editors:

For more information on the case in Austria: http://www.vfgh.gv.at/cms/vfgh-site/attachments/0/5/5/CH0003/CMS1324453358376/wildtierverbot_im_zirkus_g74-11.pdf

Contact details:

Liz Tyson, Director, CAPS: liz@captiveanimals.org

Will Travers, CEO, Born Free Foundation: will@bornfree.org.uk

Your support is more vital than ever. If you are not already a member of CAPS, please consider joining us. Your membership will mean you are kept up to date with our ongoing work and, most importantly, support our work campaigning for captive animals. Click HERE to join now. Thank you.

A legal challenge brought by a German circus against the Austrian Government in opposition of their longstanding ban on wild animals in circuses had, said Defra Ministers, prevented them from implementing the ban, which has huge public, parliamentary and expert support. Today, the case was thrown out of court, along with any remaining argument that the ban would not stand up to legal challenge.

Said Liz Tyson, Director of CAPS:

“The Government have stated clearly, and on numerous occasions, that the Austria case was preventing them from acting. With this case now clearly and definitively decided, it is time for the Government to make good its promise to listen to the public and the House of Commons. We call on the Government to drop its proposal to introduce a licensing system and move immediately towards an outright ban”.

Your support is more vital than ever. If you are not already a member of CAPS, please consider joining us. Your membership will mean you are kept up to date with our ongoing work and, most importantly, support our work campaigning for captive animals. Click HERE to join now. Thank you.

Everyone here at CAPS would like to thank you all for your support over the last twelve months and would like to wish you and yours a very happy and healthy festive season and New Year.

It’s been a rollercoaster year with circus campaign pulling no punches and keeping us busy. There has been suspense (in April when it was announced Defra were “minded” to ban the use of wild animals), there has been delight (the celebrations following that fantastic debate in the House of Commons in June where our country’s MPs fought for a ban on behalf of the animals), there has been disappointment (with Defra ploughing ahead with their unpopular licensing system in spite of everything) and there has been determination (we won’t give up, and we know you won’t either!). What has been consistent, though, is the support we have received from you: our supporters.

Whenever we asked for you to take action, you did.

Whenever there was a setback, we were inundated with queries of “How can I help?” or “What can I do?”

Whenever there was a victory, you shared our delight.

Whenever we told you we needed you to go that extra mile for the animals, you did.

You have given of your time, your hard earned money, you have stood outside in the rain at demos, you have leafleted, written, signed petitions, sent us words of support and congratulations and shared your thoughts and ideas with us.

For this, we want to extend a huge thank you for all that you have done, and all that you continue to do for the animals – we really couldn’t do it without you!

We look forward to working with you all again in 2012.

Liz and the team x

Your support is more vital than ever. If you are not already a member of CAPS, please consider joining us. Your membership will mean you are kept up to date with our ongoing work and, most importantly, support our work campaigning for captive animals. Click HERE to join now. Thank you.

CAPS, along with other leading welfare groups including the RSPCA and Born Free Foundation are united in believing that no licensing scheme could properly address the welfare problems of wild animals in circuses – and that an outright ban is the only option.

They were outraged when the Government ignored a debate in the House of Commons in June, despite a unanimous motion being passed in favour of a ban.

The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have instead opted to introduce a licensing package by July 2012 and had invited animal welfare groups to discuss this work on Wednesday, December 14. The Defra project team were also charged with “working towards removing the legal obstacles” which, the Government claims, are acting as barriers to the implementation of a ban. When groups requested that the meeting focus on progress towards this ban, Defra refused them.

This refusal to discuss the possibility of a ban sits uncomfortably alongside the standard response that hundreds of concerned constituents have received from their MPs on the subject and the official statements made in response to Parliamentary questions which clearly state that “Defra is working towards overcoming these legal obstacles”.

Liz Tyson, Director of CAPS, said:

“After weeks of attempted contact and being stonewalled by Defra, we were finally invited to offer our input into the circus issue. We made our case clearly and formally requested that any talks focus on the work being carried out to ban the use of wild animals in circuses rather than to discuss and advise upon the unpopular proposals for a licensing regime. This is in line with our long-held stance, along with the stance of parliamentarians, the public and other experts.

We were told categorically that Defra would not discuss this with us. It begs the question: If the work is being carried out to achieve a ban, why is there such reluctance to update the organisations that have been working on this issue for decades on progress?

To add insult to injury, we were shocked to see that, in response to a Parliamentary question asking the Defra minister which bodies were advising them on their proposed regime, Mr Paice stated that CAPS and other members of the boycott were amongst those bodies. We have contacted Defra to ensure that this misleading statement is rectified as we remain convinced that only a ban will do”.

CAPS remains extremely concerned that statements from Government repeatedly claim that a licensing regime will be “strict” and suggestions have been made that the regime could constitute a de facto “ban by the back door”. On the contrary, the Government’s own principles on regulation mean that standards must be achievable by industry and this point has been confirmed by the Defra team charged with developing the regime. As such, any licensing regime cannot have the effect of banning the use of wild animals and we are keen to ensure that the public are not misled on this important point.

Germany is in the process of agreeing a ban on wild animals in circuses, proving once again that there is no strong legal case against such a move and that we lag far behind other countries on this issue.

Your support is more vital than ever. If you are not already a member of CAPS, please consider joining us. Your membership will mean you are kept up to date with our ongoing work and, most importantly, support our work campaigning for captive animals. Click HERE to join now. Thank you.

The beleaguered zoo has seen problem after problem in recent years, including: concerns raised over its ability to meet legally-binding licensing conditions; failure to apply for planning permission for the new panda enclosure; apparent problems in raising the significant funds required to pay the Chinese Government for the pandas; and a series of serious staffing issues surrounding some of the zoo’s most senior management.

In light of ongoing concerns regarding the future of the zoo, we wrote jointly to the zoo during the summer questioning the wisdom of the proposed import of pandas, and calling for a hold to be placed on the panda deal at least until the establishment was on a more certain footing. This call was ignored by Edinburgh Zoo.

So, as the first pandas to live in the UK for 18 years arrive this weekend, and our concerns remain unanswered, we can only wait and see if the potentially crippling payments to the Chinese Government can be met, or if this deal, which Edinburgh Zoo appears to hope will be a boost for the its ailing finances, will in fact be the final straw for this failing visitor attraction.

Said Liz Tyson, Director of CAPS:

“With the zoo’s ability to meet legal standards for animal welfare having been brought into question during the official inspection process and a question mark hanging over Edinburgh Zoo with regard to its ability to meet standards in order to gain a new licence in the coming year, we remain very concerned for the future of the animals. To introduce the pandas into the equation is not only a backwards step in terms of conservation and ethics, but the cost that comes with them means that the zoo is putting extra pressure on their finances when they should be focusing on ensuring they meet the most basic standards for the animals already there. In short, it doesn’t bode well.”

Chris Draper, Senior Animal Welfare Scientist from the Born Free Foundation added:

“This is a short-sighted and retrograde step. Over time, I suspect we will see that this has less to do with conservation or education, and much more to do with resurrecting the fortunes of a fading visitor attraction. Tian Tian and Yang Guang are not ‘flagships’, nor even diplomatic gifts, but commodities in a primarily commercial exchange“.

Toka, Thika and Inringam will join nine other elephants at the sanctuary, which offers 50 hectares overall and a Jacuzzi pool for those animals with arthritis. Of course, no sanctuary can offer what the three would have experienced in the wild, but it is a great improvement and we are delighted at the news.

It’s likely they’ll experience warmer climate and be able to take part in more socialising. PAWS co-founder and co-director Pat Derby says: “We have the space and one of the best elephant facilities in this country, probably the world’’

Zoo board members very vocally disagreed when Toronto City Council overruled them in the decision to make the move last month.  Board members stated that council members were ‘’not qualified to make a decision on what’s best for these elephants,’’ and became defensive over the way in which the zoo might be regarded by the public. However, a mutual agreement has finally been met, and the elephants will soon be on their way.

With steps forward in Canada, it is disappointing that here in the UK, there are zoos planning to introduce more elephants into a life of captivity and captive breeding. Experts, including the RSPCA and other leading groups, have called for an end to elephant exhibits in this country for many years due to scientific research highlighting intrinsic welfare problems for captive elephants.

It’s widely known that elephants are a huge draw for paying visitors but in captivity they have only half the average life expectancy, and have restricted movement in small enclosures, which can’t even compare to the 20 miles per day they would usually walk. They are also prone to lameness, obesity and stereotypic behaviour.

Earlier this year the Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm made plans to set up an elephant exhibit of its own, but this was deemed ‘highly irresponsible’ by the RSPCA. Not only did the Zoo plan to breed captive elephants, which flies in the face of their claims of creating a “sanctuary” but was also previously exposed by CAPS for breeding tigers to be used in the Great British Circus. As a direct result of the CAPS exposé, NAZF lost its membership with trade body BIAZA (British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums).

The Canadian City Council of Toronto, thankfully, seems to have the right approach to the problem which still reigns in many zoos all over Britain today.  Elephants should not be held behind bars, and we would do well to follow their example.