Jurisdictions that have prohibited or severely restricted performing wild animal acts

Western Australia: prohibitions in 14 municipal jurisdictions: Armadale, Bayswater, Cambridge, Cockburn, Denmark, Fremantle, Kalamunda, Mosman Park, Nedlands, Peppermint Grove, South Perth, Swan, Victoria Park, Vincent.

South Australia: the number of prohibitions in this state has been reduced to one, Tea Tree Gully, due to local council amalgamations.

New South Wales: prohibitions in 12 municipal jurisdictions: Blue Mountains, Hornsby, Lake Macquarie, Liverpool, Manly, Newcastle, Parramatta City, Pittwater, Randwick, Warringah, Wingecarribee Shire, Woollahra.

Australian Capital Territory: the entire territory is subject to a prohibition.

Victoria: No information is currently available due to recent council amalgamations; some suburbs have prohibitions in place, however state law might override them.

AUSTRIA

County of Salzburg passed a decree in 1998 prohibiting the keeping of wild animals in circuses; some species will be phased out up to December 2004.

BRAZIL

Prohibition on the use of wild animals in circuses passed by States of Rio de Janeiro (May 2002) & Pernambuco, and cities of Port Alegre, Sao Leopoldo, Cotia, Bauru, Ubatuba, Santa Maria and Sorocaba.

CANADA

British Columbia: prohibitions in 19 municipal jurisdictions: Burnaby, Chilliwack, Coquitlam (city), Cowichan, Delta (municipality), Kamloops, Kelowna, Langley (township), Maple Ridge (regional district), Nanaimo (city), Nanaimo (regional district), New Westminster (municipality), North Cowichan, North Vancouver, Parksville, Saanich (districts), Salmon Arm, Surrey (city) Vancouver (city), Victoria.

Newfoundland: prohibitions in 2 municipal jurisdictions: City of St.John's, Mount Pearl

Nova Scotia: prohibitions in 5 municipal jurisdictions: Argyle (municipality), Bridgewater (town), Digby (town), Shelburne (town), Yarmouth (town)

In 1999, provincial standards for exhibiting circus animals in Nova Scotia were adopted. Circuses may not hold primate, bear, pinniped, cetacean, amphibian or fish species, and must adhere to specified standards for other species.

Ontario: prohibition in Town of Cobourg

Quebec: prohibitions in 2 municipal jurisdictions: Mont Royal, St. Laurent

COLUMBIA

Prohibition on the use of wild animals in circuses passed by cities of Bogota and Dos Quebradas.

COSTA RICA

Federal prohibition against the use of wild animals in circuses.

CROATIA

Prohibitions in 27 municipalities: Bjelovar, Cakovec, Delnice, Donji Miholjac, Dugo Selo, Gospic, Karlovac, Klanjec, Kraljevica, Krizevci, Lepoglava, Mursko Sredisce, Nin, Novi Marof, Novigrad, Ozalj, Ploce, Pozega, Prelog, Rovinj, Sisak, Split, Varazdin, Varazdinske Toplice, Velika Gorica, Vukovar, Zabok.

DENMARK

Federal prohibition against exhibitions and performances of all wild animals in place since 1962 (per Law of Protection of Animals)

FINLAND

Federal prohibition against circus or similar performances including elephants, monkeys, beasts of prey, animals of the seal family, rhinos, hippotami, wild ruminants, marsupials, raptorial birds, ostriches, crocodiles or hoofed animals. (per Animal Protection Law of January 27, 1971, renewed on September 30, 1985.)

GREECE

Prohibition on wild animals in circuses in 3 municipalities: Crete, Patras, Thessaloniki.

INDIA

The federal government issued a Notification in 1991 prohibiting the exhibition and training of five species of performing animals for entertainment: tigers, monkeys, bears, panthers and lions. The Indian Circus Federation challenged the Notification and the Delhi High Court granted an interim stay (per the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960). The stay was lifted per notification: G.S.R. 619(E), 14th October,1998. The prohibition regarding these 5 species is now in force.

IRELAND

Prohibition in City of Belfast.

ISRAEL

Prohibition in City of Tel Aviv.

NORWAY

Federal prohibitition against exhibiting all wild animals in public (per The Animal Protection Law, 1974).

SINGAPORE

Prohibition on the use of wild animals in circuses and travelling shows.

SPAIN

Prohibition on the use of wild animals in circuses in Barcelona and Blanes.

SWEDEN

Federal prohibitition against touring and circus exhibitions of monkeys, predators, with the exception of domesticated dogs and cats, pinnipeds with the exception of sea-lions, rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, deer, giraffes, kangaroos, birds of prey, ratite birds and crocodiles (per the Animal Protection Ordinance, 1988).

SWITZERLAND

Federal prohibition in place.

UNITED KINGDOM

Over 220 municipal or county jurisdictions have either prohibited wild animals only or all performing animals. These include Barnsley, Blackpool, Birmingham City, Bournemouth, Cardiff (Whales), Cambridge, Coventry, Derby, Dover, Dunbarton (Scotland), Eastbourne, Exeter, Lancaster, Liverpool, Maidenhead, Nottingham, Oxford, Portsmouth, Yeomouth, York.

UNITED STATES

Prohibitions in the following municipalities: Encinitas (California); Garona (California); Huntington Beach (California); Pasadena (California) - on public property; Santa Ana (California); Boulder (Colorado); Estes Park (Colorado); Stamford (Connecticut); Hollywood (Florida); Lauderdale Lakes (Florida); Collinsville (Illinois); Takoma Park (Maryland); Braintree (Massachusetts); Quincy (Massachusetts); Revere (Massachusetts); Richmond (Missouri); Greenburgh (New York); Southampton (New York); Orange County (South Carolina) - unincorporated areas of the county; Port Townsend (Washington); Redmond (Washington).

Many US municipal jurisdictions have prohibitions against certain types of animal performances, such as bear wrestling, mule diving, elephant rides etc.; these have not been catalogued.

VENEZUELA

Prohibition in the City of Naguanagua

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