Government inaction on animal rights is 'disappointing'

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The coalition's lack of action over the use of wild animals in circuses "paints a worrying picture", says Helder Constantino of Animal Defenders International.

Could you tell us about Animal Defenders International (ADI) and the work that you do?

Animal Defenders International is a London-based, international animal protection group with additional offices in Los Angeles, USA and Bogota, Colombia. We have a big presence in South America, with campaigns running in Bolivia, Brazil, Peru and Chile, amongst other nations.

We campaign against the use of animals in entertainment, especially circuses. We also oppose the use of animals in experiments and we promote more efficient and ethical scientific methods.

Our "Save the Primates" campaign draws attention to the problems affecting our closest relative in the animal kingdom. For example we are campaigning against the use of monkeys by NASA and the Russian Space Agency, and the use of wild-caught primates in laboratory animal breeding and supply centres in Asia.

The methods that we use are typically undercover investigations, public education and the publication of scientific reports. ADI seeks to achieve results through the lobbying of governments and parliaments.

We also rescue animals. At the moment we have a major rescue operation going on in Bolivia, where we have rescued 25 lions from circuses there, having effectively brought about a ban on the use of animals in circuses there. They are being rehomed to a state of the art facility in Colorado, USA.

A top priority for the ADI is the Stop Circus Suffering campaign. What work do you undertake to lobby government, both in the UK and abroad, to end the abuse of animals in circuses?

In the UK we try to maintain direct contact with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and its animal welfare unit.

We use this direct contact to communicate with ministers and to persuade them that our opposition to the use of wild animals in circuses is the correct approach.

We also seek to involve the general public in our campaigns, to ensure that the government realises that our positions have strong public support. We go into town centres with our inflatable elephant, which gives us a fantastic visual presence and creates interest, and we speak directly to people and give them postcards, so they can write to their MPs and encourage them to sign Early Day Motion (EDM) 403 on ‘wild animals in circuses'.

We also encourage members of the public to write to their MPs and to government directly. People can organise small demonstrations, such as when there is a circus in town. This method is proving very effective for us too.

To show ministers that Parliament supports a ban on wild animals in circuses, we also encourage MPs to get involved in our campaigns. A few weeks ago, ADI hosted a photocall in Victoria Tower Gardens to highlight this, where we gathered 26 MPs alongside our inflatable elephant, right in front of Parliament. The story and pictures have been appearing in the regional media, which keeps the issue in the spotlight.

Additionally we recently published a poll, which showed that more than 63 per cent of MPs are in favour of a ban and only 14 per cent disagreed. This further demonstrates the effectiveness of our lobbying.

Outside the UK we have used the same strategies: investigations, involving the public and directly meeting with decision-makers. In Bolivia we have had fantastic results, where all animals in circuses have now been banned. In Brazil similar prohibitive legislation is soon moving from the House of Representatives to the Senate, and in Peru we expect a final vote this year on a bill to ban all animals in circuses.

What contact have you had with the coalition government on this issue and have you found them receptive to your concerns?

Last year, ADI and other animal protection groups met with Lord Henley, the minister with responsibility for the welfare of wild animals. The discussion was solely about animals in circuses, so we had the opportunity to raise our concerns.

We maintain contact through Defra – the minister and the animal welfare unit – and in December we held a presentation for the associate parliamentary group for animal welfare (AGPAW).

Unfortunately the government has sent signals that it would rather self-regulate the use of animals in circuses, rather than legislate a complete ban. We are disappointed about this, but believe that we can overturn this position because we have the support of the public and many parliamentarians. We are not giving up.

In 2010 Jim Fitzpatrick MP tabled EDM 403 on wild animals in circuses. What success has this had? Have MPs been broadly supportive of the motion?

It has proved to be a real success. It was tabled in July of 2010 and currently has 167 signatories. The EDM has received between 20-30 signatures since December, so the banning of wild animals in circuses continues to be a popular issue within Parliament.

This is also one of the most signed motions in the animal welfare category, proving the depth of feeling and resolve to have something done.

The signatories are from all political parties and, as such, we have received broad cross-party support for this issue.

What other campaigns are ADI seeking to focus on throughout 2011?

A huge concern for us is animal testing. A new directive on animal testing, Directive 2010/63/EU, has to be transposed this year by the government, either through primary legislation or regulation.

We want to see the government make significant improvements for animal welfare in laboratories and to replace animal experimentation with more efficient and ethical methods. The new directive will oblige the government to review the existing animal testing legislation, and we want to cease this opportunity to make proposals that go in that direction. We will put a lot of effort in defending these proposals in 2011.

Are animal rights issues prominent enough within the government's agenda? What more could be done?

So far I believe that the animal rights and welfare community is disappointed with the government. It has reversed, or threatened to reverse, a lot of the progress achieved by the previous government.

The Labour government had made it clear that it would ban wild animals in circuses, but the coalition now appears to be leaning towards self-regulation.

The coalition has reversed the ban on badger culls and scrapped some welfare requirements for game birds. There is also talk that there will be a vote on the repeal of the fox-hunting ban.

This is all highly disappointing and paints a worrying picture of the government's views on animal welfare.

Let us not forget the role of the Liberal Democrats in the coalition. At the 2010 election they published a manifesto that included a number of very positive statements on animal welfare, including a ban on wild animals in circuses. We are asking them not to compromise on their pledges.

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