East Ayrshire Council has moved to ban circuses using wild or exotic animals on council-owned land.

At a meeting last week the council agreed to adopt a policy of refusing to lease council-owned sites to such circuses.

This follows appeals to the council by animal rights organisations such as Advocates for Animals and Captive Animals Protection Society. These organisations raised concerns about the methods circuses use to train animals, the inadequate temporary housing while on tour, the 'unnatural social grouping' and the intense travelling conditions for the animals throughout the circus season.

Other local authorities such as Fife and Edinburgh have introduced policies of not letting council land to circuses with wild or domestic animals.

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Following the passage of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, the Scottish Government is expected to legislate later this year on the use of animals in circuses.

Advocates for Animals' Political Director, Libby Anderson, said: "We congratulate East Ayrshire Council for banning circuses with wild animals on council land. We hope that in due course the council will consider extending this ban to include all animals, both wild and domesticated.

"We would encourage other councils who do not yet have similar policies in place to consider their position."

Captive Animals Protection Society's Campaigns Manager, Craig Redmond, added: "We believe that taking animals on extended tours of this country and beyond, for the purpose of public entertainment is outmoded and - now that society has a better understanding of animal behaviour and needs - frankly unethical. We would like to see circuses with animals a thing of the past in Scotland.

"We urge the public to turn their backs on all circuses which use animals and instead visit any of the large number of circuses using only human acts where the performer has a chose whether to take part or not."

(GK/JM)