Chiapas is the southernmost state of Mexico, with a population of around 5 million people. Rich in history and natural environments, Chiapas is already famous for many reasons, and now it is worth visiting for one more reason: on 15 May it became the sixth Mexican state to prohibit the use of animals in circuses.
Lioness - Lionsrock, Bethlehem, South Africa, 2011
Mexico is divided into 31 states, plus the Federal District where Mexico City is located. Before Chiapas, another 5 states had adopted similar legislation: Querétaro, Morelos, Colima, Guerrero and Chihuahua. Chiapas is the largest state so far to do so.
The state’s Government Secretary, Eduardo Ramírez, has expressed his support for the decision of the Chiapas MPs, saying: “This is a sensitive government, which while respecting people and their human rights, at the same time has as a priority the protection of animal life and of the environment”.
You can read an article on this decision on the website of the Institute of Social Communication of Chiapas (in Spanish).
Another piece of good news for animals detained in circuses arrived from Colombia the day before Chiapas approved its law. The plenary of Colombia’s Constitutional Court confirmed the validity of the national law approved in June last year. Bolivia, Peru and Paraguay had already approved similar laws.
You can read an article on the decision of the Colombian Constitutional Court on the website of El Espectador (in Spanish).
