Lions jumping through burning rings of fire. Tigers riding on the backs of horses. These are just a couple of the popular circus acts that may soon be banned in Mexico. That country’s Congress recently passed a bill that would make it illegal for traveling circuses to use wild animals. The bill will become a law if President Enrique Peña Nieto signs it. About 30 other countries have some type of ban on wild-animal acts in circuses. Some members of the U.S. Congress hope to pass a similar law here.
Many animal-rights supporters accuse circuses of abusing animals to get them to do tricks. They also argue that the animals spend much of their time in cages or being hauled in trailers or trains from city to city.