Back in 2008, Catalonia, Spain, legally recognized animals as having “physical and psychic sensitivity.” Then two years ago, Catalonia (an area that includes Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona) made an amazing announcement to ban bullfighting from its region. Now, the autonomous community is looking to move forward with its animal welfare principles and ban animals in circus shows too.

According to Digital Journal, a bill was proposed by the regional parliament to “modify the animal protection law and include a ban on using animals in the circus,” and apparently already five of the seven parties in the parliament have already backed the bill, which is fantastic news!

Jordi Rull, a representative of CiU, the governing Catalan nationalist party, said via Digitial Journal that the number of animals in circuses has been in a state of decline in the region and adds that “circuses can be attractive and do different and fascinating things that draw adults and children, without needing to use animals.”

Right on, Rull!

The very text of the bill even reveals the cruel treatment of circus animals, saying that they are made to perform “unnatural” acts and undergo “violent training methods,” reports Digital Journal.

If the bill passes, then Catalonia will be the very first Spanish region to prohibit animals in circus shows, and the number of Spanish municipalities with a similar ban will climb from 99 to 133.

Ultimately, we’ll have to wait and see what happens with the bill, but hopefully we’ll witness its passage soon and rejoice like we did with the UK’s circus animals ban announcement!

Image source: Usien / Wikipedia Commons