The Campania Regional Council has approved a resolution containing new operational guidelines to increase checks on the welfare conditions of animals used in circuses, exhibitions, wildlife exhibitions and traveling shows. The provision introduces a system of homogeneous technical-veterinary tools available to local health authorities and municipalities, with the aim of making checks traceable and rigorous throughout the territory.
The main innovation consists in the introduction of a Risk Index, with a score between 0 and 100, which will allow the authorities to plan targeted inspections by analyzing the documentation, the type of species, the transport and detention conditions, as well as the background of the operators. The regional councilor for animal protection Fiorella Zabatta underlined that entertainment cannot justify situations of suffering for sentient beings. The requests of animal rights associations contributed to the definition of the text, including the initiatives of the dog educators Patrizia Colone and Veronica Garofalo, together with the institutional work carried out by the former regional councilor Roberta Gaeta.
The national regulatory vacuum and the Government’s postponements
Campania’s initiative undoubtedly represents good news for the territorial protection system, but at the same time highlights how regional and local authorities find themselves forced to move in no particular order due to the inertia of the centralized state. The legislative process to stop animal exploitation in circuses began with law 175 of 22 November 2017, then continuing with delegated law 106 of 15 July 2022, rules which provided for the progressive elimination of the use of species in shows. However, the ministerial implementing decrees were never issued and yet another extension set the deadline for 31 December 2026.
A necessary protection while awaiting the absolute ban
The strengthening of inspection activities approved in Campania does not introduce new delay bans, limiting itself to providing uniform evaluation criteria and the obligation to draw up an annual report on the irregularities found. Although the introduction of the checklist and the risk score guarantee higher standards of supervision, the real victory for animal rights will only be achieved with the full and definitive implementation of the national law. In the meantime, local administrations are trying to stem the critical issues with the tools at their disposal, facing a fragmented regulatory framework while waiting for the Government to keep its commitments.
