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Zapashny commented on the idea of banning animals in the circus
These are the harsh words with which the artistic director of the Great Moscow Circus, People's Artist of Russia Askold Zapashny responded to the proposal of a State Duma deputy to ban the use of animals in circuses in an interview "This is simply aimed at hype." Vzglyad newspaper.
The debate has become more urgent since the bill was introduced in February by the leader of the New People party, Aleksey Nechayev, and the deputy speaker of the National Assembly, Vladislav Davankov. If the bill is adopted, circuses will have to stop using animals in their shows, and confiscated animals will have to be transported to rehabilitation centers and shelters. Lawmakers plan to discuss the bill in November.
Zapashny expressed dissatisfaction with this plan, emphasizing that such a move looks like a desire to draw attention to this issue and create excitement. "The delegates do not want to play with this," he concluded, hinting at his opinion about the short-sightedness and populist approach to the issues under discussion.
A recent poll conducted by VTsIOM confirms the public opinion analysis: about 64% of Russians consider animal performances an important part of the circus artistic tradition. Moreover, most circus fans admitted that they come to shows primarily to see trained animals.