A renewed push is being made to end the sale of exploitative animal experiences abroad by a Somerset MP.
Rachel Gilmour, the Liberal Democrat MP for Tiverton and Minehead, has joined animal welfare groups in urging the UK government to enforce legislation that would ban the sale and promotion of such activities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act became law in 2023 with strong cross-party backing but remains unimplemented.
The government has yet to introduce the regulations required to specify which activities are covered under the act.
Mrs Gilmour said: "I fully support the Low Welfare Act coalition’s urgent call for this important and overdue legislation to be fully implemented.
"Many of my constituents have emailed me on this topic, and the lack of activity from the government on this legislation.
"Anyone who knows me, knows that I care deeply about animal welfare and want to see animals treated with dignity and respect.
"That is not what is happening in many of the venues being promoted by trusted travel companies.
"If these activities are considered too cruel to take place here, they should not be sold here either.
"The UK has long been a global leader on animal welfare, and it must now honour that reputation by enforcing this act without further delay."
The delay means travel companies can still legally sell tickets to tourist experiences that involve animal cruelty.
Examples include elephant rides and bathing, which often involve calves being separated from their mothers and subjected to violent training methods to force their compliance.
Captive dolphin and whale shows are also targeted by the legislation.
These marine mammals are confined to small tanks for entertainment. In the wild, dolphins have a home range of up to 400 square kilometres.
Another concern is big cat cub petting, where young animals are bred and removed from their mothers shortly after birth.
Some have their teeth and claws removed to make them safer for tourists.
Once they become too large to handle, many are killed for their bones to be used in traditional medicine or sold for canned hunting.
A spokesperson for the Low Welfare Act coalition said: "The tourism industry responds to demand.
"The longer travel companies are allowed to promote these cruel experiences through misleading, glossy advertising, the more animals will be captured or bred to suffer for profit and entertainment.
"More than two years after this legislation was passed, its continued lack of enforcement represents a clear failure to protect animal welfare and to honour commitments made to the public."
The Low Welfare Act coalition includes more than 100 organisations and individuals, such as Born Free, PETA, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, and World Animal Protection.
These organisations are calling for immediate implementation of the act to prevent further suffering and uphold the UK’s reputation for animal welfare.
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