Since last Monday, February  17, a group of animal rights activists are camped in front of the National Congress in Brasilia, with the aim of pressuring lawmakers to approve bills that address animal rights. Among them is ElephantVoices, international NGO dedicated to the protection of elephants. Speaking to R7, Junia Machado, representative of the organization in Brazil, explains that the country is experiencing a very favorable situation for these changes after the withdrawal of beagles from a laboratory test, in São Paulo.

“There is increasing attention and the trend is improving. There is a group of MPs focused on the causes and ideas of interesting and innovative measures. And the voice of the people who defend animal rights is getting stronger.”

One of the requirements of the group is the approval of bill No. 7.291/2006, which aims ending the use of animals in circuses all over the country. Despite being banned in 10 states of the country, there are still areas where you can find shows with the use of large mammals. “As long as it is a distant reality for a lot of people, many do not have the knowledge that this practice still exists ,” said the Brazilian activist .

Accustomed to save elephants, Junia remember the rescue of an elephant in Paraíba city (northeast of Brazil), whose presence of animals in circus attractions is illegal. The animal was rescued and taken to a city zoo. Despite the rescue, the activist has her considerations about captivity.

“Normally, the animals are alone and in much smaller areas that they are accustomed to, and without being able to walk long distances, resulting in physical and mental diseases.”

National sanctuary

One option to house the rescued animals would be to create an Elephant Sanctuary. According to Junia Machado, the project of a specialized area in Brazil was developed two years ago and should be announced soon.

Initially, supervised visits will not be allowed on the site. However, there is a plan of putting cameras all over the territory so they can be accessed by scholars or people interested for the species.

Love for elephants

Since childhood, Junia has passion for animals. In one of her readings on wildlife, she came across the African elephant and a text titled ‘Elephants are almost human’. “After that , I was amazed by the species and excited to one day see them up close,” she explains.

In 2005, she made her first visit to Africa, where she could have contact with the disturbing reality in which the animals live. On the mainland, it is quite common the hunting to obtain ivory. With so many alerts for the species to be preserved, Junia is committed to caring for the largest possible number of elephants in the country.

Source : R7 / ANDA