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What it is

Rules for zoos to protect their wild animals

BOE step 7 of 7 · Passed

It is a government bill. Introduced by the Government. It was introduced on 21 February 2003. Introduced by: Gobierno.

Official title: Government bill on the conservation of wild fauna in zoos.

Follow this law

Source: Congreso de los Diputados, file 121/000131· updated 11 Nov

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

  1. The law applies to zoos, public or private, that keep live wild animals for permanent display. It does not apply to circuses or to businesses that buy or sell animals.
  2. Zoos must house animals according to their biological needs, enrich their enclosures, prevent pests and parasites, and stop animals from escaping, especially potentially invasive species.
  3. They must run three programs: conservation outside the natural habitat (research, training, information exchange and breeding), public education on biodiversity, and advanced veterinary care.
  4. Opening to the public, making a substantial modification or expanding a zoo requires authorization from the autonomous community, which must also inspect each zoo at least once a year.
  5. Offenses are classified as minor, serious and very serious, with fines from 300 to 300,500 euros. Opening without authorization or mistreating animals can lead to the temporary or permanent closure of the zoo.
  6. Zoos already open when the law took effect had to request authorization within one year; if they did not, they had to close to the public.

Who it affects

  • Zoos: They must meet animal welfare measures, run conservation, education and veterinary programs, and get authorization to open or expand.
  • The autonomous communities (comunidades autónomas): They authorize, inspect and sanction zoos, and keep records of those authorized in their territory.
  • The Ministry of the Environment (Ministerio de Medio Ambiente): It keeps the national inventory of zoos using data provided by the autonomous communities.
  • Zoo owners and employees: They must allow inspectors access and answer for any offenses they commit.

Words worth knowing

Conservación «ex situ»
Protecting species outside their natural habitat, for example in zoos.
Especies potencialmente invasoras
Species that, if they escape, can harm local species and ecosystems.
Cierre cautelar
A provisional closure of a zoo while it is decided whether it committed an offense.
Responsabilidad subsidiaria
The zoo owner is liable if the staff cannot pay the fine.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries

Where it stands

How far did it get?

It took 7 of 7 steps. It reached BOE, and today it is passed.

  1. Introduced21 February 2003Someone registers the text in the Congreso.
  2. Admitted25 February 2003The Bureau of the Congreso accepts it and, for a members’ bill, the plenary decides whether to consider it.
  3. Amendments28 February 2003Groups propose changes.
  4. Committee1 April 2003A committee goes through the text in detail.
  5. Plenaryno dateAll 350 deputies vote.
  6. Senate18 June 2003The Senate can pass it, amend it or veto it.
  7. BOE16 October 2003It is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) and comes into force.
See the 8 official steps on a timeline
Mar 2003Jun 2003Sept 200311. 21 February 2003: Presentación22. 25 February 2003: Comisión de Medio Ambiente Publicación desde 25/02/2003 hasta 28/02/200333. 25 February 2003: Calificación44. 28 February 2003: Comisión de Medio Ambiente Enmiendas desde 28/02/2003 hasta 01/04/200355. 1 April 2003: Comisión de Medio Ambiente Informe desde 01/04/2003 hasta 22/04/200366. 22 April 2003: Comisión de Medio Ambiente Aprobación con competencia legislativa plena desde 22/04/2003 hasta 18/06/200377. 18 June 2003: Senado desde 18/06/2003 hasta 16/10/200388. 16 October 2003: Concluido - (Aprobado con modificaciones) desde 16/10/2003 hasta 17/11/2003

Was there a plenary vote?

We have no plenary vote linked to this law in the Congreso’s data.

What happens next

What happens now?

It is law, or will be once published in the BOE. It comes into force on the date its own text sets.

The same initiative in the other chamber:

Published in the BOE: Law 31/2003, of 27 October, on the conservation of wild fauna in zoos.

Sources

Where does all this come from?

  • The data comes from the open files of the Congreso, the Senate and the BOE, unaltered.
  • Each deputy’s province is the one of their seat on the day of the vote.
  • We only say “passed” or “rejected” when the majority needed is certain; otherwise we say which side had more votes.

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