Hungary has banned the use of wild animals in circus performances, with the prohibition taking effect on 1 January 2027. The restriction was enacted through a government decree published in the Hungarian Gazette (Magyar Közlöny, and it makes Hungary the final European Union member state to align with a bloc-wide trend that has no single overarching law behind it.
25 animal groups, with domestic species carved out
The decree prohibits acquiring, breeding, keeping, training, displaying or using 25 groups of wild animals in circus productions. Covered species include elephants, primates, big and other wild cats, bears, giraffes, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, seals, kangaroos, red pandas, wild canids, birds of prey and reptiles classified as dangerous. The rules extend to hybrids up to the fourth generation. Domestic animals including dogs, cats, horses, donkeys and pigs are exempt.
Rather than forcing immediate relocation, the measure phases out affected performances. Animals already legally held by a circus on 1 January 2027 may stay for the rest of their lives, but they can no longer be trained, displayed or bred, subject to a narrow transitional exception for existing breeding permits.
According to government spokesperson Éva Magyar, the decision responds to strengthening public and animal-welfare expectations, as reported by the Budapest Times. She noted that Hungary had previously applied only a partial ban, an arrangement that allowed foreign troupes to bring animals into the country to perform after facing stricter rules at home. Eurogroup for Animals records that 24 of the EU’s 27 member states already maintain some form of national restriction on circus animals, ranging from species-specific rules to full bans.
Image: Becky Phan on Unsplash
A zoo director in the environment ministry
The reform follows Hungary’s change of government, with the new administration creating a Ministry for the Living Environment, led by László Gajdos, the former director of Nyíregyháza Zoo, who had committed to phasing out wild-animal circus acts shortly after his appointment.
The Hungarian National Circus supported the decision. Its director, József Richter Jr., said the company would take in Szandra, an Indian elephant described as the last wild animal still performing in a Hungarian circus ring, offering her accommodation at its safari park, according to Hungary Today.
Raul Vida, an animal advocate and CEO of Empathy Story, connected the outcome to years of civil-society pressure: “This ban marks a long-awaited step forward for animal welfare in Hungary. It reflects decades of work by advocates, organisations and partners who kept this issue on the public and political agenda. I am proud to have been part of that effort.”