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Mexico Bans Jungle Animals In Circuses

Mexico Bans Jungle Animals In Circuses

MEXICO CITY — Legislators in Mexico have voted to forbid the use of jungle animals such as elephants, big cats or monkeys in circuses across the country, threatening fines equivalent to over $220,000 for offenders, Spain's EFE agency and Latin American newspapers report.

The ban, applicable nationwide, is already in force in Mexico City and certain states such as Chihuahua in northern Mexico and Quintana Roo on the Caribbean. The bill empowers the federal government to create norms on the humane treatment of animals, and it obligates circuses to provide the Environment Ministry with a list of all their wild animals "with their characteristics."

The legislation was partly driven by recognition that large animals need particular foods and care conditions. In 2013-14, government inspectors carried out 96 checks, found 54 "irregularities" in circuses, and confiscated 117 animals from their owners, either for cruel treatment or uncertain origins, EFE reports.

Photo: Graeme Churchard

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Future

AI As God? How Artificial Intelligence Could Spark Religious Devotion

We may be about to see the emergence of a new kind of religion, where flocks worship — literally — at the altar of Artificial Intelligence.

Image of artificial intelligence as an artificial being

Artificial intelligence generated picture of AI as a god

Neil McArthur

The latest generation of AI-powered chatbots, trained on large language models, have left their early users awestruck —and sometimes terrified — by their power. These are the same sublime emotions that lie at the heart of our experience of the divine.

People already seek religious meaning from very diverse sources. There are, for instance, multiple religions that worship extra-terrestrials or their teachings.

As these chatbots come to be used by billions of people, it is inevitable that some of these users will see the AIs as higher beings. We must prepare for the implications.

There are several pathways by which AI religions will emerge. First, some people will come to see AI as a higher power.

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