The Environment committee approved a motion proposed by the IU-ICV party yesterday that urges the government to join the Great Apes Project within the next four months. The project was founded in 1993 to ensure that "non-human hominids" like chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans should enjoy the right to life, freedom and not be tortured.

"This is an historic day in the struggle for animal rights and in defence of our evolutionary comrades, which will doubtless go down in the history of humanity," declared Pedro Pozas, who is the Spanish director of the Great Apes Project.

Should parliament ratify the Bill, it will no longer be legal for large apes to be used for scientific experimentation, and keeping apes for circuses, TV commercials or filming will also be forbidden.

Although it will still be legal for apes to be kept in zoos, substantial improvements will be required to bring installations up to the required standard.