A ban on using wild animals in travelling circuses because of welfare concerns is not supported by the scientific evidence, a report found yesterday.

Mike Radford, of Aberdeen University and chairman of the UK Circus Working Group, said the decision to introduce such curbs was now in the hands of politicians.

The Scottish Government said last night it would explore the issue before making any comment on introducing legislation for a ban north of the border.

An academic panel was created to consider the scientific evidence from both sides of the highly contentious debate as to whether wild animals were suitable for travelling circuses.

The report, published yesterday, said the panel concluded: "There appears to be little evidence to demonstrate that the welfare of animals kept in travelling circuses is any better or worse than that of animals kept in other captive environments."

The academic panel, nominated by animal welfare groups and industry representatives who formed the working group, said they found no evidence that regular transportation caused an adverse effect on animal welfare.

The six-person panel also said that, while being kept in a circus meant the animals were more confined than in the wild, that did not necessarily lead to adverse welfare.

They concluded that animal health was generally good in travelling circuses and it was difficult to make a decision as to whether evidence of "stereotypic behaviour" such as pacing showed poor welfare.

The independent report was released by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

There are fewer than 50 animals involved in travelling circuses in the UK, including a retired but still touring elephant, seven tigers, five lions, a number of llamas, zebras and snakes.

But the Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses report by the chairman of the Working Group Mr Radford said animals such as tigers, elephants, sea lions, zebras and camels were still widely used in European circuses and a decision in the UK would be closely watched on the continent.

He said: "The overriding conclusion of this exercise is that our present state of knowledge about the welfare of non-domesticated animals used in circuses is such that we cannot look to scientific evidence for a steer in the development of policy; it is, ultimately, an entirely political decision."

The report said changes needed to be made, as travelling circuses are not covered by any kind of animal welfare regulation - such as that afforded to animals in zoos - except the standards all individuals have to maintain and the requirement they register with local authorities.

Natalie Smart, of the SSPCA, said last night: "We are very disappointed that the scientific evidence wasn't there, but that doesn't mean that we don't have welfare concerns.

"We do not think it is appropriate to have wild animals in circuses and would like to see that stopped. We are going to have to see what the government decides to do, but we are very strong in our views."

Craig Redmond, of Captive Animals' Protection Society, said: "The cruelty of transporting animals all over the country, training them to perform unnatural tricks, keeping them on lorries or chained up, is obvious."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "We hope to meet Mr Radford in the coming weeks to discuss his findings and consider the detail of his report. We note that his conclusion - lack of scientific evidence - makes it more problematic to use animal welfare legislation with regard to circuses.

It is always open to MSPs to sponsor a bill on such matters, but in the meantime, the Scottish Government will explore this general issue further. It should also be borne in mind that there are no circuses based in Scotland and there have only been a handful of visits in recent years."

Chris Barltrop, chairman of the industry sub group within the working group, who has been in the circus for more than 30 years, said the report was "tremendous".

He said the industry was prepared to accept greater regulation.