Circus say it was too much hassle to have animals?

national | animal rights | opinion/analysis

Tuesday January 20, 2009 11:42

by Bernie Wright - Alliance for Animal Rights

berniew at esatclear dot ie

AFAR. PO Box 4734. Dublin.1

0872651720

Apparently Direct Action gets results?

For a number of years (4 at least) Circus Vegas and other Irish Circuses with animals,( American Circus, Sydney, New York etc,) have been the target of the ALF (Animal Liberation Front) who repeatedly removed or destroyed their signs on a regular basis.
This was due to their use and abuse of both Wild and domestic animals in their shows.
The Vegas Circus told us as we demonstrated at their circus that they had signs damaged to the tune of over 2000 euro a few years ago. This circus is owned by some of the Courtneys Brothers from Wexford.

Circus life for elephants

Over the years a court case retrieved the cost of an activists video camera that was smashed by a circus employee from Vegas Circus, 5 people were bitten by a monkey from Circus New York , a circus employee was injured by an elephant he was beating with a stick and animal rights activists were both psychically attached, one requiring face stitches and were threatened by circus security person wielding a knife in Blackrock,Dublin.(later denied by Circus when reported to Gardai). Tigers held in a beast wagon at a Duffys Circus site in Galway ripped off a mans arms back in the ninetys.Again proving that a circus is no place for animals.

Two people were killed in Galway when a circus trailer detached and another beast wagon with an elephant on board went on fire in Dublin on the M50. Numerous animals were abandoned or stranded without food or water including Elephants in Wales and a monkey left in a van for a week in a Garage and forgotten about.

We currently have Circus Vegas in Swords, Co Dublin WITHOUT any animals. Apparently they said “it was too much hassle to have animals” according to a reliable source. Their posters currently do not feature animals. Hopefully this is a permanent development. Animal activists do not oppose circuses but oppose the use of animals by them.

"TOO MUCH HASSLE "cited as a reason for this development seems to be yet another case of DIRECT ACTION succeeding.

Bye laws and Local opposition:
They (the circus) can still use non- council or private sites despite the latest ban against animals with circuses from South Dublin council. Fingal County Council, Dun Laoghaire County Council ,Belfast and Cork councils have also passed similar motions. It is great progress on a local level, but from our point of view is not by any means enough of a deterrent as animals are still being dragged around Ireland in beast-wagons for entertainment.

The battle continues…