Circus is no animal farm
4 000 Plett residents sign petition against visiting circus as animal activists crack the whip on animal rights
An upcoming visit by a well-known circus has left Plettenberg Bay animal rights activists hot under the collar and sparked a petition, signed by thousands, and planned protests against it.
By the time of going to print, about 4 000 have signed the petition and three protests have been scheduled for when the McLaren Circus is set to perform this week.
This reaction comes after the circus was given the go-ahead to host three shows at the Plett Rugby Club from 18 to 20 January.
Local residents Stephanie Shrosbree and Paul van der Schyff set the petition up and said that in an increasing number of towns and countries there is an “outright ban” on performing circus animals as it has been proven not only inhuman to have animals live in circus conditions, but also that, in order to get animals to perform in such acts, these animals are subjected to “the worst forms of animal cruelty”.
Protests planned
Ban Animal Trading (Bat) SA has since organised protests outside the Plett venue on each show date.
Bat director Kathey Raffray said the McLaren Circus is the only circus in SA that still uses wild animals and that Bat is against it from an animal rights perspective. “We are against animals being used for human entertainment and financial gain,” Raffray said.
The aim of Bat, she said, is to create awareness around animal rights. Plettenberg Bay-based Isabel Wentzel, group curator for the SA Animal Sanctuary Alliance, said there has been a “huge international campaign” against performing wild animals in circuses.
'SA lacks real laws'
“SA unfortunately lacks real laws that speak specifically to protecting animals used in circuses. Even the Performing Animals Protection Act does not prohibit this practice or really protect the animals against a 24/7, 365-daysa-year confined life in small enclosures, constant travelling, no choices in performing like domestic animals, noise, etc.,” Wentzel said.
She added that cruelty to even animals is not a “black and white, clear cut case” of beating an animal, starving it of food, denying it medical treatment or keeping it in filthy conditions. “The argument by the circus is that they love their animals, the animals are all captive-born so they do not know anything else and are thus basically domesticated, they give them veterinary attention, they feed them, they have an ‘exercise’ pen and they use positive rewards during training," she said.
'Wild animals stay wild'
“A wild animal like a lion and tiger will stay wild, no matter how ‘tame’ or humanised. There are many examples of ‘tame’ lions or tigers killing their owners or keepers.”
Wentzel said the argument by the circus is that the animals are trained by means of positive reinforcement and the animals are only asked to perform natural behaviours.
The natural behaviour of a lion or tiger does not include sitting on a chair, begging for food on command or jumping through hoops, Wentzel said. “How does this constitute natural behaviours for a wild animal?”
She added that there are also arguments around education for the underprivileged. “Bringing wild animals in a circus to people to show them lions and tigers sitting on chairs, jumping through hoops, being controlled by a human with a stick and a whip, has no educational value whatsoever. It gives people the completely wrong impression about the natural behaviours of these animals – it is demeaning for the animal, it encourages people to treat wild animals like domestic, tame house pets and as a result, people simply lose respect for wild animals.”
Anti-cruelty society speaks out
The NSPCA said in a statement that the organisation opposes any degree of confinement or the use of any animal in sport, entertainment or exhibition likely to cause distress or suffering or which may adversely affect the animal's welfare.
Some of the main concerns listed by the anti-cruelty society include animals being subjected to months on the road, confined in small barren cages or in chains; their natural environments cannot be recreated in circuses; the lack of appropriate social interaction; performing unnatural tricks; the threat to public safety; and not having any educational or conservational benefits.
Animals 'part of our circus family'
McLaren Circus spokesperson Karl Hildebrandt said they adhere to the “highest standard of animal welfare”.
“We maintain a personal bond with our animals, work with them on a daily basis and they do form part of our circus family,” he said.
Hildebrandt added that animal cruelty is a crime and that they are against it. “Just about every SPCA in SA monitors us when we travel in their district. The SPCA may oppose animals in entertainment, but they are there to ensure our animals' welfare is at the correct standards.
“The outcry is understandable, since McLaren Circus hasn’t been to Plettenberg Bay in many years. These animal activists are usually informed through social media, on posts not about McLaren Circus and have done very little to no research on our circus.”