Families urged to boycott ‘demeaning’ big cat show

FAMILIES have been urged to boycott a “demeaning” show featuring the UK’S last circus big cats.

The only remaining lion tamer in Britain, Thomas Chipperfield, keeps two lions and three tigers in cages on a croft in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire.

It has emerged that the creatures are the stars of a show next month which will be held on the site of a former air base and raise money for charity Cash for Kids.

Posters have been put up in nearby villages advertising “An evening with lions and tigers” with tickets costing £6 for adults and £4 for children.

The lions and tigers, which each weigh about 400lbs, will perform “training displays” and people will be able to watch them during “feeding time” at Crimond Airfield, Fraserburgh.

Animal activists claim the show is a “distasteful, outdated performance” and have urged the local council to investigate its legality.

In the 1950s, Thomas Chipperfield’s family owned the biggest circus in Europe with a herd of 16 elephants and more than 200 other animals.