Dublin Councillor Calls For Boycott Of Controversial Animal Circus
Issued : Tuesday 6 July, 2010
North Inner City councillor, Claire O'Regan, has joined with an animal protection charity in calling on people to boycott a controversial animal circus which is performing in the city this month.
Duffy's Circus is the only one in Ireland to have tigers and a lion in addition to alligators, horses, llamas and other animals. It is one of five circuses in the country still using animals.
Labour councillor Claire O'Regan said:
"The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Captive Animals Protection Society are completely opposed to the use of wild animals in circuses and believe that animal acts in circuses serve no useful function. I support their view that circuses are said to provide harmless entertainment for humans, but this disregards the suffering caused to the animals involved or the likelihood of the animal having been trained by fear and coercion techniques.
Our colleagues on Cork City Council voted in 2008 to ban circuses which use live animals as part of their act from performing within its jurisdiction
I am proposing an emergency motion at the Arts Culture Leisure and Youth sub committee tomorrow as follows:
"To ask the manager of Dublin City Council not to accept tenders from circuses that use wild animals in their act and to refrain from supporting in any way circuses with wild animals, within the jurisdiction of the City Council."
Craig Redmond, Campaigns Director for the Captive Animals' Protection Society (CAPS), added:
"Animal circuses are an outdated form of entertainment and there's no fun in transportinganimals around Ireland for most of the year, caging and confining them and making them perform in the circus ring.
"Last year, Bristol University scientists concluded that circuses fail to provide some of the most basic welfare needs of wild animals, such as space and social groups and that there was no evidence to suggest that the needs of wild animals can be met in circuses.
"We encourage the public to avoid circuses using animals. We encourage the move to all-human performances to provide great entertainment without the cruelty."
The use of animals in circuses has been on the decline since a major investigation by CAPS in 2006 which found elephants, a rhino, hippo and giraffe had been imported to Ireland to use in circuses.
CAPS has lobbied the Irish government to introduce a ban on animal use in circuses through the Animal Health and Welfare Bill.
Cllr 
