Suffering of animals in circuses must be stopped, not simply displaced

A news report yesterday confirmed that a group of lions and tigers, likely to be those that have been used for a number of years in Tom Duffy’s Circus in Ireland, are destined to join a new circus in England. This comes just six months after campaigners celebrated the apparent end of use of big cats in English circuses as the last performing lions and tigers to be used by the UK-based Great British Circus were sent to Ireland to join Courtney Brothers Circus. It was heralded as the end of an era when Duffy’s announced that the big cats would be leaving the show but there is little to celebrate now we know that the animals will simply be moved across the Irish Sea to continue in the same existence.

Tiger in in Tom Duffy's circus in 2012. (c) CAPS/C.Redmond

Any victory is somewhat hollow if suffering is simply displaced from one country to another. In the long term, the more individual countries that ban the use of animals in circuses, the less demand there will be for those animals and the fewer will be bred in future to endure impoverished and unnatural lives in the big top. It goes without saying that we must continue to strive for national bans as part of the long-term campaign. In the meantime, though, we will continue to see animals being shifted from pillar to post and a tiger in a circus in England will suffer equally to a tiger in a circus in Ireland while the respective Governments continue to stall. This is why it is so important that the UK and Ireland close the door on this practice once and for all. 

Concern is not limited to wild animals (c) CAPS/C.Redmond

It is also vital that we don’t forget the other animals. As Duffy’s announced that they would no longer use big cats in their shows, they promptly replaced them with dogs and birds. This means more animals will be spending their lives performing meaningless tricks for circus audiences. Whilst none of the legislative measures in discussion in the UK and Ireland are currently considering banning the use of domesticated animals in circus shows, we firmly support an end to the use of all animals in circuses.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though – far from it. Irish Ministers from Dublin and Belfast have recently appointed a team to consider the situation of wild animals in circuses. England has committed to ban (although we continue to urge the Government to ignore the ill-advised recommendations of the select committee on this matter). Scotland is due to consult on the issue in the coming year and Wales has shown commitment to ban. 

Local grassroots action has been vital in driving down visitor numbers to animal circuses and shows have dropped animal acts in response to protests and negative feedback from customers. This has to continue for the horses, dogs and other domesticated animals which will not be protected by banning legislation.We are moving in the right direction and we will succeed. It will just take more hard work.

If you live in England, Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland, you can help.

If you live in ENGLAND, please write to Lord de Mauley today on demauley@parliament.uk and demand that the ban on all wild animals in circuses is implemented as soon as possible.

If you live in the REPUBLIC of IRELAND, please contact Minister, Simon Coveney, on simon.coveney@oir.ie to request an outright ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.

If you live in NORTHERN IRELAND, please contact Minister, Michelle O’Neill, on dardhelpline@dardni.gov.uk with the same request.