Skegness Circus Animal Rights Protest
Supporters of the Captive Animals Protection Society (CAPS) held a peaceful demonstration as the Great British Circus gave two performances at Skegness today.
Members of the CAPS, positioned at the entrance of the field on Burgh Road where the Big Top has been erected, were holding placards and distributing leaflets to the circus-goers.
The leader of the campaign (left in our picture below) told us they were trying to enlighten the public to the horror that goes on behind bars, saying “Circuses are an archaic form of entertainment akin to freak shows.” Some say that if it weren’t for circuses people wouldn’t get the chance to see wild animals. But the CAPS campaigner told us: ” Most people will never get chance to see a Mongolian peasant but we wouldn’t dream of imprisoning him behind bars and inflicting cruelty to make him perform ridiculous tricks”.
Animal Rights
The protesters believe that animals have as much right to be free on this earth as humans have. “If we make one member of the public aware by our protest here today, then it is worth it”, the campaign leader concluded.
Below is our video interview with the leader of the CAPS demonstration (interviewer, Paul Gooch).
We took a peak at the circus this morning, hours before today’s shows began.
A Polish family had wandered into the field where some camels were tethered and grazing. The children enjoyed stroking the animals and feeding them bananas.
After a short while a security officer from the circus approached, telling us to move away from the camels as they could bite us.
Below is the Great British Circus promotional video.
Peter Stephenson said:
I do not believe that animals necessarily have any great wish to be in the “the wild” if they are offered a decent place somewhere much nicer. Humans, along with all other animals, evolved and currently live in a Darwinian and Malthusian nightmare. Strangely enough, the moment we had the choice we decided we didn’t want to continue with the endless suffering and slaughter and did something entirely different – society and civilised existence. Its all very well looking at the endless wilderness from a comfortable safari hotel and contemplating its grandeur and nobility – and forgetting that is literally hell on earth for the billions of animals condemned to live out their nasty, brutish and short lives in the place. Many animals are sufficiently adaptive to get used to regular shelter, food and safety, and I doubt if many of them achieving it yearn to thrown back into the cauldron of natural selection.
I entirely agree that every organism must have a viable gene pool maintained in their natural environment to ensure their development – but if the odd individual can be offered a place somewhere nicer I don’t see it violates any great principle. My dog and cat had every opportunity to run off into the wild – but for some strange reason, every day, they chose to live with me, colonise my hearth and my kitchen and lived to a very old age – not noticeably pining for a life in the wild. Lets get real and stop imagining that any half intelligent animals wants to live in the nightmare regions of the wild if something better is available.
Yes, once tame animals released into the wild they may run around very happily – but when they finally figure its for keeps and not just a holiday it is usually with some difficulty that they are prevented from returning to human society. It is time we stopped this nonsensical thinking and realised that individuals from species that aren’t threatened are often very well accommodated when they are living with us.
Michael and Sheila Medlar said:
Jeff Link, communications manager with the Great British Circus, has said “We would like to keep them [the elephants] because we believe they are wonderful ambassadors for the animal kingdom. They are lovely sensitive animals and people will love them.”
http://news.independentminds.livejournal.com/1087437.html?thread=4253133
Having said that, the Great British Circus reduces its three “wonderful ambassadors” to the role of itinerant clowns.
There is no conservation or educational value in watching elephants perform tricks. Circus elephants are – on physical, emotional and psychological levels – forced to live day and night in an alien world. Their natural exercising, toilet, hygiene, socialising, breeding, feeding and sleeping habits are all frustrated and undermined by captivity.
If the circus’ clowns wish to make fools of themselves to raise a few laughs, they are free to do so. But to make elephants into clowns is despicable.
[...] The Great British Circus is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a tour of the county which will see it stop off in Skegness between March 15 and 28. [...]