| "The worst sin towards our
fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them.
That's the essence of inhumanity"
George Bernard Shaw |
|
Contents |
| Home |
| About |
| Animal Cruelty |
| Animal Emotions |
| Animal Rights |
| Arna's Plight |
| FAQ's |
| Incidents |
| The Experts Say |
| Links |
| Latest News |
| Quotes |
| What you can do |
| Contact |
| Guestbook |
| Code of Practice |
| Search |
ANIMAL LIBS CALL FOR CIRCUS BANEmbrace the change because it's coming, animal liberationists have told an Australian circus. About 45 protesters gathered at the front entrance of Stardust
Circus in Sydney today to deliver a simple message – the time of
animal circuses was over.
Stardust is one of the last remaining animal circuses in Australia, touring year-round with 14 horses, five lions, four monkeys, and two elephants, Arna and her new companion Gigi. Executive Director of Animal Liberation NSW Mark Pearson said it was time for Stardust to return to traditional circus values, which emphasise human skill and not the novelty of exoticanimals. "It's just not right to keep animals this way," Mr Pearson said. "People are starting to see that celebration of human skills and all that extraordinary craft is incredibly entertaining, rather than watching an elephant turn on a stool. "So that's what we're saying to them, how about you embrace change, because it's coming." Arna the elephant is at the centre of an ongoing legal battle between Animal Liberation and the directors of Stardust, set to resume in Sydney's Downing Centre Court on May 31. The 47-year-old elephant is the subject of a landmark case, the first animal cruelty case to be fought on psychological grounds. Animal Liberation alleges Stardust inflicted psychological cruelty
on Arna by bringing three elephants into her enclosure in
December 2000 for just a few hours.
Arna had lived by herself since the death of her partner Bambi in
1996, and the group alleges the introduction of the three new
elephants for such a short time was damaging to the animal.
The maximum penalty for proven animal cruelty is a $55,000 fine or one year's imprisonment, or both. Mr Pearson said the case highlighted how incapable a circus
was of providing a humane standard of care for wild animals. "A circus, even with the best will in the world can never provide
the adequate space and stimuli for the needs of these very
complex and intelligent animals," he said.
Thirty-five local councils across Australia, including ten in NSW, have banned the performance of circuses using animals on public land. Animal Liberation would encourage councils in western Sydney
to introduce bans, including Holroyd City Council, which is
currently hosting Stardust circus at Merrylands.
Mr Pearson said the pressure would then be on the NSW government to legislate for a state-wide ban. © Herald and Weekly Times http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478, 9318088%255E1702,00.html |
|||
