Clacton: Woman urges circus boycott (From Essex County Standard)

''Jane Williams, of Kirby, is organising a protest and urging a boycott. She said: “As far as I am concerned all these animals live a life of imprisonment.”''

-What about Zoo's? Pet shops? Avaries? Bee hives? Okay, maybe not bee-hives.

We will also need to ban any shoe shops that sell leather shoes and don't let them run free.

Let's not stop there, let's ban pictures of animals as well... being stuck in that one position all the time....

In particular, we should target Cats- who trap and kill other animals for fun- where is the public outrage on behalf of those teeny-weeny mice and birds that suffer?

Jane, there are many more evidence based things to be 'concerned' about at the moment..... unless you have any evidence that prompted this outburst? Of course not......

Quote: "Jane Williams, of Kirby, is organising a protest and urging a boycott. She said: “As far as I am concerned all these animals live a life of imprisonment.”

Okay Jane while you are boycotting the circus why not free the Lions, Tigers and all the other dangerous animals...who knows some good may come of your actions...particular
ly if you point them in the direction of Jaywick!

Jane....Your a very sad person

The Captive Animals’ Protection Society (CAPS) is asking the people of Essex to boycott the circus that is currently touring the county.

Animals don’t belong in a circus. The constant transportation from town to town for ten months each year and confinement for long periods means that a travelling circus can never meet all of the needs of these animals, whether lion or horse.

Lions and tigers, like those used in the Great British Circus, are confined to cages. While some may have occasional access to 'exercise' cages, there are often only slightly larger than the travelling cage itself. Big cats are predators, designed to hunt, but their natural instincts and behaviours are frustrated by circus life.

Claims by circuses that animals are stimulated by performances are false. In fact, the same tricks are generally repeated for years.

Animals are trained away from the scrutiny of the public, politicians or welfare groups. Undercover investigations at circuses in the UK have revealed animals beaten with sticks, bars and whips and sick animals hidden from the RSPCA.

There is no educational value in seeing these once proud animals reduced to performing tricks in an unnatural environment. Circuses teach a lack of respect for animals.

CAPS is not opposed to circuses, only to the use of animals, and we encourage people to avoid animal circuses and instead visit one of the many excellent shows that rely entirely on human skills.

We also ask people to write to their MP, asking them to encourage the government to ban the use of animals in circuses.

Circuses YES, Animals NO.

In February 2008 Martin Lacey the owner and ringmaster of the Great British Circus, assaulted a BBC Radio Nottingham reporter, during an interview at the circus which was in Newark at the time.

The unprovoked verbal and physical onslaught began following a few minutes of interview, after the reporter referred to a camel being tethered.

Earlier in the interview, Lacey refers to the recent DEFRA (Dept for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) report on the welfare of animals in circuses. Not surprisingly, his account of the report is full of biased inaccuracies. Please see here www.captiveanimals.o
rg/news/2007/report.
html for the true situation!

Listen to the interview in full (5MB) or the short bleeped version (1MB) here www.captiveanimals.o
rg/news/2008/lacey.h
tml You can also read a transcript here and the expletives (all ten of them in just 76 seconds!) have been censored due to the strong language.

Paul Thomas
Campaigns assistant

The Captive Animals' Protection Society
PO Box 4186
Manchester
M60 3ZA
Phone 0845 330 3911
www.captiveanimals.o
rg

Registered charity in England and Wales. Number 1124436

I agree with CAPS.

These animals should be released back into the wild.

It would help me no end to have a fresh supply of animals to shoot and send to China to be ground up into traditional medicines and remedies.

"In February 2008 Martin Lacey the owner and ringmaster of the Great British Circus, assaulted a BBC Radio Nottingham reporter, during an interview at the circus"

People have good reason to worry about the animals if that's how he treats humans.

I see the report actually said there was insufficient scientific evidence to conclude that circuses could or could not meet the needs of animals - ie it did not say circuses could meet the needs of animals.

The working group very conveniently did not even look at the training of animals to perform party-tricks - so no-one can have any faith that a thorough, impartial and objective investigation has ever actually been carried out.

The government claimed it couldn't ban animal acts unless there was 'scientific' evidence that cruelty was inherent - it takes only common sense to know these animals are being exhibited for public amusement just as the humans called 'freaks' were once so exhibited in circuses for public amusement.

The animals are kept as slaves, they have no choice - we no more need 'scientific' evidence it is wrong to keep them as slaves in circuses than we needed 'scientific' evidence that human slavery was wrong.

It is sickening to think of these animals - magnificent, sentient individuals - reduced to slaves performing tricks in a circus.

Animals are not our 'property', they do not 'belong' to humans - yes we can exploit them and enslave them and 'train' them to perform unnatural tricks...but just because we can does not mean we have to or should.

Shame on this circus and all circuses who so exploit animals.

Boo to Gazette censorship I say!