Your Guide to the Reality of Animal Circus



"The academic panel concluded that there appears to be little evidence to demonstrate that the welfare of animals kept in travelling circuses is any better or worse than that of animals kept in other captive environments" - Executive Summary of the DEFRA Circus Working Group 2007

Join us on Facebook The WELFARE of Circus animals.

Saturday 26 May 2012

How Long Will Britain’s Have Talent?




The final of the television talent show “Britain’s Got Talent” announced its winner “via popular public vote” and it was the human-animal duo of Ashleigh and Pudsey the dog who won.  Thus demonstrating very clearly that, despite the claims of the highly vocal animal-rights groups, the British public still has a clear affection for performing animal acts. Although the most disturbing thing about this is that if Ashleigh and Pudsey’s performance had taken place within the context of a circus it is possible that the reaction would not have been as supportive.

Friday 11 May 2012

The Hitman and Fur

There was a time when informing a largely ignorant general public that animal rights activists regularly occupy the top spot of FBI's "Most Wanted" domestic terrorists prompted shock. It was a good card that Rouster liked to play when they wanted to cut to the chase in explaining the dangers posed by those who believe in a policy where all animal usage by humans - from hunting to research to manufacturing to pet ownership - is criminal exploitation. However, this fact, which stirred up anti-animal rights groups in the 1990s, but didn't really impact on the general public, had almost become something of a joke in the eyes of some media commentators. "Balanced" documentaries began to emerge in the 2000s that implied the FBI's decision to place animal rights activists in the same league as white supremacist action groups was something of an over-reaction. After all the FBI have not been above such over-reactions and many would argue outright distractions. In the 1930s FBI founder J.E. Hoover's decision to list bank robbers like John Dillinger and Ma Barker as "public enemy number ones" whilst publicly denying the existence of the rapidly rising American Mafia.

There have been incidents, where "harmless" activists or supporters seem to have been hounded by the feds and unfairly treated. This, of course, is wonderful material for those animal rightists who lean heavily on sexy anti-establishment politics. However, one needs to take a step back and look at the whole animal rights picture to get a better idea of what we are dealing with. Are these concerns legit?

Wednesday 2 May 2012

Elephant Hind Leg Myth - Debunked!

The tide of collective human emotion is a strange and unpredictable thing. It sweeps one way, seemingly bringing joy and wonderment for many years and then, suddenly, it sweeps another way inspiring pity and pathos - sometimes, all around a single issue. Some people think in pictures and this is an image that can illicit the most polarized of views one can imagine. For as long as there have been performing elephants, the "trick" or behaviour of having these huge land mammals stand on their hind legs has been a regular mainstay of most routines. It is an impressive sight; a huge hulking animal exhibiting amazing balancing ability. Animal trainers have further extended this skill by having their charges perform other balancing skills, standing on various objects and even on one leg. Audiences were and still are awed by these feats. However, over time, the very concept of having an elephant stand on its hind legs has also become a regular feature of animal rights propaganda.  Unfortunately there is strong evidence that the idea that an elephant standing on its hind legs is an unnatural and damaging action has permeated some of our media.