CAPS Now Targets Direct Action Against Zoos

If anybody would like to see an example of why we have been warning fellow colleagues in the zoo world that they should be concerned at the attack on circus animals one does not have to look much further than events this weekend that took place at Twycross zoo. On Saturday, 8 August 2015, a small group of protesters from the Captive Animal Protection Society (CAPS) staged a protest outside the zoo. The police were called because the protesters were apparently stopping cars from entering the zoo's property.

The RSPCA tries to censor criticism on Facebook

And The Moonbeams Kissed The Sea: The RSPCA tries to censor criticism on Facebook: The Royal Society for the Protection of Animals (RSPCA) is not doing too well at the moment, according to a number of press reports in p...

The Radical Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals?

Rouster has observed over the past year how the RSPCA, the UK's most famous animal welfare charity, has started to do an apparent U-turn on its non-radical front.  Up until 2012 the RSPCA had been involved in a wide range of activities that seemed to indicate the society's desire to be seen as an animal welfare group rather than a militant political group. They launched a food label to brand meats, milk and other animal products as "cruelty-free" from approved farmers. The RSPCA also indicated an interest in helping to create achievable standards in animal training and various other animal industries. These actions demonstrated a desire to work alongside the animal companies that animal right groups oppose directly, solely on ethical grounds.  It suggested that the RSPCA's focus was on improving the welfare of animals in all industries, which is the sort of behaviour that Rouster endorses and applauds.  It was comparable to the approaches taken by other sensible, animal welfare and environmental groups that are pro-animals and pro-nature, but not anti-human.

Trial by Media.. and what the papers didn't tell you

As news stations and newspapers fall over themselves to report on the verdict of the Bobby Roberts case, the judge presiding over the case expressed a different type of excitement. Animal Defenders International (ADI) will, no doubt, mark this case down as a victory and the result would seem to indicate that they are justified. Jan Creamer, President and founder of Animal Defenders International, will decry the sentence given by the judge, as she did with the Mary Chipperfield case. Bobby Roberts received no fine, no costs and the judge dismissed any suggestion of Bobby Roberts not being able to keep animals, in the future.

ADI will undoubtedly use this as yet another example of how the law is unfair on animals and how organisations such as theirs need to be 'out there', continuing to fight the cause. "Please send your money to..." and you know all the rest. However, what Creamer and ADI won't be publicising is the way the judge viewed them.

Terrorism begins at home.

I get incredibly irritated by the anti-piracy ads at the front of DVDs.  “Movie piracy funds the drug trade, terrorism and every horrible thing that goes on in the streets.”  Come on, give me a break.  If you can’t make money out of trafficking drugs and weapons, you are clearly a moron and selling a few grainy copies of “Twilight” isn’t going to save you.

However, many of us, if not most of us, are directly or indirectly funding terrorism.  Yes, you too, probably.  I’m not joking.  Do you care about animals?  Do you get sad at Christmastime and fall for those television ads with the sad donkeys staring straight into your soul, the kittens in the rain, and so on?  Do you feel compelled to put a pound in a tin, buy a calendar or cards, set up a direct debit, or do your bit in some way?  Then you may well be sponsoring terrorism, at home and abroad.

It is now a well-known fact that some so-called animal charities do not match the picture that most of us have in our head.  For me, an animal charity should concern itself with stopping animal abuse and neglect; it should encourage the spread of information on proper animal care; it should help raise the bar for animal welfare standards; and, when necessary, it should help the courts with the fair prosecution of those people who mistreat animals. 

Britain's Got Talent, and Strange Bedfellows Too

In recent decades the Circus community has been plagued by false accusations of animal abuse and mistreatment.  Animal Rights organisations such as PETA, CAPS and Born Free, as well as allegedly more moderate Animal Welfare organisations such as the RSPCA have ganged up to vilify a whole industry and community.  At the bottom of these brutal campaigns is the claim that “travelling circuses, by their very nature, cannot meet the welfare needs of wild animals”.

This is despite the fact that the only independent scientific study of Animal Welfare in Circus, carried out by Dr Marthe Kiley-Worthington and commissioned by the RSPCA and UFAW (Universities Federation for Animal Welfare) demonstrated that “circuses do not by their nature cause suffering and distress in animals”.


The fact is that while thousands of people are taken to court by the RSPCA every year, no British Circus has ever been convicted of animal cruelty.

The campaigns conveniently ignore both the facts and the studies, and continue their harassment of animal circuses and their public.  Animal circuses are routinely subjected to verbal abuse, death threats, vandalism and theft.  The animals themselves are often subjected to cruel stunts by activists seeking to disrupt the shows – activists letting off fireworks near circus horses now happens so regularly as to be almost routine.

Reflection on recent events by Gail Wilmot

In the British tradition of Miss Marple and others, Gail Wilmott proved herself to be something of a efficient amateur sleuth when she uncovered an example of how freely people lie about circus animals. Since then Gail has reflected on the injustices faced by perhaps the UK's most poorly represented culture. She discusses the way a mainstream tabloid happily took the role as minister for propaganda for the Animal Rights lobbyists with a very easy to corrupt internet petition (below is a screen shot taken in real time, showing shameless multiple entries on this petition). She also discusses how MPs happily responded to these lobbyists in Parliament without attempting to view the other side of the story...

In my article about the Circus “Rescue” story being aproven FAKE I mentioned how low the animal rights people will stoop to get their intimidating lies and non-factual information out there. So I thought I'd add some more on the subject.