ONE OF IRELAND’S most prominent animal charities has renewed its call for a ban on animal circuses after a protest turned violent in Dublin.
The ISPCA is Ireland’s largest animal welfare charity and represents 20 affiliated societies.
Its ‘Big Stop’ campaign has called for a total ban on animal circuses in Ireland, saying that the attractions “serve no conservation purpose and fail to educate their visitors about the animals used by them”.
As many as six arrests were made during demonstration against Circus Belly Wien, a formerly Netherlands-based operation that uses dozens of live animals.
The disruption happened in Tallaght to the south of the city on Tuesday, and saw one protester sustain a knee injury.
In the aftermath of the this, the ISPCA has reiterated its call for a ban on animal circuses.
The organisation has said that between Belly Wien and another circus Renz, animals currently being used by circuses in Ireland include three Asian elephants, Bactrian camels and a number of equines and bovines.
Currently there is no regulation in place stopping circuses from using animals in performances.
In its statement, the ISPCA has said:
Travelling circuses cannot provide a suitable environment for wild animals such as elephants and tigers due to their complex needs. Frequent travelling, loading and unloading, handling, limited space, crowd noise, bright lights and restricted social interaction are well-known stressors of wild animals.
In response to TheJournal.ie, the Department for Agriculture said: “There are no plans to ban the use of animals in circuses in Ireland. The circus has been inspected by veterinary officials and no breach of the Animal Health and Welfare Act was observed. The Department is in regular contact with ISPCA across a range of issues.”
- Circus Belly Wien has been contacted for comment.
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