Category Archives: Uncategorized

Colombia and UK circus ban updates and LION ARK THE MOVIE is here!

Posted on by
1

Fantastic news from our Colombia team this week when, after a six year campaign of investigations, public education and lobbying, Colombia’s Senate passed the final stage of a Bill to end the use of wild animals in travelling circuses. This was a hard-fought campaign and an amazing coalition of about 70 local groups and campaigners – all determined to win for the animals, and win they did! I am so very, very proud of you all!

Meanwhile, the UK Government’s draft Bill is in committee stage, with the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (EFRA) committee examining the Bill and receiving statements and evidence. After submitting our evidence, ADI has met with the minister, Lord de Mauley, together with other animal groups and outlined our key comments and concerns about the proposed Bill, as currently drafted. This has been a long, hard battle. Our first circus investigation was launched in 1992 and we followed up with the groundbreaking ‘Ugliest Show on Earth’ investigation launched in 1998, which we sent to every animal group in the world and provided the much needed evidence for so many campaigns. Since then it has been promise after promise, with the most recent undertakings from Government to take action being in 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2011. Meanwhile we exposed the beatings of elephants at the Great British Circus and the appalling violence to Anne the elephant at Bobby Roberts’ Super Circus, which thankfully, ended in a conviction and Anne being released from the circus.

And we have LION ARK THE MOVIE news! Just this past week, we finally finish Lion Ark, the feature length action adventure documentary about Operation Lion Ark, the rescue and relocation of 25 circus lions from Bolivia, to freedom in Colorado. An exciting and uplifting story, with the real message about animal circuses. We are now pitching the movie to the international film festivals – so keep up on the Lion Ark website and facebook to see how you can help!
http://www.lionarkthemovie.com/
https://www.facebook.com/LionArkTheMovie

Sunday Express on British Government’s animal circus licensing failure

Posted on by
1

Excellent piece in the Sunday Express today, about the failure of the Government’s “interim” inspection/licensing regime for circus animals. We looked at ADI’s photographs of these camels in 2009, 2012 and 2013. Their facilities are just the same. So is it just that the Defra team that has been so lauded by the circus industry for helping them, has set up a scheme to legitimise the use of wild animals in circuses? We think so. We are impressed that the Sunday Express decided to speak up for the poor camels, so often ignored in these debates. In our experience, they frequently suffer brutality and get a hard time because they are seen as slow to respond and stubborn. But they like to explore, stretch their legs, stand under the sun, feel the wind, just as all animals do. But they can’t in the circus. See the Sunday Express piece by the excellent James Fielding at:
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/384873/Circus-camels-are-still-facing-life-of-misery

Britain fails to issue a single wild animal circus licence but that doesn’t stop the circuses

Posted on by
1

Britain’s Defra (Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) informed ADI that no licences have yet been issued for the British Government’s hugely expensive and doomed scheme to regulate wild animals in circuses. Yet ADI investigators have photographed camels at Mondao circus in Kirton, Peterborough – a species that should be licensed.

On 12 October 2012 the Government announced, “A requirement that any travelling circus in England that includes wild animals first obtains a licence from Defra”. This is reiterated on Defra’s website, “The Regulations make it an offence to operate a travelling circus that has wild animals in England without a valid licence“. And, “a circus that includes wild animals and travels from place to place to give performances, displays or exhibitions and includes any place where the wild animals are kept. The definition includes all tour sites, winter quarters and anywhere else the wild animals are kept.”

Defra advised ADI by email, 26 February, “Two applications for licences have been received, but no licences have yet been issued. If any travelling circus in England is found to be using wild animals without a licence then appropriate enforcement action would be taken.”

The licensing and inspection regime was opposed by all animal welfare groups following consistent evidence of suffering and brutality released by ADI dating back twenty years. Only last year, ADI evidence secured the conviction circus owner Bobby Roberts for cruelty to his elephant, Anne. The first ever conviction of cruelty under the UK’s Animal Welfare Act after multiple inspections failed to identify any of Anne’s abuse.

Given the circumstances of keeping animals in small, lightweight, collapsible accommodation that can be fitted onto the back of a vehicle, it is simply not possible to provide these animals with the environment and facilities they need to maintain optimum psychological and physical health. That is aside from any physical abuse during training and control, that ADI has consistently exposed. The solution is not to use them in the travelling circus business.

I remain mystified by the Government’s stubborn refusal to move straight to their promise to ban wild animals from circuses, in the face of such overwhelming public and parliamentary support. A Defra survey found 94.5% of the public support a ban; a Dods poll for ADI showed the majority of Members of Parliament, 63%, also support a ban.

This appears to be blind political dogma, at the expense of vulnerable animals.
http://www.ad-international.org/animals_in_entertainment/go.php?id=3081&ssi=10

UK wild animal circuses, Anne Trial and Lion Ark

Posted on by

Catching up… It’s been a very busy time with the UK Government discussing the wild animal circus issue and the new legislation on animal experiments. We’ve had the Los Angeles circus animal ban under discussion, and our Hollywood Lion Ark Night event with Bob Barker, Jorja Fox and a host of celebrities for the private preview of our new movie, Lion Ark, http://www.lionarkthemovie.com/ , then back to London for the Roberts cruelty trial.

After many promises, many delays and time and money wasted on a flawed licensing regime, we may indeed see some progress from the UK Government on the wild animal circus ban.

In a move which appears to signal the beginning of the end for the remaining wild animals in circuses in Britain, ADI revealed on 4th February that Martin Lacey, owner of the Great British Circus, had shipped his tigers off to Ireland to perform with the Courtney Brothers Circus. http://bit.ly/WM8gzp

We told ‘The Observer’ http://bit.ly/WM8gzp, “There has been enough evidence, enough consultations, all the experts agree – putting large cats and other exotic animals in tiny cages that fit on a truck, with no environmental enrichment, and then beating them to perform tricks to entertain people is unacceptable in modern society. The day of the animal circus is over.”

Only two circuses have applied for a licence under the much-criticized new licensing scheme – Circus Mondao and Peter Jolly’s Circus – and there are only a handful of wild animal acts performing across Ireland. Clear evidence of their growing unpopularity with the public.

In February, we met with John Griffiths, Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development at the National Assembly for Wales to discuss the use of wild animals in circuses.  We were heartened by the minister’s support for a ban and hopeful that Wales will introduce legislation in parallel with the UK Government.

In response to an oral question in the Welsh Assembly by Jocelyn Davies on 16th  January, the Minister had responded “….the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is considering legislation that would ban the use of wild animals in circuses. I have been liaising with the UK Government to make it clear that were that legislation to proceed, the Welsh Government would be interested in being a part of it, perhaps through a legislative consent motion, for example.”

We have also met with the Northern Ireland Assembly minister, and will be following this up, see the update at http://bit.ly/14zy8UC

It has been almost two years since our investigation exposed the terrible suffering of Anne the elephant at the winter quarters of the Bobby Roberts’ Super Circus.  Following media pressure arising from release of the footage, Roberts allowed Anne to be removed from the circus. A criminal prosecution followed using the video evidence, at a week long trial last November. Roberts was convicted of cruelty to Anne but received a derisory ‘conditional discharge’ sentence, which means that unless he commits another offence, he escapes a proper punishment.

Roberts was convicted for keeping Anne chained to the ground by two legs for the whole of the time she was in the barn, and for his failure to protect Anne from harm. However, the sentence sends the wrong message to circus owners and workers about their obligations under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The Act cannot protect these animals. And no, the inspections of the Roberts barn did not identify any of the husbandry problems, nor cruelty to Anne.

Anne has remained at Longleat Safari Park and we understand plans for an ‘elephant sanctuary’ are progressing. It’s worrying that it has taken over a year to add a grass paddock to Anne’s enclosure, she is still controlled with the traditional ankus (bullhook) weapons, and she remains alone. We were also deeply saddened to hear Longleat staff defending Roberts in the media before the trial and in court during the trial. However, let’s hope these plans will mean better life for Anne in the long term, see http://bit.ly/X2mKi2

Los Angeles considers ban on wild animals in circuses

Posted on by
3

This week, LA City Council has started considering the options for and end to the use of wild animals in traveling circuses in the City – lions, tigers, elephants and other wild animals.

The best option put forward by officials is a ban on the use of ALL WILD ANIMALS in traveling circuses which INCLUDES blocking circuses from entering LA with these animals.

ADI Los Angeles supporters – you are on alert! Your Councilmember needs to hear from you now!

End the use of wild animals in traveling circuses in LA! Follow us every day for more news, and sign the petition – we already have 3,000 signatures – LET’S GET THIS DONE!!! see http://www.ad-international.org/petitions/?a=sign&pid=3

British Government’s report card – good and bad

Posted on by
Reply

In response to a question from Mike Hancock, MP, the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has admitted to plans to spend £261,000 on developing the unwanted wild animal circus licensing scheme for the UK, despite calls for a ban from 95% of the public – and approaching 63% of Members of Parliament.

It almost defies belief that in this grim economic climate, the Government is prepared to spend so much money on their unpopular policy. This issue is an ethical and political matter – a ban can be passed on a vote of Parliament. Yet the savage beatings and extreme environmental and social deprivation suffered by these animals is ignored while Defra dithers about – probably hoping that we will all go away.

Meanwhile the UK Home Office gets a slightly better report, having confirmed that the British ban on the use of stray cats and dogs for experiments will remain in place when the new law is introduced next yet.  However, exceptions will be made where it is claimed that the use of feral domestic species might be essential for “essential studies relating to either the health or welfare of the animals or a serious threat to the environment or to human or animal health and where the purpose can only be achieved by using feral animals”. Something to watch very closely and insist that there is full public consultations whenever use of ferals is proposed.

Meanwhile in Los Angeles our battle continues to persuade the City Council to ban the use of wild animals in traveling circuses – Ringlings is attempting to use economic muscle to push the City around, but we hope that the City’s residents will not stand for this kind of interference.

The Bogota office are still pressing authorities in Argentina and Paraguay to move on the seizure of the circus lions and tigers that were stopped at the border and don’t appear to have correct paperwork. There’s a surprise.  The cats are currently being cared for in the local zoo. Let’s hope officials in these two countries will stand up for what is right and protect these vulnerable cats.

Don’t forget to join us for Lion Ark Night on October 13 in the Hollywood Hills! Meet Bob Barker, Jorja Fox, Tonya Kaye and other celebrity supporters to help us save animals.  Private preview of Lion Ark, the movie – the story of the Bolivian circus ban and how we emptied the country of circus animals.  See http://www.adievents.com/

New claim about Great British Circus

Posted on by
Reply

Following the announcement of his retirement and closure of the circus in Horse and Hound, Great British Circus owner Martin Lacey, has quickly corrected the story to say that he plans to continue with the circus, but without animals. Ahh. Let’s wait and see whether this is all about publicity.

Great British Circus sees the writing on the wall

Posted on by
Reply

Finally, Great British Circus owner Martin Lacey has seen the writing on the wall – people don’t want to see archaic shows where miserable animals plod around being beaten, poked and prodded.

Rather than turn his show into one of the successful human-only shows, Lacey announces the sale of his animals in Horse & Hound magazine, saying that he is to retire.

No retirement for his poor tigers though, which one of his workers told an ADI investigator are to be sold to another circus, maybe in Italy.

We have exposed GBC several times now, most recently in 2009, when three elephants from Germany were beaten mercilessly by their handler and trainer; water was put out of reach behind an electric tape fence; a claimed “six” welfare inspections by local authorities, police and RSPCA, did not discover the abuse. But the UK Government still claims that inspections can protect these animals.

Good news to hear that circus impresario Gerry Cottle – who moved to human-only circus shows some years ago – has recently announced his belief that the presence of animals gives circuses a bad name. Quite right.

However, will the UK Government see the light? The public and parliamentary support for an end to the use of wild animals in travelling circuses has never been higher. Will they bow to the nation’s wishes, and bring in a ban before the next election? Now is the time!

Meanwhile – the ADI Peru team has been in meetings with government officials on implementation of the ban there.

Circus licensing, animals in advertising, vivisection rules

Posted on by
1

The Government has, despite opposition and advice to the contrary, issued proposals for a licensing regime for wild animals in circuses.  Only wild animals will be inspected, leaving other species to their fate – something that concerned even the Defra vets conducting their secret inspections (revealed by ADI’s FOIA application). Our investigations have shown that inspections have not succeeded in identifying either animal abuse, or failings of animal husbandry.  Our films of inspectors show how easy it is to deceive the eye, reported in our ‘Out of Control’ – http://www.ad-international.org/animals_in_entertainment/go.php?id=2255&ssi=10

We received many calls in the London office when Vision Express adverts for spectacles featured performing primates – we have been speaking with Vision Express executives and shown them the footage of the living conditions of these specific animals.  We hope that the company will introduce an ethical policy, see the full details at:    http://www.ad-international.org/animals_in_entertainment/go.php?id=2768&ssi=7

Meanwhile, we fast approach the implementation of the new European Directive on animal experiments.  The UK will have new laws in 2013.

Read about out key concerns with the new EU Directive http://www.navs.org.uk/about_vivisection/27/43/2670/

Find out why animal experiments are unreliable and unnecessary, click here http://www.navs.org.uk/about_vivisection/27/44/419/

 

Circuses and elephant rides and all sorts

Posted on by
4

Circuses and elephant rides and all sorts
Apologies for the silence! Busy couple of months – ADI refused to take part in the Government’s consultation on an inspection scheme for animal circuses, and we issued a joint statement with all the leading animal welfare groups, everyone boycotted the consultation.
It’s simply not reasonable that an expensive licensing regime is proposed, to be replaced by a ban at a later date. Nobody believes that. The Government has lost all credibility with the public and animal protection groups on this issue.
Everyone wants to see a restriction on the use of wild animals in circuses – public want to see and end to their use (94/5% in Defra survey) – parliament has voted repeatedly for it to end (63% of MPs want to see an end to the suffering). And so it goes on, while other animals like Anne the elephant, filmed being beaten in her barn by ADI investigators, continue to suffer.
The Government is responsible for Anne’s suffering and will be responsible for the next animal that is seen on TV screens, being abused.
The trial of circus owners Moira and Bobby Roberts on charges of failure to protect Anne the elephant from cruelty inflicted by their staff, as required under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, starts on 18 June. This will tell us whether the AWA can indeed, hold owners responsible for what happens to their animals.
The constant round of consultations and calls for evidence as the UK changes its rules on animal experiments, has continued. The new European Directive has to be functioning by 2013, so this autumn is when the new regulations will be tabled. We were pleased this week, when the Government announced that some of the key issues that have been demanded by the public have been taken up – no reduction in UK animal welfare provisions, no reduction in inspections. Our campaign to push through the regular reviews of animal experiments, with all stakeholders involved, continues. It has widespread political support; we need to ensure it happens.
In the US, we persuaded Orange County Fair Board in California, to cancel their elephant rides with Have Trunk Will Travel, after they saw how the elephants were trained with bullhooks and stun guns. Many will recall the horrific footage from our investigation when we launched the real training of Tai, the elephant star of ‘Water for Elephants’.
The city of Santa Ana in California has also ended 25 years of elephant rides at their zoo. The town of Sierra Madre cancelled the 4th July Parade appearance by Tai. Then Fountain Valley also cancelled their elephant rides when they saw the video. Well done to those cities and authorities who looked at the evidence, decided that this kind of treatment of animals is not accepted in civilised society, and made the right decision.
Colombia – we’re nearly there with the animal circus ban. Passed unanimously in the House of Representatives. Now on way to Senate.
We also filed a lawsuit this week with PETA against USFW over the export and re-import permits of elephants and tigers for Ringlings Bros Barnum and Bailey Circus.

Jan