A website launched today encourages people to support campaigns against animal circuses in Ireland
The UK-based Captive Animals' Protection Society and Dublin-based Alliance for Animal Rights have launched a website as part of their campaign to end the use of animals in circuses.
The website includes reports, videos, information on animal circuses and encourages the public to get actively involved in the campaign.
6th February 2007
New website seeks public help to end animal circuses
A new website that encourages the public to boycott animal circuses in Ireland is being launched this week,
just as circuses begin their tours.
The UK-based Captive Animals' Protection Society (CAPS) has teamed up with Dublin-based Alliance for Animal Rights (AFAR) to launch http://www.irishcircuses.org, the first ever website to specifically highlight the cruelty of animal circuses in Ireland and inform the public of how they can help the campaign.
The website comes on the back of a major investigation by CAPS last summer that exposed the treatment of animals in Irish circuses, culminating in a damning report and video titled 'Ring of Cruelty'.
For ten months a year, animals in circuses are subjected to a life of restriction, chained in cages. Many are even transported to Ireland from across Europe.
In addition to exposing animal welfare and health and safety problems, the new website encourages the public to get actively involved in the campaign to ban the use of animals in circuses. As well as boycotting animal circuses, the public can write to their TD and the Taoiseach, report welfare concerns and lobby the Arts Council to fund only all-human circuses.
In a statement, CAPS and AFAR said:
"This is the first time that there has been a concerted effort on every level to end the use of animals in circuses in Ireland. We are appealing to the public, local councils and government officials to act.
"Animals don't belong in circuses. CAPS and AFAR encourage circuses to drop their animal acts and instead have all-human shows."
Comments (3 of 3)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3The website looks great! Very informative and detailed. It's shocking that there actually are still circuses in Ireland, hopefully they won't be here for much longer though.
I'll be encouraging everyone I know to check out the site and get involved with your anti-circus campaign!
And this is the 21st Century? Having viewed the Caps site I'm surprised that circuses are still allowed to exist. I didn't realise the conditions were so bad. I will certainly be encouraging people to avoid circuses.
This is by far the best anti circus campaign I have ever seen in Ireland and God knows we need it. I always knew circuses were cruel to animals but its amazing how much you can learn from this website that you didnt know and its so up to date and the fact that it is specific to Irish circuses makes it even better because some people see investigations and think its all UK circus footage so this should go along way to educating the Irish people.
Great work CAPS/AFAR
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