Animal rights activists picketed as the McLaren Circus rolled into Cape Town as the show, one of the only circuses, still includes animals performances by lions, camels, horses and dogs.

On Saturday afternoon, a group of 100 protesters gathered outside the big top in Muizenberg with placards which read, “the circus is NOT fun for animals” and “you get to go home afterwards, the animals get a cage“.

On the other side of the road, people were queuing to enter the circus. The McLaren Circus confirmed that more than 350 people attended the afternoon show with more than 100 tickets purchased for the evening.

The protest was organised by animal rights organisation, Beauty Without Cruelty (BWC) SA.

BWC chairperson Toni Brockhoven said they wanted to create public awareness about how important it is that animals were freed from the circus.

“Their animals are kept in cages, especially the wildlife. Animals can go to a sanctuary and live out their lives naturally,” she said.

“There should be no human interference or interaction with wild animals unless medically necessary,” she added.

Public relations spokesperson for Mclaren Circus, Karl Hildebrandt, said that BWC has selective empathy regarding circus animals.

“They seem to show more concern about one species than the other, when their mission is aimed at animals, is this not contradictory?”

“What is natural for any animal born in captivity? Our beautiful animals are hand-raised in the circus environment and this lifestyle has become their ‘natural’.”

“Because our animals are captive-bred they would never experience the “wild”. They are fully dependent on us humans to protect and care for them. We have a retirement facility in Meyerton, Gauteng where we already house our retired circus animals.”

Brockhoven said they were not fighting the circus but for the right of the animals.

“The circus keeps saying the lions and tigers are only partaking in the show for three or four minutes of a two-hour-long show, if that is the case, you don’t need to use them,” she said.

She added: “We are against the use of animals. Animals don’t belong in a circus. Kids learn nothing about an animal through watching them in a circus.”

“There are so many options for entertainment and learning. We are against the exploitation of animals for human benefit, especially because there is no need to exploit them.”

Brockhoven said there’s no use to keep animals in a cage all year round.

“If we struggle to control kittens at home, how difficult is it to care for a lion in a cage? I’m not saying they abuse their animals but I am asking how is it possible?”

Chairperson of the Cape Animal Welfare Forum, Karen de Klerk said South Africa needed to get on par with what the rest of the world about circuses.

“The world is systematically banning the use of wild animals in circuses. It is an archaic mediaeval activity,” she said.

She added: “It is disrespectful and cruel towards the instincts of the animal. As a compassionate nation that cares about the suffering of others, we should never condone this.”

De Klerk said it was wholly unacceptable to incarcerate any animal, especially a wild animal.

“You can’t do that and expect it to do stupid, mindless tricks for the entertainment of children. This teaches them all the wrong ideas about having respect for animal lives,” she said.

“These animals travel for kilometres for days at a time in hot, smelly, oily and dirty conditions. They cannot escape and it’s unacceptable on many levels,” she added.

Hildebrandt in response refuted this claim, stating that they managed their travel times to suit the animals.

“We ensure distances between towns are short, to ensure our animals have plenty of time spent outside their transport trailers,” he said.

“Our travel times are either early morning, or early evening, when the weather is cooler. Our transport trailers are also specially designed to ensure they are always cool.”

The SPCA said the McLaren Circus did not receive a permit that was required for animal keeping.

Chief Inspector of the Cape of Good Hope SPCA, Jaco Pieterse, said a specific permit is required in terms of the animal keeping by-law for any establishment to exhibit or place animals for show within the City of Cape Town.

“An Inspector authorised in terms of section 8(1) of the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962 must be consulted for comment and input by the City before any such permit is issued, which was not done in this instance,” he said.

He added: “This makes any permit issued in terms of the animal keeping by law invalid if any has been issued. The events permit the circus currently possess are issued in terms of other legislation and not the animal keeping by-law.”

Hildebrandt said they don’t believe the protesters truly care about the animals.

“During lockdown, when the circus wasn’t operational, no animal rights group reached out to find out about the animals,” he said.

He added: “This is a social gathering for them to promote themselves. They will do their thing and we will do ours. We entertain hundreds of locals who support us and who love the circus.”

Hildebrandt said law enforcement came to the circus and checked their permits.

“Everything is in order from our side, they were here and made sure of that,” he said.

Cape Town animal rights activists up in arms about McLaren Circus (iol.co.za)

Mark

First day of the month – thus a new visitor map starts.

The map increases over the month to show where all our visits are from;

Regards Mark

Visitor Traffic for Worldanimalsvoice.com (clustrmaps.com)

Lets start the day with some good news:

Mountain Rescue dog honoured for 11 years of service

A retired search dog who was believed to have been the oldest working Mountain Rescue dog in the UK is being honoured for her service.

Border collie Skye’s dogged devotion saw her carry out 200 searches during 11 years working in the Lake District, before retiring in 2020 aged 14.

On Thursday, Skye will be given the PDSA Order of Merit, described as an “animal OBE”, for her work.

During her service, Skye and handler John Leadbetter, 49, carried out searches in all weathers to help locate missing people.

Mr Leadbetter said: “Skye means everything to me, she’s my best friend on the fells and we’re life-long partners.

Her long and distinguished career has not only seen her protect and help people in danger, her ambassadorial work has helped to raise important funds and increase awareness

PDSA director general Jan McLoughlin

“To see her receive the PDSA Order of Merit is a truly humbling and touching experience, and it’s a wonderful recognition of the time and hard work that search dogs and their teams dedicate to mountain safety.“To say we’re chuffed is an understatement!”

Skye is the 36th animal to receive the PDSA Order of Merit, which was set up by the charity in 2014 to recognise animals for their exceptional contribution to society.

PDSA director general Jan McLoughlin said: “We’re incredibly proud to be honouring Skye with our PDSA Order of Merit.

“Her exceptional skills and outstanding devotion above and beyond that of normal companionship make her a very worthy recipient, and we feel this is a fitting tribute to her lifetime of dedication and hard work.

“Her long and distinguished career has not only seen her protect and help people in danger, her ambassadorial work has helped to raise important funds and increase awareness of the incredible work these Mountain Rescue teams perform.”

Skye began her training as a puppy with Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team and went on to qualify with the Lake District Mountain Rescue Search Dog Association in 2009.

She attended searches all over the Lake District as well as going further afield to Lancashire, the Pennines and Scotland.

Now almost 16, she is enjoying her retirement with Mr Leadbetter and his family, who say she still loves to get out on the hills and fells but at a slightly slower pace these days.

Mountain Rescue dog honoured for 11 years of service (msn.com)

Wonderful !

Regards Mark