Born Free Foundation - Keep Wildlife in the Wild

Government ineptitude and failure to end the use of wild animals in circuses to blame, claims Born Free.

The Great British Circus (GBC) is touring the UK with Asian and African elephants throughout 2009.

The website of the GBC currently states that in the 2009 season, which started 27th February, the circus will feature elephants, in addition to the lions, tigers and camels that have toured in previous years.

Will Travers, CEO of the Born Free Foundation said today: "As predicted, Government paralysis over the issue of wild animals in circuses has opened the floodgates and will subject more wild animals to 'life on the road'.   We believe the Government's position on this issue is the result of unsafe and unsound advice and, sadly, it appears that the circus industry is capitalising on the confusion".

It had been hoped that Anne, the last remaining elephant touring with a UK circus, would soon be retired by Bobby Roberts Super Circus and that the curtain would come down on the use of elephants in this way. Born Free, supported by many other concerned groups and the great majority of British citizens, has long been calling for the use of wild animals in circuses to end.

However, a report by the Chairman of the Circus Working Group, published in 2007, claimed that there was insufficient evidence to assess whether the welfare of wild animals in travelling circuses was compromised - a position the Born Free Foundation strongly disputes.

The Chairman's report is now being used by members of the circus industry to support their continued and potentially increased use of wild animals.

Martin Lacy, ringmaster at the Great British Circus, remonstrates on their website, 

"After almost two years of fact finding, the DEFRA report "Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses" concluded that there is no scientific evidence to demonstrate that travelling circuses are not able to meet the welfare needs of any type of non-domestic animals presently being used in the United Kingdom. This exonerates animal trainers who for too long have been the whipping boys of Animal Rights charities who have used lies, misinformation and slick advertising to raise funds to fill their coffers. These fat cats have taken advantage of kind hearted animal lovers and tried to manipulate the great British public and politicians with false spin and sound bites".

Born Free participated in the Circus Working Group, which was established by the Government and civil servants to inform future policy regarding animals in circuses. Bizarrely, Defra decided that the Working Group was not allowed to consider or present evidence relating to either performance or training as part of its work. Furthermore, the structure of the Working Group inevitably led to a report by the Chairman stating that there was insufficient evidence to say whether the welfare of circus animals was any better or worse than animals in other captive situations. Importantly, he concluded that a ban on their use could not be supported or legally implemented - a view described by several legal analysts as 'unsafe and unsound'.

On the strength of the Chairman's report, Defra decided to undertake a "feasibility study" (from which NGOs, such as Born Free, were excluded) to examine if and how circuses could be licensed and regulated - and thereby allowed to continue. However, this feasibility study is still ongoing, and is now a year late.

In the light of the GBC's plans to introduce new animals to its UK schedule, and the lengthy delay in Defra's deliberations, Born Free is calling on the Government to disregard the findings of this flawed, unscientific and incomplete process to date. The charity urges the Government to take this opportunity to address the genuine need to end the use of wild animals in circuses in the light of not just the best available evidence but overwhelming public and Parliamentary opinion.

Failure to act now could see a proliferation of wild animal acts and the perpetuation of a form of animal exploitation that is long past its sell-by date.

Anne the elephant at Bobby Roberts Super Circus - the last UK Circus elephant?Sadly not.