Protestors oppose animal circus in Durban
For Prathna Singh, director of Ban Animal Trading, animal acts are archaic and ‘completely unnecessary’.
PROTESTORS gathered on Sylvester Ntuli Road on Saturday, June 24, calling for an end to animals in circus performances. This as McLaren Circus takes the stage in Durban until July 17.
Prathna Singh, director of Ban Animal Trading, called the use of animal acts in circus performances ‘archaic’.
“McLaren is the only circus in South Africa that still uses animals in their performances. We, of course, support animal-free circuses, and there are plenty of those. They are entertaining, and the people who feature have a choice whether or not they want to perform. All around the world, the use of animals in circuses is being banned, and people are choosing not to support circuses that use animals. It’s definitely something that’s archaic and getting phased out all over the world,” she said.
She raised concerns over the inhumane use of wild animals like lions and tigers, as well as other animals, including horses, dogs and camels.
Also read: LISTEN: Animal rights activists protest outside Durban July
“It’s completely unnecessary. There are so many better ways to entertain people, to entertain children. Bringing your children to the circus is just telling them that animals are there for people to use, that they are commodities that we can do with as we please. This is really not the message we want to share with younger generations,” continued Singh.
Karl Hildebrandt, PR spokesperson for McLaren Circus, however, said there are many circuses globally that still include performing animals in their shows. He said McLaren’s menagerie consists of lions, tigers, snakes, horses, camels, poodles and goats.
“There are circuses that have had to change their product due to laws condemning the use of performing animals. There are also circuses that have only ever relied on human acts. In South Africa, we have the Performing Animals Protection Act, which has been around since 1935, with an amendment in 2016. This act governs various forms of performing animals. There are countries that have now banned the use of performing circus animals, which never had laws that govern performing animals,” he said.
Hildebrandt added that animals have been a huge drawing card for audiences across South Africa.
“The recent years have shown us how many South Africans truly appreciate the special relationships our animal trainers maintain with our animals. It’s so important for us, as a business that includes performing animals, to convey the image and message of how one can have a beautiful relationship with animals, when caring for and bonding with them,” he said.
Hildebrandt further stated that McLaren circus utilises positive-reinforcement training: “This meaning, we work on a reward system for positive behaviour that’s displayed and ignore negative behaviours, giving it no attention,” he said. “We are not in the business of causing any harm to any of our animals. This is not to their benefit and will be to the detriment of their health and well-being. It will also pose a safety risk to our trainer and possibly audiences.”
Singh said Ban Animal Trading believes that animals should not be used for any form of human exploitation – for profit or entertainment – and that animals should not be kept in captivity.
Also read: School devastated by flood, harbour polluted
“We have received a number of complaints [about the circus]. We often receive complaints from people after they attend the show and they see how unhappy the animals look. They come back with a feeling that it’s not something they want to support again,” said Singh.
Singh added that Ban Animal Trading will continue to protest outside the circus for the duration of its stay in Durban.
For more from the Highway Mail, follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
