Animal rights activists say McLaren Circus not welcome in Ballito

Protestors on Tuesday evening gathered at Townsend Park in Ballito to voice their opposition to the use of animals in circus performances.

McLaren Circus arrived in Ballito earlier this week with its first performance on Tuesday evening.

The protestors said they could not condone the use of animals in circus performances because they regarded it as cruel with little regard for animal welfare.

McLaren Circus’ Karl Hildebrandt told the Courier it was important for them to promote the performing arts, allowing young and old to experience the magic of a traditional circus, which he said had been extremely successful to date.

He said they didn’t need to defend themselves, especially against animal rights organisations that do very little field work in caring for any animals.

“Instead, we are willing to provide insight and knowledge on how we operate and care for our animals,” he said, pointing out that their circus was not in the business of causing harm to any of its animals.

He said they had undergone an inspection on Tuesday shortly before 1pm by the Durban and Coast SPCA.

“No concerns or communication of cruelty was brought to our attention. We have also not received a notice mentioning any offence committed,” said Hildebrandt.

Durban and Coast SPCA’s Tanya Fleischer confirmed the circus had been inspected.

The National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) said it was opposed to any degree of confinement of animals unless for bona fide conservation purposes, or the use of any animal in sports, entertainment or exhibitions.

Apart from enforcing the Animals Protection Act, the NSPCA said it could not ban the use of animals in circuses.

“Local societies continually conduct welfare inspections of circuses and are monitoring the situation closely,” said the NSPCA.

Protest organiser, Zarina Cooper, said they had chosen to voice their opposition because they felt the animals were not properly being cared for.

She alleged the animals are kept in small cages and are forced to perform against their will.

“We don’t believe it is right, and we don’t believe that this should be tolerated in Ballito,” she said.

Ward councillor Tammy Colley was also present at the protest.

“We don’t want the circus to come to Ballito, a town where the community is always firmly behind animal rescue organisations, so why should we have animals performing in our community when our community does not support animal cruelty.”

Tonight will be the circus’ final performance in Ballito.

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