Circus owner Attilio Bellucci has no qualms about using animals in his show.

"You can accuse me of using animals to make money in a circus but you can never accuse me of cruelty," he said yesterday as his circus in Floriana enters its final fortnight in the wake of sharp criticism from animal welfare activists.

"I use animals just like everyone else does. People eat meat and wear leather that come from animals. People keep animals as pets at home. The circus animals are like our pets. They are well fed and well kept.

"The animals are not afraid of us. If we beat them, as those who are against circuses allege, the animals would run away from us," he insists.

He concedes that some animals, such as tigers, are better suited to life in the jungle. "But when they have been bred in captivity for 10 generations, there is no future for them in the wild. Our tigers do not come from the jungle. We have had them for a long time and they breed. We are expecting a tiger to be born here, in fact."

Mr Bellucci feels there is a degree of "veiled hypocrisy" in certain arguments against circuses.

"It's okay for Africans to kill hundreds of elephants every year because they are destroying crops, but it's not okay to keep one alive and use it in a circus, even when this comes from generations of animals born and bred in confinement," he says.

Members of animal welfare organisations last month staged a protest against the circus in a campaign dubbed "Animal Circus = Cruelty", as the Circo Bellucci got underway at the Independence Arena. Noisy protesters braved the rain to boo people entering the circus tent and chant slogans objecting to the keeping of animals in captivity.

Mr Bellucci and I agree to disagree about the use of animals in circuses and focus on human talent and the history of his big top entertainment.

The original Bellucci circus was founded by Attilio's great grandfather, Armando, 106 years ago. A medical and pharmacy student hailing from a family with a strong pharmaceutical background, Armando used to see buskers and street performers on his way to university and fell in love with one Maria Lelli, a tight rope walker.

As a result he was practically shunned by his wealthy family. He decided to marry her, abandon his medical studies and set up the Arbel Circus.

Horses were among the first animals in the circus but other exotic animals soon started to make an appearance. While horses still perform, other animals, such as the llama, zebra, giraffe and tigers, are now in the Bellucci ring too.

Close to 70 people work at the circus but not all of them perform. Among the acrobats, jugglers, clowns and contortionists there is some unusual talent on display. If you thought you were nifty on a bicycle you would think again after seeing the BMX stunt show put on by a daring Frenchman, while a trio of Argentines performs an unusual form of tap dance using ropes. Two acrobats walk on the rotating wheel of death and perform part of their act blindfolded.

Due to popular demand, the circus will run until January 21 and entrance fees for certain areas have been reduced.

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