Animal lovers are being urged to turn up in Floriana tomorrow evening to protest against the use of animals in circuses as the Circo Aquatico starts its shows on the Granaries.

The Circus Animal Rights Coalition said that the glitz and glamour of such a circus hide a stark reality, one of cruelty to animals that are forced to perform tricks to the detriment of their health.

Coalition representative Lana Turner said the tricks circus animals perform go against their natural instincts and they frequently get injured while practising.

The training involves punishment, she said.

Animals are made to travel long distances, sometimes in precarious conditions, while the climate in some localities where the circus sets up its tent is not suitable for them.

Ms Turner expressed satisfaction that steps in favour of animal protection were taking place in the education sector, with a number of schools refusing to take children to the circus. In just two school days, the coalition had collected over 1,500 signatures from students and teachers who do not agree that animals should be used in such shows.

The signatures will be presented to the government, she said.

Stopping animal circuses does not mean the end of this type of spectacle because there are circuses that do not use animals.

The coalition - made up of Moviment Graffitti, Animal Rights Malta, Island Sanctuary, Subculture-Animal Friends, CETFREE, Abandoned Animals Association, Nature Trust, AD Youths, World Animal Conscience, Ananda Marga, International Animal Rescue, Gaia Foundation, Kollettiva Gurnal ir-Realtà and SPCA - is urging people to assemble in front of the Phoenicia Hotel at 6 p.m. tomorrow.

The protesters will walk to the Granaries, where the circus will be held, Ms Turner said.