Circus legal action criticised

maria jenkins

Dec 17th 2009, 10:30

@reg fitzpatrik kemm int helu!! int taf min xix addiet dik it tigra biex qadet bhal kitten tilqa il kokkolini go zaqqa bix tihu gost bijha inti?? ma ntikx tort ta ax dak il hin tkun dehera helwa u ta min jiggusta imma ta qabel ,dak kollu li jaddu minnu sakem jaslu sa dak il punt ma tkunx rajtu..

Kenneth Cassar

Dec 17th 2009, 07:35

@ J Farrugia:

"Oh shut up" - Why don't you show us how that's done?

"Animals have been created for man" - You need to read a few science books. If "animals" were "created" for "man", why did "man" take so long (millions of years) to come to the scene? One would have thought God would not be so wasteful..."creating" millions of animals specifically for "man", only to be wasted because "man" appears on earth millions of years later.

You are fighting a lost cause.

Isabella Peresso Fiorentino

Dec 16th 2009, 21:44

J Farrugia - No , you shut up and stop pouring your hatred toward animals everytime there's some news item or letter regarding animals. You make me and many others sick. But then I have this stinking feeling that that is your aim isn't it ? Just an attention seeker like a little kid who stamps his feet when something doesn't go his way.

J Farrugia

Dec 16th 2009, 14:15

Oh shut up. Let the people live. btw you are just banging your heads on iron ore. Animals have been created for man so that he may use them diligently, but use them he must. Like big fish eat smaller fish. And no turning of tables will change that. You are fighting a lost cause.

Ann Camilleri

Dec 16th 2009, 09:12

You people just don't get the point, do you? These animals were born to roam in the wild - period! It's not in their nature to perform. Of course they don't look maltreated to you - do you think this circus people are idiots??

Kenneth Cassar

Dec 16th 2009, 09:05

It would be really silly if any form of cruelty is performed during a circus show. However think about the following:

1. Why would the circus staff have whips and other such objects in their hands during the performance. The answer to this is that the wild animals are psychologically conditioned to fear such objects. How do you think a wild animal learns to fear an object such as a whip?

2. People watching the performance do not witness (and less experience) what happens prior to the performance, namely long distance travel in small cages, many times stacked on each other.

3. Mentioning other forms of cruelty to animals is of course commendable, but not as a way of excusing animal circuses. After all, we cannot end world poverty, but this does not mean we should not help charities whenever we can.

M. Farrugia

Dec 15th 2009, 19:49

Irid ikollok mohh ta fellus biex tahseb li xi hadd sejjer isawwat animali tac-cirkli quddiem in-nies. Nahseb hadd ma jaf min dawk li kitbu dwar dawn l-animali li dan l-aħħar fil-Germanija tigra attakkat lil-'master' taghha. Dan sehh waqt li ic-Cirklu Hagerbeck, maghruf hafna fil-Germanja kien qed jaghti show go Hamburg. B'dawn l-animali li jkunu qed jahdmu taht stress kollox jista jigri. Lil dawk li kitbu li ma raw ebda krudilta nghidilhom ghandkom ragun ghax il-krudilta issir wara l-kwinti u mhux waqt ix-show. Bhal ma inti ghandek id-dritt li tmur ic-cirkli nahseb li dawk li pprotestaw ghandhom id-dritt jaghmlu hekk ukoll bhal ma kulhadd ghandu id-dritt li jikteb u jikkritika.

Josie Powell

Dec 15th 2009, 18:08

My son enjoyed the circus, even my husband did too!! However I would like to point out that I do think that this is a little hypocritical, when I have seen loads of horses pulling large carriages all day, and I have seen some of them druelling due to the metal piece in its mouth. It is not natural to have them pulling everyone around Valletta all day. Also the circus is no different to the mediterranean centre, when people pay to see parrots performing on bycicles, or seeing the beautiful dolphins performing in a captive environment instead of that big open sea just behind them!!!!!

The circus was inspected and there was no evidence of any cruelty whatsoever!!!

c.camilleri

Dec 15th 2009, 17:02

Having attended the circus i can say that we enjoyed the show very much and there was no evidence of any maltreatment to the animals. In fact the animals were wonderful and seemed happy. I cannot understand all this nonsense. The CCF will present dogs to blind persons in the near future. Is this not cruelty to animals when we know that dogs like roaming about instead of that miserable life. Are these animal lovers threatening any action against this type of cruelty? Or birds in cages? Why they always act against the visiting circus? Perhaps this is a soft target.

Martin Saliba

Dec 15th 2009, 14:34

it is this coalition which is trying to frighten the guts out of the maltese people not to attend any performances. The circus has a right to institute legal action against a civil servant with a high office, against a tv personality and against a politician. So instead of blaming it on the circus which the maltese people have been waiting years to see it, blame it on these funky animal so-called lovers, because they just want to ruin our pleasure in seeing an animal circus performing in Malta. Live and let live I say but this horse blinkered coalition just want accept defeat.

Andy Towler

Dec 15th 2009, 14:22

@Reg Fitzpatrick:

In the wild, a tiger has a territory covering many square kilometres - if you constrain it to a cage, pen or circus tent, its behaviour becomes unnatural, and that's cruelty. Simple as that.

Fabien Sant Fournier

Dec 15th 2009, 14:20

How can you be so naive?? Do you think that the trainer is going to whip out a stick and beat the animal in front of the audience?? Of course not! If the animal is beaten, this is done during training behind closed doors in order to establish the trainer as the dominator or alpha male. how else do you think a wild animal would obey commands? for a treat?? Be honest with yourself..which is the more logical explanation?

Fitzpatrick, thank you for proving my point. An animal lying on its back is a clear sign of submission. What your grandson saw is just a big cat - not a lion. These are just cheap thrills which have no educational value.

Caruana; just because people have made mistakes and been arrogant towards animals in the past this does not mean that we should do the same nowadays. Just because some people get pleasure out of the circus, this does not give the go ahead for some people to infringe on animal's rights and make a quick buck in the process.

John Abela

Dec 15th 2009, 14:13

@ Reg Fitzgerald: Are you so naive as to think that animals will be hurt in front of the general public? How can you assess that animals 'enjoy the applause'??? 'Misguided protestors'? Are you sure of that? Then, the whole of Sweden must be misguided because there, animal circuses are BANNED. And so many millions of people in Europe. Take a look for yourself on Internet. LEARN!

@Walter Caruana - The fact that animals are 'giving pleasure' to millions of people is your assertion and you have to realise that as time goes by, people are becoming more conscious of the cruelty that naturally follows when animals are 'giving pleasure' in this manner.
And can you describe in what way people are being 'harrassed' in not going to the circus? It is a blatant lie.
Certainly you are also daft if you think that people reading you are going to believe as to why 'protesters' are doing this.
'Hysterical behaviour'? What hysterical behaviour? Just by protesting and carrying out campaigns implies 'hysterical behaviour'?
I rather think that you are both writing this comment as yet another one of the many 'elves' that are trying to protect the circus!

Joseph Micallef

Dec 15th 2009, 13:59

Dear Reg Fitzpatrick,
What makes you think that it is natural and normal for a tiger to lie on its back and have its stomack stroked like a kitten? Doesn't it even pass your head that to behave this way the tiger has to be conditioned in some way (I invite you to give it a try and attempt to make a tiger lie on its back etc and see what I mean). No amount of training can achieve such behaviour if not conditioning - such as - if the tiger does not go on its back it will be beaten - or other such forceful tactics! Surely you will not witness the cruelty during the show. The Circus company people are not stupid!

Ann Camilleri

Dec 15th 2009, 13:33

All I can say to the comments below is that there is a huge difference between domestic animals and animals like tigers and elephants, which are meant to roam in the wild and certainly not in a circus!

Reg Fitzpatrick

Dec 15th 2009, 12:00

Having attended the Circus on Sunday evening I saw no animals cruelly treated, all in excellent condition, and in fact some seem to enjoy the applause from the thrilled audience and praise from their handler.
My 11-year grandson watched with awe and went away with the unforgettable memory of a huge Tiger lying on its back having its stomach stroked like a kitten!
Cruelty? What rubbish! These misguided protesters are in danger of destroying another valuable asset, which our children enjoy, just to be politically correct.

walter caaruana

Dec 15th 2009, 11:11

First of all I must state tha I am totally against any cruelty inflicted on animals. However I must say that animals have been used since time immemorial, such as horse racing , hunting dogs, by farmers and shepherds, by police etc etc. The animals in a circus have been giving pleasure to millions of people especially. I do not think that anyone has a right to harass people who want to enjoy an evening with their family at the circus. Probably many of these protesters are creating this fuss for the fun of it or for the limelight.
By all means if there is real cruelty ( not imaginary or presumed ) then legal action should be taken in a civilized manner. Cut out all this hysterical behaviour once and for all. What I would like these animal lovers to ponder about is WHAT CAN HAPPEN TO THESE ANIMALS IF PEOPLE DO NOT GO TO THE CIRCUS.