It's that time of the year again... that time when we're so full of love, goodness and goodwill that we allow yet another animal circus into our country to fuel more cruelty and spread more ignorance onto our children.
I've been fighting and preaching against the use of animals for entertainment purposes for years now. Be it dolphins in dolphinariums, bears in circuses, or elephants in zoos, people still don't seem to understand that unless an animal is being kept in captivity for its own good (injured, abandoned, domesticated) then it should be out in the wild where it belongs.
After years of preaching, protesting, writing and lobbying, you'd think I'd be tired of it all, but thankfully I'm not. Year on year I have the below conversation with hundreds of wide-eyed parents, and I'll keep going until I've convinced enough of them to stop the demand for animal cirucuses:
Parent: I'm taking my kids to the circus on Saturday.
Me: The animal circus?
Parent: Yes of course, so that they get to see the lions and the elephants.
Me: But you love animals don't you?
Parent: Yes and so do the kids, that's why we're taking them.
Me: But going to an animal circus is cruel.
Parent: What? How?
Me: How do you think they get elephants to dance around on one leg, and tigers to jump through hoops of fire? Do you think wild animals do these things voluntarily?
Parent: No but they don't hit them; I'm sure they don't hurt them. There must be some other way.
Me: What other way? The only way we know about includes bullhooks, electrocution, withholding of food, chains, intimidation, domination and torturous captivity.
Parent: Surely there's another way. I don't believe they are cruel to them. The trainers love the animals; you can see it during the show.
Me: Then why don't they show us how they really train them? If torture and mistreatment is not the way, then why can't I find any videos of the way that they 'really' do it? Why is it that the only videos you find are those taken by hidden cameras showing agonising and disgusting mistreatment of animals?
Parent: *clearly upset but stubborn* - I still don't believe they hurt them.
Me: Ok, so let's assume for argument's sake that they don't hit them. Do you think it's ok to take wild animals from their natural habitat, deprive them entirely of their natural lives, deprive them of ever hunting, mating, etc just for us to be able to see them in the comfort of our own cities?
Parent: But that's the only way that our children would ever get to see real elephants, tigers, lions etc
Me: Has your son ever seen an aborigine?
Parent: No.
Me: Would you like us to capture a few of them from Australia's outback, put them in cages, and ship them around the world so that your son will one day get a chance to see a real Aborigine sitting in a cage in Floriana?
Parent: Of course not, that's a human being you're talking about.
Me: So what? Why is it ok to do something to an animal and not to a human?
Parent: But circus animals are usually born in circuses, so they don't know any better.
Me: There was a child born at the Corradino prison last month, if we left him there for the rest of his life he wouldn't know any better. Should we leave him there on the premise that he wouldn't miss the outside world?
Parent: rolls eyes into his forehead, raises arms above his head and walks away....thinking....thinking.
Sometimes they come back with the usual counter arguments:
If you're not a vegan then your argument is hypocritical.
If you wear leather shoes, then your argument is hypocritical.
If you have a cat or a dog, then your argument is hypocritical.
If you've ever neutered an animal, then your argument is hypocritical.
The list goes on and on, and counteracting all of them would fill my word count. Suffice to say that there's a huge difference between eating Foie Gras and a slice of beef once a month.
There's a huge difference between wearing leather shoes, and having a mink coat.
There's a huge difference between domestic and wild animals.
And it's not even worth arguing with anyone who brings the 'neutering' argument into the picture.
Bottom line:
Find me an animal circus and I'll find you whips, chains, sharp hooks, electric prods, muzzles and choke collars.
Find me an animal circus and I'll find you wild majestic animals on the road in cramped trailers for over 40 weeks a year.
Find me an animal circus and I'll find you animals deprived of the ability to engage in even their most basic natural behaviour.
Fortunately, in many parts of the world, people have been more receptive than Malta and bans on exotic animal acts have already been enacted in six countries and 300 municipalities throughout the world.
Whatever you do, whether you already purchased your tickets or not, remember this - animals in circuses, in dolphinariums and in zoos, suffer a lifetime of domination and abuse to provide audiences with a few fleeting moments of amusement.
You can help end this injustice by enjoying circuses that don't use animals, and by encouraging your family and friends to do the same.
The Malta Circus Project is now receiving applications from local performers with circus skills as well as those interested in the administration side of the circus. All positions are paid. If you are interested and available early next year, please send your CV to chris@maltacircus.com. Performers must be available for daily rehearsals at least two weeks prior to the performances. Only applications from performers with circus skills are being accepted. Other performers such as dancers and actors will be sought at a later date and are requested to kindly refrain from sending in their information at this stage. The Malta Circus Project is Malta's first professional contemporary circus. The debut show will also feature international performers and NO ANIMALS.