Dear Sir or Madam,
A number of spurious statements are evident in the attempts by the Great British Circus to defend their use of animal acts.
To begin with, their spokeswoman claimed that they were the only circus in Britain to train animals in full view of the public. This is only partly true. What the public see is not training but a rehearsal of an act for which the animal has already been trained, quite possibly using the cruel methods investigations have found to be standard in British circuses.
It is true that the circus has been inspected by the RSPCA on many occasions. This does not, however, suggest that cruelty is not taking place: particularly given that the owner of this circus was once observed hiding a sick lioness from inspectors.
The lack of prosecutions against animal circuses, meanwhile, says more about the deficiencies in animal welfare law than it does about standards in the circus. World's Fair, furthermore, is an industry journal (for circuses, fairs and suchlike) and not an animal welfare organisation. Animal welfare is not their main concern. Their frame of reference is the standards existing in the industry, and these standards are in general low.
I have said nothing here which is not supported by evidence from Animal Defenders' 1997 undercover investigation 'The Ugliest Show on Earth'. This can be viewed online at http://www.ad-international.org/animals_in_entertainment/circuses/ugliest_show/192398.htm
Sincerely,
Eloise Harding

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