I saw on tele that the circus was going up to Gympie (where I was born) so I sent the following email to the Mayor:
Dear Mayor Ron Dyre,
I am writing to you in regards to the Lennon Brothers Circus coming to Gympie. On June 30 2009 Ipswich City Council has made the progressive and compassionate decision to ban circuses with exotic animals from council lands. The Ipswich Council was given much praise and public support for this compassionate decision and I hope you can be the next to receive this public gratitude by banning circuses in your council. Let's add Gympie to the list of more than 45 councils where circuses with exotic animals are banned. Bolivia has completely banned circuses in the country and other countries such as Brazil and Peru and contemplating the ban.
Wild animals used in circuses are routinely subjected to months on the road confined in small, barren cages. These animals often live in filthy and dilapidated enclosures or are chained in one position for the majority of the day with no chance to move, let alone express their full range of natural behaviours or to socialize with other members of their species. They are intimidated to perform tricks every day by cruel methods such as whipping. In 2001 three lions attacked their trainer in front of a packed family audience at a Lennon Bros Circus show at Penrith. When interviewed on TV Mr. Lennon, the circus owner, said "We have absolutely no idea why the lions would attack." Perhaps the lions attacked because of the cruel and unnatural conditions they are kept in their entire lives!
I'll leave you with a quote from previous Assistant Director of the Bureau of Animal Health, John Auty MVSc "The circus environment is now, and will remain, grossly inimical to the health and welfare of wild animals, whether used for performance and/or exhibition. As a veterinarian, I am of the opinion that such use of animals is cruel and should be prevented."
Yours Sincerely,
Arianna Salan
and recieved the following email from the mayor's assistant:
Good morning Arianna
I write to advise that your email was raised at today's meeting of Council (instead of next week's - as the Circus is in town this weekend).
Council's decision was that it would prefer economic forces to regulate whether circuses with exotic animals should continue to visit the Gympie Regional Council area.
Thank you.
Regards
Donelle
What a shame! Gympie shire council put greed and money before the ethical treatment of animals and teaching today's children how to respect animals. I guess, at least they addressed the issue?
Wow, that's really, really awesome that they brought it up.
If I were you, I would definitely think about starting your own grass roots campaign around the issue.
Buy + read Striking At The Roots (available off unleashed);
Get outside and get a petition signed - you can make your own easily. Then present it to the council;
Start a letter writing campaign to the council. Like, post a new thread on here with the contact details of the mayor, with a pre-written letter for us to edit ourselves.
It's really awesome that the council brought it up, it's means the issue is in the back of their mind.
Remember: throughout the campaign always stress the fact that cruelty-free circuses exist, and that animal circuses have been banned in a number of councils around Australia.
I'd help more, but I've got heaps of animal rights stuff at school to organize.... Plus all the animal rights stuff outside school!
Animal rights are not inherrent; they must be won! The animals are relying on us; we're all they have. Never give in, do your best, good luck and give them hell.
I was just contact by a journalist from the Gympie times who asked to quote me in an article in tomorrows paper! The article is about legislation to use public land for exotic animals in circuses.
I was just contact by a journalist from the Gympie times who asked to quote me in an article in tomorrows paper! The article is about legislation to use public land for exotic animals in circuses.
Just goes to show every little bit we do counts!
Great job Arianna!!
This is becoming a bigger and bigger issue with more and more councils coming on board... I hope the newspaper article adds a little needed pressure to help convince your local council to reconsider. I hope there are some supportive letters to the editor that follow (wink, nudge). Fingers crossed!
That's awesome Carina. The more people raising this issue the better!
They should've boycotted the circus, you're right. However often the general public either don't understand the stress or range of emotions animals experience or they don't care. That's why I love the way animals australia focuses on changing policy rather than trying to turn the whole world vegan
