It’s great that so many Maltese are teaming up to protest against the cruelty behind animal circuses. It is pitiful, however, that circus “supporters” are trying to justify blatant acts of cruelty by juxtaposing circuses with farming, meat production and even domestic pets. The juvenile argument doing the rounds on the internet is that one can’t seriously be against animal circuses if one eats meat or keeps a dog or a cat as a pet. What rubbish!

The people calling for a ban on animal circuses in Malta, myself being one of them, come from a range of value systems – some may be vegans or vegetarians and others might not be but that shouldn’t belittle their common message: animal circuses are cruel.

I’m sure that all of the protesters are also against cruelty to domestic pets and atrocities that go on in livestock farms but the issue here is that of an organised cruelty for the purpose of entertainment. I don’t expect the ban to come from the government. I just hope that, eventually, so many Maltese people understand the cruelty behind animals circuses that the operation of such circuses on the island becomes economically unfeasible.

Circuses claim that their animals are kept in good conditions but that doesn’t mean their operation is not cruel.

Many of the animals found in a circus belong in the wild expanses of land in Africa or Asia not in the small confines of a circus tent or cargo container.

Worst of all, of course, are the methods with which these animals are trained to perform. Little is known about the psychological effects of transporting, training and the amount of noise and light which these animals are exposed to and in no way can that be beneficial to these sometimes rare creatures.

The circus is not educational, it is cruel.