OPPOSITION TO CIRCUS CONTINUES |
Kapiti Council has finally made a decision on SAFE's submission calling for a ban on circuses with exotic animals using council land. The Council decided to retain the status quo and continue to allow any circuses that had exotic animals prior to December 2006 to use Council land. This decision will therefore not affect the last remaining circus with exotic animals but will prevent future circuses from setting up their tents on the Kapiti Coast. Despite receiving strong support from the Mayor and two councillors a similar submission presented to the Palmerston North Council was rejected, despite being accompanied by a petition with over a thousand signatures. Both submissions created strong public awareness on the circus issue however and lots of media coverage was received. "I congratulate our volunteers on the Kapiti Coast and in Palmerston North for the great job they have done to bring the suffering of circus animals to the public's attention", says SAFE campaign director Hans Kriek. "All this attention has created more pressure on New Zealand's last remaining circus, Whirling Brothers, which only has one elephant left after disposing of its monkeys and lions. It now seems inevitable that we will soon see an end to the keeping of wild animals in circuses, a welcome end to a cruel era".
25 November 2006
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