Another Town Comes Through: South Dublin Bans Animal Circuses on Public Lands!

For nearly a decade, animal lovers and advocates have been trying hard to institute an animal circus ban in Ireland. Their efforts are certainly having an effect as just yesterday South Dublin’s council passed a motion by majority vote to ban animal circuses on public lands. Woohoo!

This announcement marks yet another Irish town realizing that the time has come to say goodbye to circuses. As the Irish Examiner reports, South Dublin “joins Drogheda, Wicklow Town, Arklow, Waterford, Monaghan and Clonakilty” with its circus ban.

According to Animal Defenders International (ADI), Independent Councillor Dermot Looney proposed the motion and both ADI and Ireland-based Animal rights Action Network (ARAN) campaigned in Support of it.

ARAN has been staging peaceful protests to help spread circus bans across Ireland. The group held their most recent protest yesterday outside of Duffy Circus in Ennis Co., and reports that it was a “smashing success,” with “all circus-goers reading [their] banners … and many taking educational leaflets.”

How wonderful it is to see direct action at work and succeeding! The ARAN’s actions, along with the ADI’s, are clear examples that if you put up a good fight and keep to it, you can help animals and create victories.

Irish circuses have been under intense scrutiny in recent years. In 2006 and 2012, Captive Animals’ Protection Society (CAPS) out of Manchester, England released investigative reports entitled “Ring of Cruelty” and “Ring of Cruelty II.” Both revealed that many animals in Irish circuses suffered from physical and behavioral problems and lived “restricted lives,” with inadequate or temporary accommodation.

Since the release of these reports and subsequent actions by various groups, a number of steps have been taken to reduce the presence of animal circuses on Irish land. CAPS reports that in July 2013, Irish Ministers appointed a team “to consider wild animals in circuses,” and in October 2013 there was a “massive drop” in funding for animal circuses from the Arts Council.

While all these changes have taken time, they are indeed raising considerable awareness about the plight of circus animals and encouraging others to take action. As the IDA writes on Facebook, “One by one, councils are voting to stop circus suffering in Ireland!”

To get involved with the campaign to end animal-act circuses in Ireland, keep up with the ARAN’s website and Facebook for more information.

Image source: Max Roeleveld / Flickr