I believe that animals should be treated kindly and properly.

That said,

it's a shame but hardly surprising that these so called animal lovers and animal rights protestors don't have the guts to take on the drug dealers who peddle their filth to children around Colchester.

guyfawkes999 assumes that the protesters on Saturday don’t care about drug abuse, they probably do, and a whole host of other issues aswell. No doubt if he contacts them, they would accompany him when he is out and about confronting drug dealers.

It is extremely sad that wild animals are kept in conditions that would be illegal if the owners were a zoo rather than a circus. It is even sadder that people take their children to see such a spectacle in the 21st century.

Animals don’t belong in a circus. The constant transportation from town to town for ten months each year and confinement for long periods means that a travelling circus can never meet all of the needs of these animals, whether lion or horse.

Lions and tigers, like those used in the Great British Circus are confined to cages. While some may have occasional access to 'exercise' cages, there are often only slightly larger than the travelling cage itself. Big cats are predators, designed to hunt, but their natural instincts and behaviours are frustrated by circus life.

Claims by circuses that animals are stimulated by performances are false. In fact, the same tricks are generally repeated for years.

Animals are trained away from the scrutiny of the public, politicians or welfare groups. Undercover investigations at circuses in the UK have revealed animals beaten with sticks, bars and whips and sick animals hidden from the RSPCA.

There is no educational value in seeing these once proud animals reduced to performing tricks in an unnatural environment. Circuses teach a lack of respect for animals.

CAPS is not opposed to circuses, only to the use of animals, and we encourage people to avoid animal circuses and instead visit one of the many excellent shows that rely entirely on human skills.

We also ask people to write to their MP, asking them to encourage the government to ban the use of animals in circuses.

Paul Thomas
The Captive Animals' Protection Society
www.captiveanimals.o
rg

Registered charity in England and Wales. Number 1124436

I like animals, especially lions and tigers. I think they should all be released back into the wild, where they can entertain their friends with their new found tricks. And eat local villagers!!

twenty-thirty yrs ago;these protesters probably were kids;attending circuses.in those days,animal-rights' groups were unheard of;although fashion-fur was always on the agenda.these protest-groups are largely run by bored housewives;'cos they've time on their hands to complain/cause trouble.cnd & ban-the-bomb;are old hat now.the organic-farming thing;seems to have gone off the boil as well.circuses & their staff have human-rights as well;to run their business without obstruction.if you really wanna' make a point;why not chain yourselves to the lions' cage or book a session with the lion-tamer;he might just let you stroke them?

I am sure you know by now that the DEFRA consultation (that CAPS would NOT take part in)after nearly 2 years FAILED to produce evidence that circus was any different from dozens of other animal husbandry systems and yet CAPS still produces emotive and unsubstanciated literature concerning the animals in circus.
Thus arousing the anger of vandals thugs and other socially challanged persons,who commit criminal acts against circus.I have a list of police crime numbers.
The news Item above mentioned that Colchester Police found everything A OK when they arrived at the circus site in Stanway... - well they would wouldn't they? Protesters know better than to misbehave in front of police cameras