Arts Council of Ireland funds animal circuses
December 2006

CAPS has again expressed concern that the Arts Council of Ireland has once more given funding to animal circuses, shortly after a major report by CAPS detailing the poor conditions animals are subjected to in Irish circuses.

Details announced for the Arts Council's 2007 funding show that the following amounts have been given to animal circuses:

Circus Gerbola - €45,000 (£30,000)
Duffy's Circus - €57,500 (£38,500)
Fossett's Circus - €57,500 (£38,500)

This is an increase of €65,000 given to these circuses at the beginning of 2006.

All three circuses used animals in their 2006 performances, including tigers, crocodiles, snakes, horses, dogs, camels, llamas.

In addition to funding, the circuses will be able to use the Arts Council logo on publicity material, a move which the circuses see as a stamp of approval offering them more credibility than any amount of money could buy.

In October, CAPS launched the findings of a major study of animal circuses in Ireland this year. The report and video, based on visits to circuses by CAPS investigators and a vet found:

• 102 animals being used in circuses, 43 of whom were of wild / exotic species. These included 6 elephants, a giraffe, a rhino and a hippo,
• Some of the animals are imported from across Europe, facing gruelling journeys of up to 1,000 miles,
• A hippo kept solitary, housed in a small tank of dirty water, unable to even fully submerge.

Both CAPS and the Dublin-based Alliance for Animal Rights (AFAR) have called into question the Arts Council claim that circuses have to provide a copy of their 'animal welfare policy' when applying for funding. The Arts Council have refused to give CAPS copies of the policies and AFAR believe they do not exist.

"We would prefer to see the Arts Council recognise that animal circuses by their very nature cannot provide for the needs of animals and to instead fund circuses to convert to all-human acts," CAPS and AFAR told the press in a joint statement.

A major report on Irish circuses published by CAPS notes that:
"Also of concern to CAPS is that the person employed by the Arts Council to act as their 'artform specialist' on circuses, Verena Cornwall, has close links to organisations defending the use of animals in circuses.
"Cornwall is an Honorary Board member of the Association of Circus Proprietors of Great Britain, the trade body for circuses. She is also the Chair of the Circus Arts Forum, a UK organisation that is also opposing the [UK] government ban on wild animal acts."

WHAT YOU CAN DO

	Please contact the Arts Council, asking the not to fund animal circuses: Mary Cloake, Director, The Arts Council, 70 Merrion Square, Dublin 2, Ireland E-mail: info@artscouncil.ie
	If you live in Ireland and want to get active in our campaign against animal circuses, Contact us for details.
	The most important thing anyone can do to end circus animal suffering is simply to avoid any circus using animals. Instead, visit one of the many excellent circuses that rely totally on human skills - there are many more all-human circuses than ones using animals. Contact us for a list.
	Become a CAPS supporter - you can help to make a difference

Photographs © Captive Animals Protection Society (all photos were taken by CAPS investigators).