McLaren Circus addresses community’s concerns

McLaren Circus addressed concerns by community members following the announcement that the circus will perform in Edenvale.

Edenvale will be the circus’ 56th venue for 2019.

ALSO READ: Circus not welcome by all in Edenvale

Concerns raised by the public on social media included the use of wild animals for entertainment, allegations that the circus breeds its own animals and the welfare of the animals.

Public relations officer and spokesperson for the circus, Karl Hildebrandt, told the NEWS that the concerns and objections against the circus “are nothing new when it comes to performing animals”.

“We are aware that there are groups that are against the use of animals in various industries.

“These include circuses, zoos, horse riding, service animals, the consumption of animals, as well as industries that test on animals, such as the medical fields and cosmetic fields,” Hildebrant said.

He described social media as a platform which is easily used to attack someone or an organisation.

“No one from the Edenvale community contacted us directly to ask questions on our operations, nor gain information on the way we treat our animals.”

To get permission to host performances in Edenvale, Hildebrandt said the circus approached the owner of the land, in this instance the parks department from the City of Ekurhuleni.

“The council has a committee which ensures events comply with the Safety at Sports and Recreational Events act of 2010.”

Hildebrandt said the committee does not regulate performing animals.

“The circus has an annual Licence to Train/Exhibit animals issued by a state veterinarian from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and regulated by the NSPCA/SPCA. We also have a permit issued from the Gauteng Wildlife Department to safely transport our animals.”

He said after showing a presentation of the circus’ event it was granted permission for the event.

In response to the concerns about the use of wild animals for entertainment, Hildebrandt said the circus has a variety of animals which range from domestic to farm animals and big cats.

“We care for all our animals equally. We do not have selective empathy when it comes to our animals. The circus understands the importance of maintaining a high standard of welfare for all our animals.”

Hildebrandt said all the animals in the circus’ care were hand-raised in the circus environment and have adapted to the lifestyle.

He said the animals are dependent on their handlers, who provide daily meals, fresh clean water and shelter.

Also read: Edenvale SPCA and BAT add their voices to concerns

“The use of animals in entertainment is simply a moral issue. Some [people] do not believe that other animals can be trained, through rewarding them for positive behaviour.”

Hildebrant denied that the circus breeds it own stock.

“The animals in the circus are born in captivity. Our animals come from breeders who already have the animals. We do not especially ‘order’ animals to be bred for the circus. We adopt animals already born and provide them with shelter and care.”

Hildebrandt said the staff, which handle the animals, are trained and supervised to ensure the animal’s needs are met.

“We understand the logic of ‘healthy animal is a happy animal’ and vice versa. The circus is strictly monitored by the NSPCA and local SPCAs.”

“The SPCA ensures all animals’ welfare is monitored and that there is no cruelty taking place under the Animals Protection Act. The licence to perform is issued by a state vet, who does an annual check-ups on the animals to ensure they are in good health.

“On top of confirming to the legislature to ensure we can operate, we regularly invite various private vets to check up on our animals,” said Hildebrandt.

“Just like pet owners take their animals to the vet, we pay extra careful attention to our animals’ health, as our animals are always in the public eye.”

He said some people are of the misunderstanding that circus animals can’t fall ill.

Hildebrandt went on to say that the circus knows the objections against it coming to town are not against the show itself but rather against the use of performing animals.

“There is a divide when it comes to those sharing their concern about performing animals. Some only oppose big cats performing and are fine with the horses, dogs while others oppose the total use of animals.”

“We know about what gets spread on social media and being in the public eye we have no other interest than that to maintain a high standard of animal welfare. The allegations of cruelty and abuse to animals are meaningless. In SA cruelty to animals is a crime. During the almost 15 years the circus has operated, it has not been charged with animal cruelty by any of the SPCA’s which have inspected it.”

“We recently had two inspections by Roodepoort/Krugersdorp SPCA. They did not lay a single charge of cruelty nor did they raise any concerns.”

“We have proven to our supporters that a circus can love and care for animals, and we are proud that the public has noticed this.”

Hildebrandt said the circus has never considered removing its animals from the shows, as it formed part of the circus’ brand.

Hildebrandt encouraged community members who may have queries to email karl@mclarencircus.co.za