Kathy Watson, spokesperson of Beauty Without Cruelty explained that the protest was against the cruelty behind the training of animals in circuses.
“Using animals in circuses is an archaic practice,” Watson said. “Global trends are moving away from using animal performers and are rather celebrating human artistic skills.”
She said Beauty Without Cruelty’s campaign, Ban Animal Trading, was against the exploitation of animals for profit and was a protest against all circuses which still included animal performers, not just Brian Boswell’s Circus.
“Animals in circuses spend about 11 months of the year travelling for thousands of hours over long distances,” she said. “They may be chained or caged while not performing, transported in vehicles that lack climate control and forced to stand or lie in their own waste.”
Protesters of all ages held placards that read, ‘Minutes of fun = a lifetime of misery’ and ‘Animals belong in the wild’. Some protesters donned chains to demonstrate the conditions that animals in some circuses faced.
While the protest was mainly silent some protesters chanted slogans and tried to get motorists on Montecasino Boulevard to ‘hoot for the animals’.
In response to the protest, owner of Brian Boswell’s Circus, Georgina Boswell said all the pictures that the protesters used on their placards were not of the animals in her circus but rather pictures downloaded from the internet.
“Currently we do not have elephants and lions in our show but rather feature horses, ponies, camels, poodles, goats and an adorable llama called Nuzzle and yet these activists continue to hold protests which are bordering on harassment,” she said.
Boswell explained that in the past, protesters have intimidated their customers and upset children by shouting at them, and showing them pictures and information that did not relate to the Brian Boswell Circus.
“It is clear to us that the majority, if not all of these activists have not been to see us or the condition and demeanor of our animals. We operate a legal business and all our animal permits are current and valid,” she said.
Boswell added, “The circus is family entertainment and one of the last remaining entertainment activities that is suitable for the whole family. Our animals are in excellent health and are regularly inspected by the SPCA and independent vets.”