Bitter news from the UK is covered in the Monday, June 9, Daily Mail, headed, "The days when tiger cubs could be condemned to misery in British circuses were meant to be over." The sub-heading reads, "But thanks to a shameful Whitehall U-turn, hundreds of animals are still suffering for our entertainment."
The lengthy and sensitive article, by Danny Penman opens with:
"The two boisterous young tiger cubs leapt onto my lap and started pawing playfully at my face. Although they were only eight weeks old, I could already feel the power behind their little swipes as their sharp claws raked across my skin. The cubs soon shifted their attention to my shoelaces and began to play-stalk them, their little bottoms swaying slowly from side to side."
Penman writes more about playing with the cubs, then tells us:
"But behind such images lies the story of one of Nature's most awesome species reduced to a demeaning party trick, and of the terrible Government betrayal that has made it possible.
"For after 20 minutes of 'freedom', the two cubs, Meena and Dehra, were dragged back to their pen on the back of a truck as their mother, a bored looking Bengal tiger, looked on helplessly. They had been snatched away from her when they were just a few weeks old.
"She looked broken and depressed, which is hardly surprising as she has spent virtually her entire life imprisoned in a barren steel cage four feet by five. Meena and Dehra face the same fate once they are no longer cute enough to pose for photos.
"The plight of Meena and Dehra would be tragic enough were it in a Third World zoo, but I discovered these tigers at the Great British Circus in East London.
"Two years ago, the prospect of such scenes still being acted out today would have been unthinkable. For back then, the Government unequivocally promised to ban most non-domestic animals from circuses for good -- including tigers."
We read, however,
"But eight weeks ago, Lord Rooker backtracked and surreptitiously let it be known that the Government was no longer interested in a ban."
The article discusses various documented cruelties, such as:
"In one circus, a lion was filmed being hit in the face with an iron bar. In another, a baby chimpanzee was thrashed with a riding crop." It tells us that a "report revealed that animals are often driven insane by life in the circus. They frantically chew the bars of their cages for hours on end. Others endlessly pace backwards and forwards between the walls of their cells."
And it lets us know that the circus industry is heartened by the Government's change of policy and has started breeding more animals.
You'll find the article on line at:
http://tinyurl.com/5metgu
Even if you don't have time to read the whole piece, give the link a click so that the paper knows of your interest in the topic -- the number of clicks is documented.
And why not write a quick letter to the editor, commending the coverage and offering your thoughts on the use of captive animals for human entertainment?
A great place to get information about circuses, and to watch some of the shocking training video, is www.circuses.com
The Daily Mail takes letters at:
letters@dailymail.co.uk
Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Remember that shorter letters are more likely to be published.
Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn
(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)
Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com to read reviews of Karen Dawn's new book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals” and watch the fun celebrity studded promo video.
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Date: Mon Jun 9 18:39:28 2008
