Upcoming Events

National | Animal Rights

no events match your query!

Blog Feeds

Anti-Empire

Anti-Empire

offsite link North Korea Increases Aid to Russia, Mos... Tue Nov 19, 2024 12:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link Trump Assembles a War Cabinet Sat Nov 16, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link Slavgrinder Ramps Up Into Overdrive Tue Nov 12, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link ?Existential? Culling to Continue on Com... Mon Nov 11, 2024 10:28 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link US to Deploy Military Contractors to Ukr... Sun Nov 10, 2024 02:37 | Field Empty

Anti-Empire >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link No Benefits for Foreigners Under Reform, Says Nigel Farage: Stricter Visa Tests and Deportation for ... Mon Sep 22, 2025 13:00 | Will Jones
Nigel Farage?today vowed to block foreign nationals from getting benefits, slashing the welfare bill "by ?234bn", and to deport hundreds of thousands of migrants with 'settled status' by bringing in stricter visa tests.
The post No Benefits for Foreigners Under Reform, Says Nigel Farage: Stricter Visa Tests and Deportation for Those Who Fail Under Crackdown on ‘Settled Status’ Migrants appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link When it Comes to Reparations, the Church of England Doesn?t Care About Evidence or Ethics Mon Sep 22, 2025 11:00 | Nigel Biggar
The Church of England has shown that it doesn't care about evidence or ethics, says Prof Nigel Biggar. Why else, when presented with proof its ?100 million reparations giveaway is groundless, would it press on regardless?
The post When it Comes to Reparations, the Church of England Doesn?t Care About Evidence or Ethics appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Sensational New Measurements of Uncorrupted Air Temperatures Destroy UK Met Office Constant Claims o... Mon Sep 22, 2025 09:00 | Chris Morrison
New data shows the Met Office's 'record' heat spikes are junk, weaponised by Net Zero activists to scare the public witless and push the no-hydrocarbons fantasy, says the Daily Sceptic's Environment Editor.
The post Sensational New Measurements of Uncorrupted Air Temperatures Destroy UK Met Office Constant Claims of ?Records? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Making Tax Digital ? a Disaster in the Making or a Brilliant Innovation? Mon Sep 22, 2025 07:00 | Guy de la B?doy?re
Making Tax Digital is set to hit sole traders and landlords from 2026, promising more admin, costs and chaos than clarity, and Guy de la B?doy?re is already throwing in the towel rather than get swamped.
The post Making Tax Digital ? a Disaster in the Making or a Brilliant Innovation? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link News Round-Up Mon Sep 22, 2025 00:43 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Will intergovernmental institutions withstand the end of the "American Empire"?,... Sat Apr 05, 2025 07:15 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?127 Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:38 | en

offsite link Disintegration of Western democracy begins in France Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:00 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?126 Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:39 | en

offsite link The International Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism by Amichai Chikli and Na... Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:31 | en

Voltaire Network >>

New report suggests circus animal trainer risked foot and mouth disease by undisclosed elephant import

category national | animal rights | press release author Wednesday September 05, 2012 09:46author by CAPS - The Captive Animals Protection Societyauthor email info at captiveanimals dot org Report this post to the editors

A report released on Monday raises concerns that an animal handler working for Courtney Brothers’ Circus, which has travelled the length and breadth of the country this year, was allowed to bypass EU animal health regulations when importing four Asian elephants currently being used in the circus’ shows. The European Commission has confirmed that regulations are in place to prevent the outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease.

The report, published by leading animal protection charity, The Captive Animals’ Protection Society, states that, following a year-long spell in Morocco, the European Commission refused the elephants entry back into the European Union. A spokesperson for the Commission stated that there was “a ban on imports of live animals from Morocco (or re-entering into the EU of the elephants in question). Morocco is considered endemic of Foot and Mouth disease and allowing such imports could put the farming community at risk”. However, for reasons unconfirmed, it appears that the French authorities stepped in to allow the animals onto French soil, apparently in direct contravention of import rules, and without the EC’s knowledge.

On being informed of the import by the charity’s investigator, the Commission spokesperson confirmed that the move had been carried out without authorisation, saying: “The Commission is not aware of the elephants having come back to EU soil ... [and] was indeed not informed by the French authorities that the elephants had been imported to France”.

The circus has been no stranger to controversy this year with the escape of one elephant making international news and prompting widespread concerns for the safety of the public and the welfare of the animals. Just days after this incident, which happened in Blackpool, a visitor to the circus was crushed when another elephant fell on top of him. His injuries were so serious that he was put into an induced coma in Cork University Hospital, though he later made a full recovery.

It was later confirmed that the elephants had been “drugged”. The circus claimed that this explained the preceding incidents but the lab that carried out the blood tests said it was unlikely that the drug traces would have caused the elephants’ behaviour. The way in which the drugging was allowed to occur, or who the perpetrator was, was never confirmed and it is thought that no formal action was taken against the circus as a result of any of these incidents.

Liz Tyson, Director of CAPS said:
“We have warned for years that keeping elephants in circuses is not only cruel and absolutely contrary to the most basic welfare needs of these complex, intelligent and physically huge animals, but it is simply an accident waiting to happen. This season alone we have seen that the elephants used in Courtney’s circus may have entered the European Union in contravention of strict animal health laws, we have seen an escape, a serious accident and ultimately, discovered that the elephants had been drugged. It is high time that the circus takes responsibility, both for the animals and the risks, and makes a firm commitment to end the exploitation of elephants, and all other animals, in future seasons”.

The report also raises concerns about the other three circuses using animals in Ireland: Duffy’s, Gerbola and Fossett’s, and questions the Arts Council Ireland’s use of public funds to support animal circuses.

Related Link: http://www.irishcircuses.org/ringofcruelty2

Caption: Video Id: vbffMNa6afQ Type: Youtube Video
Ring of Cruelty II


© 2001-2025 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy