Eye Catching Circus Event Turns Heads
clare |
animal rights |
news report 
Saturday July 29, 2006 00:29
by John Carmody - Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN)
arancampaigns at eircom dot net
ARAN, Po Box 722, Kildare, Ireland
087-6275579
ARAN's national anti-circus campaign tour making headlines for the animals
At exactly 12 noon today watched by crowds of curious people wanting to know what was going on, a proud member of the Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) in front of a banner reading Shackled, Lonely and Beaten 'exposed' members of the public to the hidden cruelty, violence and degrading conditions animals are being kept in with travelling circuses all over Ireland. She was joined by other members holding posters reading 'Stop Circus Suffering' and 'The Slave Trade Is Alive And Kicking' watched by dozens today's event advanced our campaign to end the use of animals in Irish circuses.
It was a great day, tons of positive feedback and more eyes open to the hidden cruelty in Irish circuses.
Please review a detailed report by Animal Defenders International and Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) into several Irish circuses touring Ireland, this report also explains why our nationwide campaign to end the use of animals in circuses here in Ireland is so depserately needed.
http://www.ad-international.org/admin/downloads/ireland...g.pdf
Comments (22 of 22)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22good one keep up the great work!
You pleased the photopack lechers but little others.
Good stuff - Brings home the hidden cruelty of this so-called entertainment!!
...and fair play to all who highlight the disgusting nature of animal circuses...
I've lived in London for many years and have only returned to Ireland recently. The media was constantly full of animal rights activities from groups such as SPEAK, SHAC and the animal liberation front. These groups were considered extremists. Their tactics may have stepped outside the law, but they achieved their goals. Never once in all my time living in London did I ever witness or read about such exploitation of women. What are this group ARAN hoping to achieve by exposing young naked women just so the general public can oogle at them. They certainly aren't doing the animals any favours. All they are doing is making a joke out of a movement that has taken many years to get where it is now.
ARAN do yourself a favour, put your clothes back on and do something worthwhile. It's time you grew up.
ignore the person who sent this in the last comment from (recently back). I am sure he who said "he is just back from the UK" is clearly living here in Ireland and HAS NOT ARRIVED BACK FROM LONDON i am sure he comes onto indymedia just to 'BITCH' and bad mouth good people doing good things or decides to air his air brain because he clearly doesnt know what he is talking about. He also is not doing SPEAK and SHAC any favours by telling people they act outside the law because i tought SPEAK and SHAC are law abiding and i think they are.
Why does he support acting outside the law? This is giving the animal rights movement an awful name and because of all the bad publicity the animal rights movement in the UK is getting, the media are now reporting on the 'extremists' and forgetting about the real issue which is animal abuse. I am sure many in the movement will agree on this too. People like him (recently back) give the animal rights movement a bad name also, because he talks bad about good people doing 'something' to help animals. He should instead direct all his freetime and energies towards those who abuse and hurt animals (in a peaceful way that is) instead of 'BITCHING' about good people helping animals in a exciting way.
All the very best of luck in your efforts to end animal abuse ARAN, thank you.
Although Israel has succeeded in uniting 99.9999% of the world against its merciless war on the people of Lebanon, the UN stands impotently by while the slaughter continues.
But no need to worry any more - PETA are on the case. http://www.helpinganimals.com/f-lebanon.asp
"PETA is on the front lines, helping to pull terrified dogs, cats, and other beloved animals from the rubble." FFS!!
Right on, fellow organisms - ever wonder why you have to strip off to get some attention?
farmer jones - clearly you don't approve of PETA rescuing animals in Lebanon. Why is this, does it make you uncomfortable? Perhaps you don't like cats and dogs and think they should be left there?? Your hostility to the issue of animal suffering and belittling it speaks volumes. Maybe you think that humans have a monopoly on suffering.
...and to the person who believes that ARAN's event entails 'such exploitation of women' and claims, despite many years of living in London to never have witnessed or read about the likes of it.
I don't know where in London you lived, or why you think these women are being exploited, I find it extraordinary that the sight of a bit of female flesh arouses such disdain in you.
What ARAN are hoping to achieve is a highlighting of animal abuse, in this case in circuses. Just as in other publicity seeking events the female form has been used and in this case very successfully, as it has generated alot of interest and awareness of the issue. Obviously there are those who don't approve, particularly the Socialist Worker and the Youth Defence types, but on the whole the campaign seems to have acheived its objectives. Nobody, apart from the circus animals, is getting exploited here, I am sure if you spoke to the women in question they would tell you that.
Gloria,
Thanks for understanding these forms of protest, its all good and meaningful. At Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) we work all over Ireland and campaign on a peaceful but effective level which normally entails several different means of action of course all done very peacefuly and effectively.
This Shackled, Lonely and Beaten event which took place in Clare last week is now the fifth city in our anti-animal act circus campaign tour which is having a huge impact on the circus industry with countless people knowing exactly what the circus is desperate to hide and thous boycotting this form of exploitation and cruelty. Where ever we bring this demonstration our phones get jammed, our website (ARAN.ie) sky rockets with visitors and we get tons of requests for campaign literature and sometimes we tend to get new volunteers too and everytime we get reporters wanting to know what is happening and why we are doing what we are doing, this then gives up the oppurtunity to side pass the knackedness and instead speak about the terrible cruelty that is taking place inside the circus. Because of these events taking place our campaign to highlight animal abuse inside the circus has already featured our circus campaign on four TV stations so far this year, every single national newspaper, countless radio stations, some magazines and internet websites.
Also to point out that ARAN's circus campaign is also working at many different levels. Week in week out we have caring people all over the country doing school talks, organizing information tables, writing letters, coordinating fully clothed peaceful protests, lobbying and meeting with ministers and working on documenting the cruelty inside the circus.
At ARAN all we have is good intentions for ending the terrible and needless cruelty inside the circus and we welcome you to please visit our website ARAN.ie for more information on our work and if possibly please speak out for animals inside the circus that truly need your help.
"farmer jones - clearly you don't approve of PETA rescuing animals in Lebanon. Why is this, does it make you uncomfortable? Perhaps you don't like cats and dogs and think they should be left there?? Your hostility to the issue of animal suffering and belittling it speaks volumes. Maybe you think that humans have a monopoly on suffering."
Okay lets take this slowly. Firstly can we agree that the Isreali campaign in Lebanon is an appalling, sickening, obscene act of brutality against the Lebanese people? Men, women and children, mostly civilians FFS. Right. Now, let us suppose that you or I happened to find ourselves in or about Lebanon today with some logistical/transport/medical capability at our disposal. As moral beings we must have some duty to act to relieve the suffering we see around us. Agreed? We cannot relieve all the suffering we find so we must prioritise, ok? We might decide to prioritise the more vulnerable, babies and young children.......or we might decide to treat the sick, those who need ongoing medical intervention/drugs etc.......or we might decide the most effective thing is to get people out of the war zone. Whatever. But if we decide the priority is to get little Fido and Kitty to safety, we have surely lost our moral compass. The capability to rescue pets (or companion animals or whatever) could be used to save a baby's life or relieve a childs suffering.
Lets be clear. Of course humans don't have a monopoly on suffering. I am not belittling animal suffering and those who inflict it deliberately and sadistically for pleasure are beneath contempt. But, human suffering is a different matter and the duty to relieve it is a far higher one. If I had the capability to save life in Lebanon I would not trade the saving of a single human life for any amount of animal lives. Would you? If so, how many? If you could save one Lebanese child or one Lebanese cat are you seriously telling me you'd opt for the cat? How about if it was one child or two cats? Ten cats? A hundred? A thousand?
Now, do you understand why I don't approve and why it makes me uncomfortable. I think the PETA action in Lebanon is a trivial and self indulgent piece of nonsense that meets the emotional needs of the rescuers rather than the rescued animals. But far far worse, it distracts from and trivialises the immensity of the crimes and suffering that are being visited on the people of Lebanon.
BTW, this is not a once off. Hurricane Katrina attracted the same response in New Orleans. If PETA were around in Nazi Germany, would they be caring for the abandoned pets of concentration camp victims? Obscene!
Farmer Jones,
The point you try to make has no relevance and is poorly thought out. Anyone who goes over to lend a hand in a war zone has my respect, no matter whose suffering is in question. Why do anti-AR people constantly repeat the same old tired arguments?
What do YOU do to relieve suffering (either human or non-human)? It's easy to criticize those who are trying to relieve some of it if you yourself are doing absolutely nothing. If you are so worried about PETA's neglect of the Lebanese human animals why don't you go over and help them instead of criticizing the attempts of other people?
Were I in a war zone/natural disaster I would rather lose all of my limbs than my cat/dog. If PETA were there to help them out they would be relieving my suffering by releiving theirs.
If I were in the Lebanon right now and saw a child and a cat lying injured, I would take BOTH to safety. There is no "Sophie's Choice" to be made. We DO have the resources to help them all out. I seriously doubt PETA are jumping over dying children to catch the dogs and cats without doing anything to help them, whatever image you may try to paint of them.
Furthermore, why do you think human animals are more important? Why do you reason that our duty to them is greater? This is a blatant example of speciesism, which is ideologically very closely linked to racism. If our duty to humans is greater because we are humans, then it should logically follow that our duty to our own breed/race should also be greater. Is this also your view? If not, why do you make a distinction between species and breed/race. (I use the two former terms interchangably, which you, being unapologetically speciesist will probably find offensive. To this I point out that in certain languages, such as French, no distinction is made between the two. "Un race de chien" translates as a breed of dog, while a persons race is also designated by the word "race".)
Ah, the old speciesism = racism argument. What a load of unmitigated bollix. Where do I start?
Well, you seem (correct me if i'm wrong) to be arguing that because we shouldn't regard one RACE as superior, it follows we shouldn't regard any one species as superior. Uh, ok, lets go along with that for a minute, just for the fun of it. Obviously this must apply to ALL species, not just cuddly-wuddly cutesy ones. So the human aminals have no more rights than the Fido/Moggy animals. Or the disease spreading rodent animals. Or an intestine inhabiting tapeworm animal. Ditto disease spreading mosquito animals. Better that the odd human animal should suffer malaria than a poor little mozzie should be swatted. Oops, speaking of disease, aren't bacteria a form of animal too? And viruses? Can't touch those either. So if a human animal is infected with a tapeworm animal or a bacteria animal or a virus animal, then the human animal must do nothing to harm the other animals??? Really??? Or do you draw a line somewhere between human animals and bacteria? If so where? Surely you wouldnt be a vertebratist, would you? Or a phylumist? Amoeba have rights too. you know.
BTW you're attempt to "play the man" and not the ball is pathetic. How dare you assume I do nothing to relieve suffering just because I don't agree with your views on animal rights? I have done volunteer work in the third world, I fundraise for and donate to the third world. I am a long time trade union activist and shop steward. I support the antiwar movement and have attended bertie aherns constituency clinic to make my point. Yeah, ideally I'd like to do more, but, as i said, we all have to prioritise. But if i could do more I'd direct my efforts at the human animals not the non-human ones. YOU may choose to lose all your limbs than lose your cat - thats your choice. But the concept of easing animals suffering to ease your own gives the game away. IMHO, AR is nothing more than a self indulgent choice to make the human animal feel good.
As for the idea that my views are ideologically very close to racism, this is just a stupid insult! Please fuck off and get a life. I don't speak french and can't comment on the accuracy of your linguism but so what if they use the same word for "breed" or "race". In fact, YOUR argument is so badly thought out that that doesn't even help it. YOU are trying to demonstrate that there is no difference between SPECIES and RACE/BREED. The fact that "race" and "breed" are similar concepts is irrelevant - "species" is a different concept entirely. AFAIK, members of the same species can interbreed (all humans, irrespective of race; all dogs, irrespective of breed)
1)“Well, you seem (correct me if i'm wrong) to be arguing that because we shouldn't regard one RACE as superior, it follows we shouldn't regard any one species as superior. “
No you are not wrong, however the issue is not quite as simple as you make out.
2)” Or do you draw a line somewhere between human animals and bacteria? If so where?”
To go some way to explaining the logic behing the anti-speciesist approach I refer you to a short article by Dr. Richard Ryder, who first coined the term.
(see: http://www.guardian.co.uk/animalrights/story/0,11917,15....html)
One of the points he makes here is that :
“Of course, each species is different in its needs and in its reactions. What is painful for some is not necessarily so for others. So we can treat different species differently, but we should always treat equal suffering equally.”
A simple example of how this works would be the difference between me and my cat. I would suffer if I were, for example, prevented from reading books. My cat does not need books for her happiness, although we do need many of the same things such as food, shelter, water, affection. I therefore provide these things for her, to prevent her from suffering from hunger, cold etc. I do not provide her with reading material as she does not need it to prevent her suffering. We are different, yes, but she would suffer just as much as I would were she to die of starvation.
He also says:
“Our concern for the pain and distress of others should be extended to any "painient" - pain-feeling - being regardless of his or her sex, class, race, religion, nationality or species.”
Bacteria, as far as we are aware, do not feel pain, fear or distress. This is precisely where I draw the line – at the level of suffering involved. Similarly, there is little, if any evidence to suggest that an insect such as a mosquito feels pain (see Temple Grandin’s book Animals in Translation for a discussion of this). A human infected with malaria does, and a great deal of it too. Therefore, in a bid to relieve suffering, one must logically place more importance on the saving of the individual who suffers.
3)” How dare you assume I do nothing to relieve suffering just because I don't agree with your views on animal rights?”
I did not assume anything about you, but merely asked a question. If you interpreted that question as being rhetorical, you misunderstood.
4)”I have done volunteer work in the third world, I fundraise for and donate to the third world. I am a long time trade union activist and shop steward.”
Good for you. I share many of your experiences, and I too wish I could do more – we have that much in common! However, I would never describe the altruistic actions of others for any cause as “obscene”. This is what I take offence to in your original post.
5)” YOU may choose to lose all your limbs than lose your cat - thats your choice. But the concept of easing animals suffering to ease your own gives the game away. IMHO, AR is nothing more than a self indulgent choice to make the human animal feel good.”
This point is particularly illogical. Most of us are happier (i.e.:suffer less) when those we care about are healthy and happy. Are you suggesting this is part of some immoral “game” that you think I have “given away”? I would also rather lose my limbs than lose my partner. Does that make my feelings for him “a self indulgent choice” to make myself feel good?
Like any person with empathy, the suffering of others, be they human or non-human, upsets me, and this is all the more true when the sufferer is someone close to me. Most of us who have deep feelings for another would make sacrifices and choose to suffer ourselves rather than see our loved ones suffer. I see nothing wrong, immoral or self-indulgent in this, and make no apologies for feeling that way.
6) “As for the idea that my views are ideologically very close to racism, this is just a stupid insult!”
This was not intended as a personal insult and is simply an illustration of the reasoning behind the anti-speciesist approach. Differences in race have been used in the past to justify one group’s oppression of another, as have differences in gender. (Indeed, both are still used by some, unfortunately). Referring back to Dr. Ryder, the point is that while there are of course differences, we must compare like with like as far as suffering is concerned.
7) “YOU are trying to demonstrate that there is no difference between SPECIES and RACE/BREED.”
No, you have got that completely wrong I’m afraid. To clarify what I mean, please see previous point.
8) You still have not explained why you think animals should be left to suffer.
9) “BTW you're attempt to "play the man" and not the ball is pathetic” followed by “Please fuck off and get a life.”
And you accuse ME of “playing the man”?!? And of posting “stupid insults”?!?
Farmer Jones makes a sweeping statement 'Animal rights folk just don't get it'. What dont they get? It is you who made comments to the effect that PETA rescuing animals in the Lebanon in some way undermines the human suffering taking place there. You provide nothing to back up this assertion. For some reason, the idea of people rescuing animals makes you uncomfortable.
First things first. I think I speak on behalf of all animal rights people when I say that we find the killing and maiming of innocents and its attendant suffering repugnant, as is the suffering of all innocents.
Obviously not everybody feels this way, otherwise the Israeli army would not perpetrate these acts, nor would Hezbollah perpetrate similar acts against Israelis. The point is, those concerned with alleviating suffering of animals generally have a healthy level of concern for suffering among humans also. I cant provide evidence for this, it is an observation.
As for PETA going to the Lebanon and rescuing animals, why would you think that this is in anyway undermines or belittles the human suffering out there? You have no reason to say this. Obviously you think it is a waste of PETA's resources, but in case you hadn't notices they are an animal welfare group. As CatLady says, PETA are hardly stepping over injured people! You have some kind of issue with those concerned with animal rights/welfare, you clearly have a bias in that regard, as you came onto a thread concerned with circus animals spouting about the activities of PETA in the Lebanon, making unfounded allegations about how PETA's actions have trivialized human suffering.
It appears to be your opinion that absolutely no action should be taken to alleviate animal suffering while there is still human suffering in the world - hardly a balanced view.
What do you think of this?
what u think of this>?
link dont seem to work---here is the text
It is in the Sydney Morning Herald
Dog meat is increasingly popular among women in North Korea because the traditional Korean delicacy is believed to be good for the skin, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper in Japan reported today.
Dog meat has long been regarded as a stamina food in both Koreas, widely consumed on hot summer days in particular.
North Korea is believed to have a greater variety of dishes with dog meat, known in the North as "sweet meat".
South Korean gourmets who have tried the delicacy in the North, say Northern dishes taste better.
"Sweet meat has various vitamins, including vitamin A and B and is good for digestion problems and fatigue," the Choson Sinbo newspaper said on its website seen in Seoul.
The paper quoted a cook at a dog meat restaurant in Pyongyang as saying an increasing number of women were visiting the restaurant.
"Customers get convinced about the efficacy of sweet meat when they see the skin of our employees and cooks," the paper quoted the chef, Ryu Jong Mok, 47, as saying.
The paper said Ryu also had "resilient and fine" skin.
Dog meat is also widely consumed in South Korea, especially among middle-aged men in the belief that it is good for stamina and virility. But women in the South are usually less willing to try the food.
Earlier this week, a poll showed that more than 35 per cent of South Korean dog owners also eat dog soup.
Dog meat is also eaten in some other Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Laos.
You have absolutely no idea of what you're talking about! You worm your way in to circuses pretending to be interested in a genuine art form which has been in existance since before Roman times just to take a few photos as an exposure piece! You have no idea of what kind of work it takes to put on a show, tour a Circus, upkeep transport etc..............
The reason animals are chained up in a Circus is because they are WILD animals! They were born, raised and trained in the circus!
They weren't poached from the wild(or from their natural habitat as you say).
True, there are some Circuses or animal trainers that treat there animals cruelly but every show or trainer should not be tarnished with the same brush! To be honest any animal trainer I have come in contact with treats there animals like they would treat there children! Besides if you beat your animals, you can rest assured that the animals will turn on you and attack you whilst you are performing!
i was born into circus and have been in it my whole life and i have no intention of leaving, my main job in the care of the animals on the show which include wild animals and domestic animals and i have been doing it all my life if you knew the work and priority the animals have towards them then you would see that not all circuses are in the wrong i admit there are some that do not handle the animals as they should and of course this is unacceptable and should be stopped but that does not mean all shows are the same we here take our animals before everything after a move night we will be out tending to the animlas tents , food , water, bedding , heat , room and whaterver else need be done sometimes not eating our dinner ( if you can call it that at this time in the morning )until about 3 - 4 am. only to be up at 9 in the morning every morning to tend to them again. when animals activists say " ban circus with animals " you are putting us all in the same hat and we arent, in some cases animals are better off in circus than in the wild and i can give you plenty of reasons why so dont test me on that .
Circus boy,
feel free to enlighten us all as to how or why an animal is better off in a circus than in it's natural habitat - that should make for some interesting reading...
I see that you work tending to the circus animals until 4 am, only to resume your duties at 9am the following morning, and miss meals in order to satisfy the demands of your job.
As a long time trade union activist nad shop stweard, I feel I really ought to inform you of the fact that you are being exploited as well as the animals you tend to. Perhaps factors such as missing meals and sleep were contributory in the various cases over the last few years of human tragedy caused by circuses touring the country... Health and safety regulations apply to circus personnel as well as anyone else working in Ireland I am sure. According to you, circuses either exploit and mistreat either animals, humans, or both. Thank you for highlighting the blatant breaches of Irish law.
This is my take on the photos . in the first one we have a bunch of 6 or 7 year olds holding silly little pieces of cardboard that was given to them , they tought it was great havin getting their photos taken . i bet the next week or so most if not all of them were at a circus and enjoyed it . the second photo we have a naked girl who wanted to be a model but was turned down by most of the big agenceys around . so what does she do ? get a bunch of baldy randy old photgraphers to take her picture to see will she be recognised . i dont think so . a load of TOSSERS
the animals i tend to are tigers horses ponies dogs llamas donkeys amongst others just to clarify that
now you tell me how many wild tigers are there around the world less than 5000 they are an endangered spieceis and in the wild where you seem to want them so badly is where they get shot for skin teeth ect , fair ???, i dont think so , average day in the wild for a tiger involvs trying to find food which is not guarrenteed everyday it can be days before a tiger finds a decent meal and having to protect their territory from other animals everyday, that causes stress which can be fatel to any animal especially tigers, like i said the main worry is getting shot which is never going to happen in a circus they get three meals everyday guarrenteed no worry about territory as i cant see wild animals coming to attack them in the exercise cage we have five tigers and the animal wealfare companies constantly down our necks because of people like you kicking up stink and the animal welfare groups that come here are impressed by the standard of our animals and their upkeep
dodos are extinct and that was nothing to do with circus in years to come tigers may be extinct and that sickens me but it will also have nothing to do with circus its because of poachers and the stress of living in " their natural habitat"
any more questions or are we done here.
some of the comments from the pro animal abuse lobby portray (betray?) the kind of mentality required to be able to justify this behavior.
The exotic animals used in some circus acts - tigers and elephants for example - are very unsuited to being performing animals and cruel methods are used to teach (force?) them to perform tricks. It is un necessary and wrong to make animals such as these do demeaning tricks for the amusement of people. Anyway who wants to see these animals in such an artificial and staged environment. I reckon that without any intervention animals in circuses would die out as this form of entertainment is old fashioned and dated. A bit like the gladiators in Rome only more pathetic.
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