The McLaren Circus has been at the centre of heated discussions in recent years as animal rights activists and passionate South Africans have spoken out about the negative impact of using animals solely for entertainment value.
The Circus has a line-up of animals including “lions, poodles, camels, horses, ponies & pythons” as it states on its website, and this inclusion of animals has sparked outrage amongst animal lovers.
A group of protesters gathered in Muizenberg with placards on Saturday, 26 March, after the McLaren Circus announced its return in 2022 via a Facebook post. These posters read “the circus is NOT fun for animals” and “you get to go home afterwards, the animals get a cage“, IOL reports.
But the reaction to the Circus in Muizenberg was also met with enthusiasm as people lined up to enter the venue, and this trickled down into the Facebook comments, as some expressed how much they love the circus and will be returning for more while others asked the organisers if the show can be extended to other areas in Cape Town as well.
In 2019, a petition started to circulate which called for the end of the McLaren Circus as the creator of the petition said: “These animals should not be used as entertainment and these animals deserve to have a better life and be free from that horrible business. The animals deserve to be respected and to be free to live in the wild instead of cages for people’s entertainment. THIS NEEDS TO STOP.”
But this not the first petition to have garnered attention as South Africans have been calling for an end to the McLaren Circus for years already, claiming that it is cruel to use the animals solely for entertainment value.
However, according to McClaren Circus’ website, their animals are all looked after carefully and their health is made a priority.
“Mclaren Circus has always maintained a high standard of animal care,” reads the website. “All our animals receive love and care, 24 hours a day. We consult with veterinarians throughout South Africa to maintain this high standard. Careful attention is paid to all our animals’ diets and they receive fresh drinking water, daily. Our animals are exercised on a daily basis and receive various forms of stimulation through training and environmental enrichment.”
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