THE decision by Duffy’s Circus not to visit Limerick city next month is “based simply on logistics” and has nothing to do with the motion tabled by Fine Gael councillor Daniel Butler to have animal-act circuses banned in the city and county.
This will be the first time in living memory that the popular circus has not made its annual trip to the city, but it puts the reason down to touring commitments elsewhere.
According to a spokesman for Tom Duffy’s Circus, the circus is “disappointed but not surprised” by Cllr Butler’s proposal.
“Here at Duffy’s we are totally dedicated to the welfare of our animals. There is a vast difference between animal welfare and animal rights. It’s disappointing to see Cllr Butler following an animal rights agenda,” read a statement from the circus.
“Animal rights activists often hold extreme views. They claim that animals have the right to roam free without any interaction with humans. They don’t want to see any animals in circuses or zoos. They want to ban horse-racing and stop us eating meat. Some even believe we shouldn’t have pets.
“Every right-minded person believes in animal welfare, but for ARAN (Animal Rights Action Network) to claim that our animals suffer is misleading the public and has offended our dedicated team of specialist animal carers.”
Tom Duffy’s Circus says its animals have been inspected three times in unannounced visits by official animal welfare officers in Northern Ireland over recent months. The circus claims that animals were found to be in “excellent condition” and animal welfare officers were very happy with their living conditions.
