It’s Not, And Never Has Been, About Animal Welfare…

Animal rights protesters are planning to demonstrate when the circus comes to Sandbach this week.

The Captive Animals’ Protection Society (CAPS) is calling on the public to boycott Bobby Roberts’s Super Circus which is in town from today until Sunday.

Well, there’s a cause it’s not hard to be sympathetic to, after all, circuses can hardly offer their captive animals the enclosures that zoos can. And the loss of the freedom of the open savannah, the jungle, the stable and…

Wait. What..?

The show, at Elm Tree Farm in Elworth, will feature horses and ponies as well as various acts including Hungarian whirlwind jugglers, aerial stars from Italy and the Ukraine and the award-winning musical clowns, The Konyots.

Horses? Seriously?

CAPS director Liz Tyson said: “Thankfully, there has been a massive surge in public support for a complete ban on the use of wild animals in circuses over the past year, with Government recently having pledged to ban the practice.

“If wild animal acts are banned, we would be delighted, but we remain concerned for all animals in circuses, whether domestic or wild.”

Ahhh, I see. It’s easy to get people to protest and boycott circuses for lions and bears, less so for horses or dogs.

And no, it isn't just this circus (which has had wild animals in the past), either:

Zippo’s Circus has spoken out against claims by an animal rights organisation that its animals are poorly treated.

Chris Barltrop, a spokesman for Zippo’s, said: “The circus has horses and budgies both of which are non-contentious animals. ”

Budgies. Right. OK…

And no, there's no such thing as a 'non-contentious animal' to these people. If you thought you could appease them, you were wrong. You never appease fanatics. You stand up to them.

Mr Barltrop’s comments come after the Captive Animals’ Protection society called for people to boycott Zippo’s Circus when it comes to Harringay from October 11 to 16.

The group’s local campaigners intend to stage a demonstration outside the circus on the first night.

Because it was never about animal rights, or animal cruelty. It was never really about animals at all.

It was about people enjoying themselves in ways other people didn't  and so they decided to try to restrict the ability of those others to continue to do so.

They are no different to the anti-smoking, anti-drinking, anti-fast food zealots.