Animal rights group oppose Bobby Roberts Super Circus in Newmains

Jun 22 2011 by Euan McLelland, Wishaw Press

ANIMAL rights groups have spoken out against the Bobby Roberts Super Circus performing in Newmains this week, urging local people to stay away.

Earlier this year, an employee of the circus was secretly filmed punching and kicking a shackled elephant before striking it repeatedly with a pitch-fork.

The Animal Defenders International pressure group also caught staff punching and spitting on other animals in the same hidden camera footage, forcing the circus to release both Anne and a camel.

However, OneKind and the Captive Animals’ Protection Society (CAPS) are appealing to the people of Newmains to boycott the travelling animal circus that arrived in the town yesterday (Tuesday).

Libby Anderson said: “Making animals travel long distances, suffer confinement and often intensive training methods, and perform meaningless tricks for entertainment is a thing of the past.

“The majority of circuses in the UK no longer use animals in their performances. We would like the compassionate people of Newmains to make it clear that they will not tolerate the exploitation of animals.”

In response, Bobby’s wife Moira Roberts said: “We had the misfortune to have someone who was a bit unscrupulous. Bobby was not involved in any way. For some unknown reason that member of staff disappeared the night before the footage became public. If Bobby had seen that footage then I wouldn’t like to say what he would have done.

“Everywhere we go we have inspections by animal welfare or local council groups and our reports are always great, always 100 per cent.

“Since Anne retired we’ve only had horses and ponies which are in no way wild animals – they’re domesticated.

“We travel only short journeys once a week with the animals having plenty of room to be comfortable.”

The circus is at West Crindledyke Park until Sunday.