The Circus Came to Town
The Great British Circus made the mistake of coming to Tonbridge in September 2007. Animal Aid Youth Group member Olivia joined other Youth Group members, Animal Aid staff, the Captive Animals Protection Society (CAPS) and Brighton Animal Action to leaflet visitors and urge them to boycott the circus. Local newspapers and television covered the protests in great detail.
Olivia says:
‘When the Great British circus came to Tonbridge, posters were everywhere along with half-price tokens. They said it was ‘the circus for real animal lovers’. They even had me fooled for a minute, but after all the leaflets I’d read, I realised any animal circus was not good news.
I wanted to help, so when Animal Aid contacted me, I jumped at the opportunity.
I had never been to a demonstration before and I didn’t know what to expect, nor did I know anyone there. However, I soon made new friends. I helped hold the big banner and waved the posters at the cars. The children inside were taken aback, as if we’d really got the message across and we also received loads of honks from cars in support.
I would really recommend going to one of these next time you have the chance. Not only will you make new friends, but your presence will make a huge difference. When young people see adults protesting, that’s one thing, but when they see other young people doing it too, they take more notice. Everyone can make a difference, but by all coming together, we can achieve so much more, and get the message across that animal circuses and all other forms of animal cruelty are wrong and unjustified - especially in this day and age.’
If you hear about a circus near you that features animals, find out what you can do. Support circuses that only use the amazing feats of human beings!
