Presence of elephant in travelling circus draws ire of animal lovers

An elephant performs in the Cirque Estival show in Miramichi last weekend.
Presence of elephant in travelling circus draws ire of animal lovers
Published Tuesday June 8th, 2010
The big top may conjure up fond childhood memories, but for some New Brunswickers circuses such as the one currently touring the province raise ethical questions about the use of animals in entertainment.
Alexandra MacLean/Canadaeast News ServiceAn elephant performs with the Cirque Estival show in Miramichi. The circus's use of animals drew protesters. Andrew MacMullin/Canadaeast News ServiceAn elephant performs in the Cirque Estival show in Miramichi last weekend. Emily MacLean, 24, participated in a protest at Sunday's Cirque Estival show in Saint John. The hairstylist from Sussex heard the circus would be in the area on the radio and she wanted to do something to protest the use of animals in circuses.
The Cirque Estival is touring Eastern Canada and has been travelling through New Brunswick with Limba, an elephant in her 40s who's on loan from the Bowmanville Zoo in Ontario. MacLean, along with a handful of others, stood outside Harbour Station on Sunday, holding signs reading: "You choose, they can't" and "Honk if you love elephants."
"We got a lot of positive and negative feedback," MacLean says, adding, "At least we got people thinking about it."
Several Facebook groups have been started to protest the Cirque Estival's use of animals in its shows. Amy Scott, who administers one of the groups on the social networking website, says Limba is too old to be performing and conditions on the road are too solitary for her.
"If people want to go to the circus, they should watch people perform," says Scott, who lives in Halifax and will protest upcoming shows in Nova Scotia.read more at: http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/front/article/1084843