THE BALLOON MAN

Animal activists picket Stardust Circus in Dingley Village

 

Protesters gather outside the Stardust Circus in Dingley.
 Picture: Supplied Leader
Troels Sommerville
From:Moorabbin Kingston Leader.com.au
March 25, 2013
MORE than 30 animal rights activists turned out yesterday to protest outside the Stardust Circus as it came to Dingley.
Members of Freedom for Circus Animals in Australia picketed outside the circus venue in Dingley Village for three hours, speaking out against the circus' use of performing animals.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you think animal circuses should be banned or are the protestors out of line? Tell us below or email troels.sommerville@news.com.au
Stardust Circus currently uses monkeys, lions, horses, ponies, goats, pigs and recently brought in some lion cubs to add to the show.
Protest organiser Karina Rasmussen said the group has been protesting outside animal circuses for over a year and they don't plan to stop anytime soon.

She said the conditions the animals are kept in aren't natural and that the animals spend too long cooped up.

"The tricks animals are forced to perform day after day are frightening, unnatural and often brutal and painful," she said.

But Stardust manager Jan Lennon said that many of the claims made by the group were false and that the circus had never been in trouble with authorities for animal rights abuses.

"I read some of their literature and I couldn't believe some of the things they said we did," Mrs Lennon said.

"We would all be in prison if we did any of that stuff."

Several Melbourne councils have banned circuses on publicly-owned land in their municipalities.

Kingston Council doesn't currently have a position on animal circuses but Mayor Ron Brownlees said the issue would be addressed later in the year.