Animal lovers are being urged to gather in Floriana later this evening to protest against the use of animals in circuses as the Circo Aquatico starts its show at the Granaries. The Circus Animal Rights Coalition said that the glitz and glamour of such a circus hides the stark reality of cruelty to the animals, which are forced to perform tricks to the detriment of both their mental and physical health and well-being.

Coalition representative Lana Turner said that the tricks which circus animals are made to perform goes against their natural instincts and that they frequently suffer injury during training, adding that such training also involves punishment. The animals also have to endure travelling long distances in precarious conditions, whilst the climate in some localities where the circus is set up is also not suitable for them.

Ms Turner expressed her satisfaction that steps in favour of animal protection were taking place in the education sector, with a number of schools refusing to take children to the circus. She said that in just two school days, the coalition had collected over 1,500 signatures from students and teachers who do not agree that animals should be used in such shows and that these signatures will be presented to the government. She added that stopping animal circuses does not mean the end of this type of spectacle because there are many circuses that no longer use animals.

The coalition – made up of Moviment Graffitti, Animal Rights Malta, Island Sanctuary, Subculture-Animal Friends, CETFREE, Abandoned Animals Association, Nature Trust, AD Youths, World Animal Conscience, Ananda Marga, International Animal Rescue, Gaia Foundation, Kollettiva Gurnal ir-Realtà and the SPCA, is urging animal lovers to assemble in front of the Phoenicia Hotel at 6 p.m. tonight. The protesters will then walk to the Granaries, where the circus is being held.