It’s time animal circuses were finally banned

It’s hardly surprising that poor Baby the elephant made a bid for freedom in Cork City from the misery of her circus prison (Irish Examiner, Mar 28).

With the harrowing footage still fresh in our minds of Annie the elephant being beaten by ‘handlers’ at Bobby Roberts Circus, just how many more of these wonderful and complex beings are we going to allow to suffer before wild-animal circus acts are finally banned?

It is sheer luck that no one was hurt during this latest incident, but there have been countless documented cases of passersby being injured, and even trampled to death, by escaped circus elephants.

Animal circuses are dangerous for people and a living hell for animals and it’s high time that they were relegated to the pages of history, along with cock-fighting, bear-baiting and other cruel forms of ‘entertainment.’

Mimi Bekhechi

Manager

PETA UK

London

England