A State Of Welfare? Circus animals

If you happened to be driving along a Mallorcan road one evening and you were confronted by the sight of two tons of hippopotamus lumbering in your general direction, you might have cause to be somewhat surprised. It isn't common to just come across a hippopotamus in Mallorca, as it also isn't common to just come across a camel or a lion cub. But it isn't unknown, and the reason why is that they have all escaped in the past from circuses; Pipo the melon-eating hippo on more than one occasion.

Pipo's most recent excursion occurred in January. He (or possibly she) had previously made him or herself acquainted with Felanitx before taking a look around Marratxí. Where next? Alcúdia possibly, as Pipo has taken up residence as part of the Circo Roma Dola.

Places in Mallorca where Pipo or the odd camel or lion cub might decide to become an animal tourist are gradually becoming fewer. Capdepera is the most recent municipality to ban circuses with animals. In Spain, unlike quite a number of countries, there is no ban on animals; it is down to town halls to decide whether circuses can bring wildlife with them or not. Alcúdia says they can, Pollensa says they can't, as they also can't in Artà, Consell, Manacor, Palma, Puigpunyent, Santa María del Camí, Sóller and Valldemossa.

Pollensa town hall approved a ban in late October last year. This provoked a challenge by the association of Spanish circuses and a Balearics circus company which drew into question the legality of the ban, especially if a circus were to take place on private land. The challenge also questioned the validity of the ban as there was some alleged duress applied by the presence of AnimaNaturalis animal-rights protesters at the open session at which the ban was agreed.

AnimaNaturalis has certainly been instrumental in seeking to have animals removed from circuses. Without mentioning the group specifically, the Circo Roma Dola on its Facebook page stated that the decision to ban animals in Capdepera was one brought about solely by the desire of animal-rights organisations to generate publicity.

Well, yes, the animal-rights organisations probably are seeking to generate publicity. This tends to be what they do when they wish to draw attention to what they consider to be a contravention of animal rights. For circuses, such as the Circo Roma Dola, a different right is being contravened as a consequence, or so it continues to say in its Facebook page statement, and this is the right of the "classic circus" to work with animals. It also says that this work is recognised as an important part of European culture by the European Parliament and that the welfare of animals is not being considered (by the animal-rights objectors, that is).

It is this last bit, about animal welfare, that AnimaNaturalis would quite naturally disagree with. In addition to concerns about security, as evidenced by instances in which animals have escaped, it flatly rejects the circuses' welfare claim. The Capdepera decision, adopted unanimously by the town hall administration, was couched in terms that AnimaNaturalis would have approved (and did); the "seeking of a society free from animal mistreatment".

AnimaNaturalis has staged protests against both the Circo Roma Dola and the Circo Williams. The Williams circus has been a regular visitor to Alcúdia, and Roma Dola is camped in the town until later this month. But it isn't only animal-rights groups which are voicing their protests. I am told that British tourists are as well, in that some have been walking out of the Roma Dola circus while others have expressed their disgust. What the tourists have objected to in particular (or at least what is alleged to have occurred during one show) was the whipping of lions and the beating of camels' legs in order to make the camels kneel down. While the lions were being hit, I understand, the announcer was calling for calm, as in "tranquilo". One assumes he wasn't addressing the lions.

British sensitivity towards animals is different to that in Spain, though the British Government is dragging its heels over what was intended to be a total ban on wild animals in circuses from the start of this July. But the circuses are also sensitive. Are they not? One comes back to that statement about animal welfare, to which one can add the defence that circuses comply with instructions from veterinary officials at the Council of Mallorca and the Guardia Civil's Seprona division. This defence was one that was made in challenging Pollensa town hall's ban.

I have no reason to believe that the circuses do mistreat their animals, but there is the animals' general welfare and their welfare while "performing". Some tourists, at least, would disagree with the welfare argument.


Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.