Stop Circus Suffering

Circus master Gerry Cottle now supports a ban

Years ago, ADI was locked in battle with Gerry Cottle’s Circus but we now applaud Mr Cottle for saying that the time has come to end the use of wild animals in circuses.

Wild elephant family

An unexpected ally in our campaign to end the use of animals in travelling circuses has come to the fore – circus impresario Gerry Cottle. Years ago, ADI was locked in battle with Gerry Cottle’s Circus (both in public, and legally), as it toured with elephants, lions, monkeys, and llamas. However, we must now applaud Mr Cottle for saying that the time has come to end the use of wild animals in circuses.

Touring with his new human only circus, Cottle says he has “reluctantly decided to move on”, conceding “The animal issue has given circuses a bad name.”

“Sad as it is for me to say, I now support the ban,” said Mr Cottle. “Times have changed and this issue has to be decided one way or the other. I believe a ban will, in the end, improve the image of circuses in Britain.”

Tim Phillips, Campaigns Director of ADI, “We have said for a long time that the tarnished image of the animal circus is holding back the circus industry as a whole. Every time our undercover investigations catch savage brutality in the circus, like that meted out to Anne the elephant, or the elephants with the Great British Circus, then people come to associate that with the big top.

“The longer the Government delays implementing the ban the more harm they are doing to animal welfare and the wider circus industry.”

Read more.

There was similar good news last year when the Chipperfield Circus, previously exposed by an ADI undercover investigation, finally became an animal free show.

Donate now to help us campaign against the use of animals in circuses.

Comments

  1. Nigel · 2 July 2012 at 10:47a

    Lacey and his circus was cruel, I had the misfortune of working with this creep and saw it first hand. A big head beyond belief, just a big head with a big mouth. He used Cottles Circus in the 90s under many names.

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