An animal rights group has called on Wollongong City Council to ban circuses with live animals to stop organisations like Stardust –currently performing at Warrawong’s Kully Bay – from visiting the city.
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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) contacted the Mercury to call on residents to “think twice before buying a ticket” to the Warrawong show due to concerns about the circus’s use of lions and monkeys.
“We are urging the public to steer clear of any circus where animals such as lions and monkeys are forced to perform complicated tricks night after night,” the organisation’s campaign manager Claire Fryer said.
“Because while the human entertainers may thrive on the attention of the circus, animals certainly don’t and it’s something they have no choice to endure.”
She noted more than 40 Australian councils, including Lismore, Melbourne and Newcastle, had already banned circuses with exotic animals.
“It’s time for more councils to be stepping up and showing they don’t support the use of animals,” Ms Fryer said.
A Wollongong council spokesman said the council had already taken steps to “minimise” the use of circus animals in the city, and did not approve consent for such circuses on any council-controlled land.
“Council understands that people feel passionately about the fair treatment of animals and as such, council does not approve circuses with animals on any land that council manages,” the spokesman said.
“The site at Warrawong is not council-managed land.”
The site is owned by Government Property NSW, and according to the council hosts one or two travelling circus events each year.
Late last year, the council voted to revoke its circus performance policy and now uses the development application process to give consent to circuses.
The spokesman said the council’s role in stopping the improper care and treatment of circus animals was “ limited to that of a reporting nature”, as the NSW Department of Primary Industries was responsible for administering acts that deal with animal protection.
Despite PETA’s concerns, Stardust Circus says its animals receive the “very best” care.
“They are part of our family and integral to our identity as a circus,” a statement on the circus website says.
“Their safety and comfort is of the utmost importance to us and we are dedicated to their care from birth, throughout their performing years and into retirement.”
“Our animal enclosures are set up in full view of the public. Every day, many people visit the circus just to see our animals from outside our security fencing.”
“We are occasionally inspected by the RSPCA and have always been found to comply and exceed all regulations. Each of our animals receive the very best in veterinary care and every member of our circus treats them with love and respect.”
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
