Update

GEORGE NEWS - The McLaren Circus recently visited the Garden Route, to the delight of full-house audiences. 

But not everyone loved it. A group of about 15 animal rights activists picketed outside the circus tent in George, their posters setting out their objections.

Kathy Raffray of Ban Animal Trading says over 50 countries worldwide have banned the use of performing animals in circuses. Raffray says the McLaren Circus is the only remaining circus in South Africa that makes use of performing wild animals. 

"Animals do not choose to perform, and will not do tricks on command, every single day, because they want to. They only do this because they have no choice...," she says.

According to Raffray, circus animal training methods are questionable and training happens out of the public eye, although McLaren Circus claims to train using positive reinforcement. McLaren Circus says their animals are captive born and not torn from their natural habitats. But, says Raffray, captive born does not mean domesticated, and animals in captivity do not lose their natural instincts. They all have the need to express behaviour that is natural to them.

David McLaren responds
Responding in detail to a list of questions posed by George Herald regarding Raffray's allegations, McLaren Circus owner, David Mc Laren rejected her claims saying the Ban Animal Trading group harasses his circus via Facebook in every town they visit. "They spread lies and false information about my circus and sabotage my events." 

Safety
George Herald reported last week that the first show scheduled for Thursday 24 January had to be cancelled due to a communication failure regarding the dates. There was, however, another reason. George Fire Chief Neels Barnard, said the fire safety officer who inspected the circus on Thursday found points of non-compliance with safety regulations on temporary structures set out in the national building regulation, Sans codes and George municipal by-laws. "In addition, neither the event plan nor the evacuation plans had been submitted at that time."

Barnard says the fire safety officer informed the event manager of the circus that even if the admin in terms of date change could be rectified and the application amended, the non-compliance in terms of safety regulations was of such a nature that operations for the night could not be allowed.

Click here to read McLaren's response to allegations by BAT.