Council considering banning animal circuses

Council to look at animal circus ban

Circuses which use performing animals face being banned from council property after the practice was described as ‘outright cruelty’.

The comments came at a meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Health and Communities Committee.

During the meeting, local councillors were given an update of Animal Welfare activity within the council area.

Since April 2012, councils have responsibility for enforcement powers in relation to the Welfare of Animals (NI) Act 2011 for non-farmed animals.

Speaking at the meeting, the independent councillor Gary Donnelly proposed that council now consider putting in place new measures banning all circuses which use performing animals forbidden from council owned land.

Cllr Donnelly said that it was the ‘widespread public view’ that circuses which use performing animals were engaging in ‘outright cruelty’ by placing the animals in an ‘unnatural setting’ and causing them ‘stress’.

He added that the animals, including horses and ponies were also transported in ‘confined’ spaces.

In 2014, the former Derry City Council received a letter from Belfast City Council which requested council to enforce the ban.

Cllr Donnelly then proposed that council take an ‘ethical position’ by banning circuses which use animals from council owned land.

Sinn Fein councillor Karina Carlin said that the new Minister responsible for such matters should be contacted to ‘move this forward’, adding that there was a ‘massive body of work to be done in terms of animal welfare’.

The SDLP’s Martin Reilly also supported the proposal, adding that the party’s MP Mark Durkan had been involved in similar campaigns.

The committee chair, DUP Alderman Drew Thompson, said that while he ‘wasn’t against’ it, he believed that a report should be prepared on the proposal ‘as there might be some legal stuff there’.

The proposal was supported pending a report coming back to council.