One of Europe's most famous circuses, due to begin a tour of Ireland next Friday, is facing a ban on the grounds of cruelty to animals.
The 173-year-old Italian Il Florilegio circus is hoping to unveil its menagerie of performers to the public on January 14th at Booterstown, Co Dublin, for a six-week run before taking the whole circus around the State on a five-month tour. An advance group from the circus is setting up shop on site this weekend.
Hoping, because Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council - whose land Il Florilegio has rented for the next six weeks - may on Monday night become the first local authority in the State to ban circuses which use animal acts.
Though the move would hit Irish circuses also, Il Florilegio would be forced to drop the performances of its leopard, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, giraffe, camels, bisons, elephants, panther and horses.
Mr Victor Boylan, a Progressive Democrats councillor, n Laoghaire/ Rathdown County Council, is tabling for Monday evening a motion that: "The council, in the interests of animal welfare, agrees not to permit visiting circuses to use council property when using animal acts".
However, the Department of Agriculture last night said it had issued an import licence to the circus, subject to conditions regarding inspection by departmental inspectors and veterinary certificates of health for the animals concerned.
The circus will be met by inspectors on arrival, and compliance with the conditions of the import licence will be monitored. An import licence for dogs and leopards was refused, due to quarantine regulations, the Department said.
Mr Boylan said yesterday: "I love circuses, but not if they affect animal welfare. Circuses do not need animal acts to be successful and entertaining . . . There's no educational value in having animals perform.
"Let's just put an end to this, because by our indifference we are contributing to the suffering of these animals."
He said he would be showing a video detailing "the suffering of animals in circuses" at Monday's council meeting. "I think it is an issue upon which we will have cross-party consensus."
Though the circus itself has not yet arrived in Ireland, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is also lobbying against it.
Mr Maurice Byrne, chief inspector with the Dublin branch, said animals in circuses were unacceptable under any circumstances.
"But we had more complaints about Il Florilegio's treatment of its animals than any other circuses then or since."
The circus, which was founded in 1872 in northern Italy, visited Ireland almost three years ago. It received wholehearted praise for its spectacular show. Mr Gearoid McIntyre, Irish spokesman for the Il Florilegio company, said there had been no complaints to the circus or evidence of concern from animal welfare groups then.
He added that the Togni family, which runs the circus, had never been reprimanded, acted within EU guidelines and exercised strict controls on the health and maintenance of their animals.
But the circus has had problems in Britain, particularly in Scotland. In 1997 animal welfare inspectors from the Scottish SPCA said the circus had kept animals in confined wagons for long hours without water, and accused it of exploitation when an elephant was paraded at rush-hour in Glasgow's city centre without the necessary permission. Il Florilegio does not now bring animal acts to Britain.
Mr McIntyre said yesterday that he had been trying to contact Mr Boylan since he had been alerted on Thursday night to his motion.
Representatives of Il Florilegio will attend Monday evening's council meeting, he said, and hope to address the members.
"You can't just let one side of the argument be put without the other. The fact is the circus animals are content, they are an essential part of the spectacular Il Florilegio experience, and in my view the motion just won't stand up.
"It would have implications for every circus in the country. Besides, a contract has been entered into," he said.
