Sir, – In reference to the letter written by Dr Andrew Kelly (January 2nd) in respect of the Arts Council, circuses and wild animals, I would like to point out that under the Arts Act 2003, the Arts Council has a duty to uphold circus as an art form. That includes all forms of circus, be they traditional or contemporary. Circus is one of our oldest art forms and one of our most socially inclusive.
The Arts Council currently supports only two traditional circuses, Fossett's and Duffy's, both which use animals as an integral part of their shows. Fossett's works only with horses, while Duffy's has worked with sealions in recent years. They do not, however, use lions and tigers. Both of these circuses are in full compliance with the Framework for the Welfare of Animals Presented in the Arts document, which the Arts Council implements, and they also have their own highly detailed animal welfare policies
Both of these circuses love and respect their animals and treat them with the greatest of care, something which not every human in our society is afforded today. – Yours, etc,
LUCY MEDLYCOTT,
Co-ordinator,
Irish Street Arts, Circus
and Spectacle Network,
c/o Irish Theatre Institute,
Eustace Street,
Temple Bar,
Dublin 2.