17 April 2013 - On World Circus Day VITA
Animal Rights Center has posted on YouTube an animal torturing video
filmed with hidden camera by a VITA’s co-operator. The video has
been viewed by more than 100000 people in 3 days!
For over a year and a half the tracking cameras recorded the events
that were taking place in one of the typical circuses, where VITA’s
co-operator has gotten a job. Search of a circus was made at random,
and with all this going on it turned out to be that the chosen circus
- the Bolshoi Saint-Petersburg State Circus is considered to be
one of the best circuses in Russia. The investigation was carried
out solely for the social purpose - to make clear for the Russians
the true information on the situation with animals in circuses and
in circus training that can not be humane a priori.
“I've taken this step knowing that it was the only thing I could
do to help animals, who are the circus prisoners”, - said the VITA’s
co-operator XXXXXX. “People just need to know the TRUTH - then this
centuries-old industry based on oppression will fall to pieces like
a house of cards. My idealistic ideas on circus have been changed
when I found myself behind the curtains of the circus in my hometown.
I wish I had a camera with me then, because the best proof is a
captured video. And as I've found out, there were almost none of
the videos captured on Russian circuses. The second reason why I
have gotten this job is my desire to analyze deeply a mindset of
the circus-related people - performers, attendants, audience – in
order to find the solutions from within. This experience was really
a thought provoking...”.
Now, when a lot of people in Russia have seen the real face of
circus, we tell you that the people, beating the animals on the
video, are the Honored Artists of Russia, who work in the Russian
State Circus Company. In the text referred to General Prosecutor
Office, VITA asks to bring to criminal responsibility for the animal
cruelty the following people, captured on the video:
- Murad Abdullaev for cruel beating of the monkeys Johnny and Kuzya
with a metal stick and hands; choking the monkeys; injuries of the
monkeys (broken fingers and mental illness known as Zoochosis);
confining bears and monkeys in cramped cages causing a severe mental
illness - Zoochosis;
- Natalya Berezhko for cruel beating of the monkeys with a metal
stick;
- Petr Prostetsov for cruel beating of the dogs (poodles) with
a metal stick and a whip;
- Rauf Rasulov for cruel beating of Australian kangaroo Charlie
with a steel stick and a whip and for confining in cramped cage;
- Rauf Rasulov's troupe (Alexei Ermilov, etc.) for beating the
ostrich Malysh with his hands, feet and a whip.
Knowing that Vyacheslav Polunin, well-known by his work in non-cruel
genres, is now a head of the Bolshoi Saint-Petersburg State Circus,
VITA is preparing an appeal to him with a request to orient the
circus activity on global humanistic tendencies and, probably, to
lead the first progressive cruelty-free circus in Russia.