Press Release - For immediate release 17th April 2015

Progressive people from all the countries! Russia summons you to consolidate our efforts for banning circuses with animals all over the world!

Behind the scenes of the circus. 1 Behind the scenes of the circus. 2 Circus-illusion of love

VITA: Cruelty investigation in the Russian circus / VIDEO: VITA-TV-online Part.1 / Part.2 / YouTube 1 / YouTube 2

April 17th we are going to start a large-scale campaign in Russia for total banning animal circuses through the country. That primitive, retarded and outrageous entertainment is unworthy to existence in 21st century. Join us! Victory is ours!

In many countries animal circuses, including marine animals’ circuses, - dolphinariums and oceanariums, are now perceived as dying anachronism. Cause of numerous investigations, including using hidden camera, full information of the wrong side of performances with animals was disclosed. Fact after fact led people to understanding: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS HUMANE TAMING. Animals would never want to sit their whole life in bondage and show humiliating tricks on the stage. The world community against animal circuses achieved to displace the taming tricks from cultural life of their society and perception of “animal tamer” profession as condemned and negative field of activity.

Despite prevalence of animal circuses, the situation in Russia has been changed cardinally. Perennial activity of fighters for animal rights of informing people about real life of animals in circuses by investigations has brought long-awaited results - finally, the rubber hit the road. Causal witnesses of bullying over the animals, vets, former tamers, legislators, profile structures and, finally, stars, started talking. Condemnation of circuses appeared in social media, the cities began to organize protests.

In 2010, in front of the audience of Baltic Forum, E. Sibgatullin performed with revolutionary report, after 30 years of work in the Russian State Circus, who summoned to close animal circuses because of their inhumanity. His proposal immediately supported by the president of Russian Association of practicing veterinary surgeons who also knows about the circus inside out firsthand. About cruelty of taming in circus is also saying today N. Loginov, the former chief physician of the Kuklachev’s “Cat theatre”. With condemnation of taming spoke a former tamer V. Deryabkin, Sr. and Teresa Durova, Jr. – the only from dynasty of circus tamers who refused to be in that profession for ethical reasons.

On April 17th 2013, on International Circus Day, VITA posted 11-minute video in Youtube, which created a furor in the Russian society. Severe beatings of animals by five circus tamers from famous Russian circuses were filmed on hiding camera – it’s the result of investigation in Saint-Petersburg circus.

Other “unpleasant” facts about animal circuses activity opened a public outcry. The head of the biggest charitable Foundation “BIM” Darya Taraskina also summoned to stop the conveyor of animal deaths in circuses and for the first time told the whole country about streams with “written off” circus animals, which “BIM” was saving and treating for many years.

A nationwide competition “You’re having fun – and they’re not”, which consolidated hundreds of schools all over the country in 2013, touched on a very important aspect and found great insight from teachers: circus scaring not only for ones who associated with the direct torture of animals in purpose to fun an audience. Circus itself is forming the most hideous distortion of child’s consciousness, in which animals are perceived not as living creatures with their needs and interests but as living toys which are serving to human fun. This distorted consciousness creates further anomalies on all fronts: people consider normal “contact” zoos, travelling menageries, photography with exotic animals, using exots in advertising purposes for restaurants and cafes, the maintenance of wild animals in apartments and so on.

And let the international system still does not generate its attitude to systemic cruelty of animal circuses, let the first vets, who dared to say about cruelty of animal circuses then refuse from their words and demand mass media to delete their interviews – the ethical progress is already unstoppable! The days of circuses with animals are numbered. The countdown has started. On the last court session about a lionet beaten by circus tamers, the tamer Zapashny reported about the decline of attendance in circuses on 30%. 

Friends, join us! For now it’s extremely important to consolidate ethic people from different cities and countries all over the world! April 17th 2015 - it’s a start for International campaign for total ban of animal circuses on the territory of our planet. Let’s forward to unconditional victory!

Original in Russian

VITA: Cruelty investigation in the Russian circus / VIDEO: VITA-TV-online Part. 1 / VITA-TV-online. Part. 2 / YouTube 1 / YouTube 2