EASTER will soon be here once again and with it, sadly, the circus.

After the horrors exposed by the Mary Chipperfield chimp abuse case last year, few readers can be unaware of the brutal methods employed by circus trainers to force animals to perform 'tricks.'

But that, alas, is only part of their suffering. For when they are not in the ring, they are kept in tiny cages with barely enough room to turn round in. Elephants, in particular, are highly intelligent and sensitive creatures and without enough to occupy them, begin to suffer severe stress which can lead eventually to madness. A high price indeed to pay for an hour or two of family entertainment.

I therefore urge readers to boycott all circuses which use animal acts and end once and for all this outrageous abuse of animals.

Sara Lee

Bury Old Road

Whitefield

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.