10/18/05 Mursko Sredisce Banned Circuses!
The first city in Croatia that banned circuses with animal acts
By doing so, Mursko Sredisce has joined over a hundred cities around the world, including Venice, Vienna, Barcelona and Rio de Janeiro, in which circuses with animal acts aren't welcome.
The city council of Mursko Sredisce adopted a resolution of banning arrival of circuses with animal acts, based on the proposal of Animal Friends Croatia, on its session on October 10, 2005.
Although Mursko Sredisce is the first city in Croatia that banned circuses with animal acts, it is expected that other cities will follow its example soon as well.
Ethical awareness of the citizens regarding the animals suffering in circuses is growing daily, and is reflected in the decisions of the city councils which follow the will of the citizens and take care of the reputation of their city.
Reasons for banning are the horrible cruelties the circuses use during the training, transport and accommodation of animals which perform in shows.
There are no legal standards by which the treatment of animals, their transport and a number of acts they perform could be controlled. These animals are forced to traveling, various climates, performing in shows and captivity, and besides the physical torture they have to go through during the process of training, they are also under a lot of stress due to the fact that they are taken away from their natural habitats and brought to the world of "fun," or in other words, for them, a world of constant captivity and performing meaningless acts. They are unlucky victims of human manipulation whose physical, social and other needs are ignored by those who profit by their exploitation.
