Bobby Roberts circus demonstration
18th April 2007
Manchester Animal Protection members met with members of Stockport Animal Defenders and Animal Aid at Belle Vue (the home of the infamous dog track) to protest against Bobby Roberts' Circus.
This is an animal circus that includes the Annie the elephant, who at over 50 years old and lame is still not allowed to retire and is being driven around in her small transport.
Banners were displayed to the potential customers and leaflets handed out. Un typically for a circus demonstration where people are taking excited children, or have pre-booked, and will not change their mind about entering the circus, customers in Manchester did turn away upon seeing the MAP imagery and one customer even discarded his tickets from his car window and drove away.
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Seeds will have been planted in the minds of all those passers-by that were addressed and before long there will be no one left that is not disgusted by the cruel relics that are animal circuses.
ANNE AGONY - EXCLUSIVE 40 seconds of sunlight and exercise in 26 hours ..ONE YEAR AFTER OWNER REFUSES TO LET HER RETIRE
By Susie Boniface
15/04/2007
THIS sickeningly short stroll across a car park is a brief taste of freedom for Anne - Britain's last circus elephant.
The painful 40-second walk was the only sunlight and exercise she was allowed in 26 hours.
Anne, 54, has severe arthritis but is starting her 50th year touring Britain with the Bobby Roberts Super Circus - despite an outcry.
Unable to do tricks now, she makes him thousands of pounds a year posing for £4 photos with audience members in the ring and through advertisement fees.
Last year thousands of readers - outraged by the Sunday Mirror's revelations by an ex-circus hand that Anne had been beaten by Bobby Roberts and his staff - backed our campaign to let her retire to a sanctuary by donating £25,000.
Mr Roberts, who says they treat Anne like a family pet, has refused our offer to let her live out her remaining days in comfort. Our readers' money is still on offer to rehome Anne. We urge him to do it. If he refuses we'll donate it to elephant conservation.
Today, a year on, the Sunday Mirror can reveal Anne still suffers neglect. We saw her locked in a transporter for 15-and-a-half hours for a ONE-HOUR trip then confined in the dark for 10 hours.
Last night elephant expert Ian Redmond said: "To keep any elephant in these conditions is unacceptable. To keep an arthritic elephant, with none of the essentials of elephants life, shows little regard for her welfare.""
Wildlife vet Simon Adams said Anne's lameness was "severe" and would worsen due to "the rigours of transport and confinement".
"She'll collapse in her trailer en route, or fall and injure herself and anybody nearby. She should have access to pasture to help her mobility, to help prevent the joints seizing up. Continual long-distance transport is not in her interests."
Our investigators saw Anne led out of the big top at Dudley Rugby Club's ground, West Midlands, on Easter Monday after a week of two shows most days.
At 5.56pm she was taken from the ring and loaded on a lorry where she stayed 15-and-a-half hours, locked in with limited food and water. The show finished at 6.45pm. The staff broke camp with some lorries leaving at 8pm for the 8.3mile-trip at 15-20mph to Dunstall Park racecourse, in Wolverhampton, Staffs. The convoy arrived at 9.30pm, and work began on erecting the tent Anne shares with other animals. Her wagon arrived at 10.30pm.
The crew worked until 2.30am but she was locked up until 9.27am when Mr Roberts led her out to limp 200 yards to the tent - her only exercise, sunlight and fresh air that day. She could barely stand on her rear right leg. She was kept in the darkened tent and fed hay and water with the flap folded back to let air in. At 7.30pm the show began and Anne was later led in for photos.
Born Free wildlife charity founder Virginia McKenna has offered to rehome Anne. She said: "Fifteen hours in a trailer is beyond belief."
The Animal Welfare Act last week gave all animals the right to live protected from pain, injury and suffering. Anne and other animals are entitled to rest stops every eight hours on the road.
Neglect can be punished by a year in jail and a fine of up to £20,000.
Bobby Roberts last night said Anne had been kept in her trailer overnight because it was "too cold" for her tent and she'd had her water topped up. He admitted she was confined to her tent the following day but had not been chained up.
He added: "I'm more interested in independent vets who have seen Anne and not 40 seconds of video.