An Italian circus will open as planned in Dublin later this week, after councillors last night narrowly rejected a ban on such shows involving wild animals.
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council voted 13-12 against the motion, which had been tabled several months ago and made no reference to the Il Florilegio circus, which opens a four-month Irish tour in Booterstown on Friday night.
However, the council approved unanimously a compromise motion subjecting all visiting circuses to regular veterinary inspection.
A spokesman for Il Florilegio said the council could not have banned the show, because contracts had already been agreed. He added that in a spirit of "openness", the circus was happy to allow total access to any "neutral" inspector appointed by the council, but he indicated that the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals would not be considered neutral.
The "Alliance for Animal Rights" said it would picket Dublin Port tonight when the main body of the circus arrives from France.
Proposing the blanket ban, Mr Victor Boyhan (Progressive Democrats) said it was unacceptable that elephants should be chained up for 22 hours a day, or that wild animals should be toured for months without adequate facilities.
But putting the compromise motion, Ms Jane Dillon Byrne (Labour) said she been to Il Florilegio three years ago and found it "the best I've ever seen". Mr Don Lydon (FF) said many councillors agreed with the thrust of Mr Boyhan's motion, but found it too wide. But Mr Eamon Gilmore TD (Labour), favouring the ban, said taking wild animals out of their natural habitat and "hawking them around" for public show was not acceptable. This was a separate issue from ill-treatment of animals, which was always unacceptable.
The circus runs in Dublin until February 20th, after which it moves to Limerick, Cork, Galway, Waterford and Wexford.
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