Circus act retreats as Turkish animal rights activists push

Ali Dağlar ISTANBUL

The animal stage shows of the circus act “Olympia” at Istanbul’s Vialand Show Center have been cancelled over a request by the Animal Rights Federation (HAYTAP). The renowned circus will now be performed only with manned stage shows, including wizardry, clowns and acrobatics, according to the managerial decision.

Vialand Show Center published a public notice via e-mail, indicating they were saddened by the reports animals were mistreated and decided to concentrate on manned shows, as seen in many other countries in the world.

Ahmet Kemal, the head of HAYTAP, thanked the center and said animals cannot be exploited for fun.

“Many countries have banned circus acts performed with animals. We want to insert this ban into the law.
Our animals cannot be exploited for entertainment purposes,” Kemal said.

In addition to HAYTAP, the circus act had also raised eyebrows among internet users. A petition started on Change.org for the cancellation of the animal performances was signed by 3,496 supporters.