BAN ANIMALS IN CIRCUSES IN IRELAND

Wonderful news as a district in Spain has banned animals in circuses: http://www.animalequality.net/news/377/district-spain-bans-use-animals-circuses
Let's make sure Ireland follows... 

Highlighting the plight of circus animals this week, Baby the elephant that escaped briefly from a circus in Cork, Ireland, was forcibly, using a bullhook, returned to the circus. Bullhooks are used to make the elephant uncomfortable and afflict discomfort, pain and fear. 

China announced a ban on all animals in circuses in 2011, Greece in 2012 and yet Ireland shamefully allows the practice to continue.

Please sign the attached petition, which will be sent to the Irish Government calling for an outright ban on all animals in circuses in the Republic of Ireland to be actioned in 2012. 

(Regarding NI: the UK are currently phasing out wild animals in circuses over two years).

Reference:

China bans all animals in circuses in 2011:

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/china-bans-animal-circuses-how-about-the-rest-of-the-world.html

Greece bans the all animal from circuses in 2012:

http://www.ad-international.org/animals_in_entertainment/go.php?id=2528&ssi=10

For more information on Circuses in Ireland:

http://www.irishcircuses.org/

Horrors of the Bull hook:

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/bullhooks.aspx