ANIMAL rights groups including the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, One Voice and the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO) have called for a ban on the presence of animals in circuses in France.
Their demand comes after the death of an 18-month old circus tiger that was shot after it escaped onto the streets of Paris.
The tiger was killed by Bormann-Moreno circus manager Eric Bormann, who claimed that the locks on the animals cage had been tampered with, enabling the tiger to escape.
But animal rights groups say that enough is enough and that France should ban the presence of animals in circuses, following the lead of 13 other EU Member States including Belgium, Italy and Ireland.
In an interview with BFM TV Eric Bormann said he was grieved by the loss of his animal: “We lost a member of the family, I raised him at home,” he said.
He went on to say that using a tranquilliser gun was ruled out because of the time it takes for the sedatives to work.