The demonstration is scheduled Saturday, July 12, 5:15 p.m. at the corner of Avenida Revolucion and Olimpica in Guadalajara.
Circus owners, however, are fighting back at the growing hostility in Mexico regarding the participation of animals in their shows. Circus Owners and Artists Union President Armando Gauana Hernandez this week refuted the “common myth” that animals are poorly treated in circuses, saying they are properly taken care of. “We have veterinarians, technical specialists in wild fauna and circus specialists. The techniques used in training are rewards, not punishments,” he said.Gauana said circuses without animals, such as Cirque Du Soleil, sell tickets for more than 600 pesos and only play in the major cities, while Mexican circuses with animals visit small towns throughout the country and charge entrance prices as low as 15 or 20 pesos.
At a forum on animal well-being and protection held in Guadalajara last week, which he attended with other circus owners, Gauana accused Mexico’s Green Party (Partido Verde) of instigating a “witch-hunt against circuses.”
Jalisco Congressman Jaime Prieto Perez, who organized the forum, said he was not against the use of animals in circuses per se, but would like to see their treatment properly regulated.