Circo Orfei Agent: “How can an animal trust you when you hurt it?”
Following the arrival of Circo Orfei, the Animal Rights Coalition reiterated its call to ban animal circus from Malta. InsiterOnline’s Matthew Mamo dropped by the Floriana Circus to get an inside look at the conditions under the tent.
On a cold Thursday night, a few minutes before one of Circus Orfei’s daily shows, I met with Silvio Zammit who, along with Johan Said, heads JS Productions; a company that brings to Malta various circus companies. Silvio Zammit tells me that Johan Said’s family has been bringing circuses to Malta for over 50 years, “it’s his passion”.
“This circus is the story of the Orfei family who decided to leave their homes and travel around the world in caravans”, Silvio Zammit tells me as we wander around the tents and caravans parked on the Granaries, Floriana. “The animals are Massimo Orfei’s part of the family, he loves them as much as we love cats and dogs as pets in our homes.”
He looks at me and asks if I have ever visited a zoo or safari abroad. “You and I have visited other countries and been to safaris and zoos. But not everyone can afford to. Where would a family with kids be able to see the variety of animals we have here [Scottish bulls, goats, an elephant, lions, camels, horses, donkeys, a panda cub, a giraffe, and a monkey amongst others] with a price as low as 5 Euros?”
When I mentioned the Animal Rights Coalition’s calls to ban animal circuses in Malta and appeals to stop the “animal abuse”, Silvio replies that “it is true that animal abuse cases in circuses is a reality, but this does not mean that all circuses hurt their animals. How can an animal trust you when you hurt it? Do you think that these people will hurt the animals that provide the daily living of the 40-50 people who work in this circus? We make sure that the circuses we bring to Malta have all the necessary certifications and that they abide by EU Regulations.”
He goes on to explain that animal right groups were invited to check the animal conditions by themselves. “ Animals in this circus are not trained through punishment but lured with food. You will see this during the show, none of the animals are hurt and when they finish the performance, they are gifted with food. I find it more of an abuse to genetically modify a breed of dog and create the sausage dog to make it easier for humans to hunt animals.”
As we enter the tent where an elephant is held, Silvio calls ‘Baby’ and the elephant comes near us and appreciates the cuddling. “I only met this elephant some weeks ago when the circus arrived in Malta,” claims Silvio Zammit, “do you think that this elephant will respond to me calling his name and be so friendly if it was beaten?”
Silvio touches 3 lines of wire around the area reserved for ‘Baby’ and invites me to touch it myself. “Do you think that 3 pieces of wire will restrict an elephant this size from bringing this tent down if he is beaten or unhappy? Yet they still don’t use barbed wire.”
Whilst we are leaving the tent, one of the animal attendants enters and gives ‘Baby’ a pipe for him to play with the water and drink as he is prepared and cleaned for the show. Silvio points towards a monkey at one corner of the tent and asks the circus member why it is there. The circus member looks at a heater and tells us that she likes the heat inside the tent more than the freezing temperature outside!
Heading towards the lions’ cages, we pass by the camels being cleaned by a member of the Orfei Circus as they eat from a bin full of food. “The animals were all born in the family, they are cleaned before every show and have everything they wish. They are fed high quality food.”
As we reach the lions’ cage, Silvio tells me that one of the lions fell sick. “One of the lions was withdrawn from the shows as it fell sick. A vet is taking good care of it, just like a doctor would take care of a sick person.” He also notes that the cage is by the road, for everyone to see; “many people stop by to take pictures daily. I suggested that the animal tents are open all day so people can come and visit at a small fee. The Orfei family would have gained a lot of money but they refused as it would not be easy for the animals.”
“Animal rights groups uploaded a video which they claim show animals in this circus acting insane, they show two lions playing with each other and making out. You think that if they were sad they would be playing with each other? Do you think that a sad and mistreated panda would have cubs? I told none of these animals that you were coming, they are acting their normal way!”
Walking back to the main tent as the show is starting, Silvio tells me that animals such as the lions and the panda are in brink of extinction, “in circuses they have all they need. They are reproducing and their numbers are increasing.”
The tent is packed with children and a group of less able people from ‘Id-Dar tal-Providenza’; “Name any institution that helps people in need, whether drug addicts, disabled people or any other category, these people are allowed free entrance to the shows. They enjoy these shows and we are glad to help them out in this way.”
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I’m also feel sorry for them BUT not every circus is hurting the animals. A lots of them are trained by food, and a lot of animal trainer have got a kinda safari park for the animal and they can rest ther for a couple month just like my friend Dominik. And do you think if they are hurting the animal the animal never gonna attack the trainer? Of cours they will!! i know that there is still a lots of circus are hurting the animals and they have to live in the small place but not all circus are like that.
ps: sorry for the spelling mistakes
Oh, and I honestly hadn’t seen that other article. Having read it now I do appreciate that Insiter were just giving both sides of the story.
Paul you are parroting SZ. That was one of the most ridiculous parts of the article, when he randomly brought up sausage dogs. You conveniently agree with him that because other bad things happen in the world, it’s okay to turn a blind eye to this one. It doesn’t get much more ridiculous than that.
Protest about everything or nothing? How is that even logical? People only use that argument when they feel personally threatened. Which I suspect you are, judging from the fact that you appear to appreciate the animal rights issues in the examples you’ve given. If you know that exploiting animals for human amusement is wrong in the case of birds and horses, then you understand why people want to see an end to animal circuses. I guess since you don’t have a personal interest in the other examples you gave you feel free to ‘impose your ideas’ about them
apart from my last comment about fish, what about:
- Horses driving around people and tourists in Mdina, Valletta etc, in scorching sun, being whipped to move with a black piece on their eyes so as not to be afraid of cars. Aren’t horses suppoed to run free like we see in animal welfare videos?
- DOgs looked at in anger and training them where and when to do their natural needs? DOgs should be free to run and not in a house and certainly not trained to do what we people want to!
- Parrots, love birds etc… what makes these birds “domestic”, kept in cages instead of flying freely in the Amazon or some other forest? but we argue about hunters who catch other birds … are these birds inferior or what?
- Animals genetically modified like the sausage dog and other hunting dogs used to serve human purposes even though it is proved that dogs like the sausage suffer from conditions brought about by these modifications?
What i want to say is, either protest about EVERYTHING or else stop imposing your ideas where it suits you best and taking it against individuals!
@ Andrew …I would like to think that people who are guardians of horses would keep the horses in stables that have enough room and are comfortable for them. I believe that if a person takes on the responsibility of being a guardian for any animal they would respect and care for them enough to give them the space and comfort they deserve. Animals are no different from humans in enjoying comfort,love and warmth. If animals are kept in small quarters which do not give them the adequate space they need then YES it is animal abuse….
As regards the lions being kept in captivity “knowing no better” I think that is a as bad as saying that a person born into slavery doesn t know any better so just let them be….If you want to put the trainer and another person in a cage with the lions, first let these lions experience the joys of living in a sanctuary where they are given the opportunity to run wild and free for a while and be taken care of by wildlife experts. Then put these lions back into a cage with the trainer & wildlife experts and let the scenario you mentioned play out ..I can safely say that the result you spoke about would not happen. Lions do not forget !!
Watch this video of a man that rescued a lion when it was a cub ….The lion never forgot …http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xp7M0_hdUE
To Andrew Yes it is very shocking
Unfortunately this is the way these poor innocent beautiful creatures are trained …:(
It is a fact that circuses “with the best intentions” CANNOT provide these animals with what they need to be happy & healthy …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5G93sKC5No
Above link is another heartbreaking video which was done by Animal Defenders International…this is just one of the many thousands ..:(
Ah and to my last comment I forgot mentioning fish in aquariums! Always believed their place is running free in some river or sea and not in a cube of glass/plastic … Yet I do not see anyone protesting …
Felicity, your comment is ridiculous … didn’t see you arguing about “A great piece of hard-hitting, unbiased journalism” when insite published this: http://insiteronline.com/news/animal-rights-coalition-to-hold-protest/
Or are the people commenting here only interested in hearing what they have to say whilst ridiculing the other side of the argument?
to joanna that video clip you put on is shocking. I seriously hope that the animals are not trainned that way. that is animal cruelty.
Just stating a point here. I am an animal lover right. I owe 2 dogs 5 cats 2 horses birds and a goat. this comment goes out to krista. So i am abusing animals just cause i have two horses. A horse is ment to run around freely in the wild but yet so many people in malta and all around the world have horses kept in a stable as small as 10ft by 10ft. Is this considered animal cruelty then? i dont agree that a animal is caught from the wild and put into a cage thats animal cruelty. But these animals are bred by humans and know no better and the humans actually become their owners and are very loyal to them just as a dog is to his owner. I dare any one of you to go in the cage with the lion and their trainer and id dare you to hit the trainner infront of the lion, and then see who the lion would attack im pretty sure he will attack you not the person that loves him and feeds him.
I would like to ask Mr. Zammit whether he is ready to live all his life in a small space as the animals do in circuses. If his reply is in the affirmative I will be ready to join him.
Circuses are just venues for animal cruelty, and that’s a fact! Animals are’nt looked after and they are not happy there!
Have you done your research on animals kept in zoos ??? I seriously doubt it from reading your article.
1. A lone elephant is abuse on its own elephants are social animals and need to be part of a herd. The elephant does not try to escape cause the wire surrounding him/her is probably electric which is used in all circuses and they switched it off when you touched it !!!!! Also there was another report that the elephant was kept chained on a metre long chain which they obviously took off whilst you visited…
What about these articles below condemming the Orfei Circuses with one article being as recent as October 2011 which is againt the Viviana Orfei Circus which is in Bahar Ic – Caghaq. Although the animals are not here this time it does not STOP the fact that they DO NOT care about their animals …
ARTICLE FROM ITALIAN NEWSPAPER REGARDING FLOODING INCIDENT IN CATANIA ON 18TH OCTOBER 2011 :
The picture in the article shows an animal stuck in its cage while half immersed in water
http://www.lavika.it/2011/10/circo-viviana-orfei-allagato-a-catania/
ARTICLE FROM AR NEWS (2004) REGARDING ANIMAL CRUELTY IN ORFEI CIRCUSES AND A CONDEMNATION BY ATTORNEY GENERAL IN REGGIO DI CALABRIA :
READ THE 7TH PARAGRAPH :
http://lists.envirolink.org/pipermail/ar-news/Week-of-Mon-20040628/026558.html
You should watch this video and open your eyes about what actually happens behind closed doors….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQbeL-Hw00c&feature=related
I am absolutely sickened that you are trying to promote such animal abuse…OF COURSE they are going to give free entry they are trying to give a “caring” impression …can you be soooo naive ???
I am hoping that you will publish all of what I have written but there again we are in Malta and things are always edited !!!!!
CIRCUSES ARE ANIMAL ABUSE AND SHOULD BE BANNED ALL OVER THE WORLD !!!!
when are things like this gonna finaly be no longer this is animal abuse point blank, do you think the animals are having any fun do you……..well they are not, enough is enough this need to be out lawed now if the law won’t step in may be its time for us to do it for them…………..rob
A great piece of hard-hitting, unbiased journalism. Why didn’t you just let Silvio Zammit write the article himself?
What rubbish. How can you say that an animal who is born to walk for miles and miles daily is happy in a cage? How would YOU feel if you were put in a cage, lured by food and asked to jump through hoops for entertainment.