‘Abused’ Duck Returned To Baħar Iċ-Ċagħaq Circus Following Swift Animal Welfare Decision
A duck that was “catapulted” into a live audience during a circus show held in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq has been returned to the circus by the Animal Welfare Directorate after first being confiscated by police officers.
While it has been returned to the circus in question, Cirkelli Circus in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, there are no indications that the duck will be used as part of its live show again.
The duck was confiscated by police after being “forcefully catapulted onto a hard surface” in front of a live audience consisting of families and children during an act that involved an actor using an oven; after cooking something in an oven, the actor apparently opened the oven and pulled the duck out, before throwing it into the crowd.
An informed source told Lovin Malta that though the duck was confiscated by police on 22nd December after police received a report and investigated it, after it was handed over to Animal Welfare staff, it was eventually returned back to the circus.
Though earlier today Animal Rights Parliamentary Secretary Alicia Bugeja Said said that an investigation was underway to determine how “justice” should be served and whether the duck was even injured, Lovin Malta is informed that it suffered injuries to its upper neck, head and parts of its wings.
However, Animal Welfare authorities, including AW Head Patricia Azzopardi, allegedly decided that no action should be taken in light of the incident, and the duck was returned to its original owner at the circus.
In Malta, a charge must be issued once an animal is confiscated by authorities – otherwise, it must be returned to its owner.
One informed source told Lovin Malta: “It seems like the circus are trying to make it seem like a one time thing – but that doesn’t make a difference. They broke the law because they used an animal during a circus show, especially in the way they did. There are a number of infringements – this is deliberate abuse of an animal.”
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The incident allegedly occurred at the Cirkelli Circus in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq on 22nd December, and first came to light after a local content creator, Sarah Grech, attended the show with her boyfriend.
Grech then recounted what she saw – a performer pulling out a real duck and throwing it at the crowd repeatedly.
‘‘Each time the duck hit the metal stands or the stone floor, it struggled to move before being grabbed and launched into the air again,” Grech recounted, livid at what she saw.
When her boyfriend asked the organiser whether he thought that part of the show was morally right, he allegedly replied with: ‘‘Are you implying that I like to torture animals?’’
Grech called the police to report what she had seen.
Speaking to Lovin Malta, a police spokesperson confirmed that the report had been received – and that the animal in question had been confiscated from the circus and handed over to Animal Welfare.
“A report was lodged on 22nd December upon which the police acted immediately by calling on site and initiated the necessary investigations. The mentioned animal was handed over to the Animal Welfare Services, while the investigations are still ongoing,” police said.
Following the revelations, Animal Commissioner Alison Bezzina has appealed to the public to come forward with any and all footage or testimony from the incident.
Malta prohibited the use of any animals in circuses back in 2014, with fines of up to €30,000 applicable to first time offenders, and up to €50,000 for repeat offenders.
A bill currently being discussed in Parliament will widen the legal definition of circus to mean “any exhibition put on by exhibitors for profit, and viewed by the public for entertainment which offers amusement and display, and where animals are made to perform tricks or manoeuvres, which do not reflect their natural behaviour or does not offer any educational value”.
Since the story was made public, other people have come forward saying that animals are used in other types of shows, including magician-style shows.
Though the circus displays a “no animals” sign on its website, this incident has cast doubt on how serious that promise is.
The circus maintains they do not use any animals in their live shows, only using trained actors, and that the duck incident allegedly occurred when an individual actor decided to include the duck in his act as part of a ‘‘surprise’’ allegedly unbeknownst to the rest of the team.
Do you think the duck should be left with its original owner at the circus?
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