‘It Was Struggling To Move’: Baħar Iċ-Ċagħaq Circus Slammed Over Animal Abuse In Live Show
A furious content creator has taken to Instagram to voice her disgust after attending a circus show at Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq and witnessing some shocking scenes involving an animal there.
Sarah Grech was excited to head to the Cirkelli Circus with her boyfriend for the 22nd December show. The pair were enjoying it – when, mid-act, a performer pulled out a real duck and started 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 experts.
“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.
However, in the midst of it all, Grech felt helpless seeing what the bird was going through.
View this post on Instagram
‘‘I felt disgusted and useless as I couldn’t do anything to help the duck. I looked at my boyfriend with my mouth open not saying a word but saying a lot at the same time. I was furious and upset,’’ Sarah told Lovin Malta.
Sarah’s post recounting what she saw was flooded with people taking her side and asking how such a thing was allowed by the circus.
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 a part of a ‘‘surprise’’ allegedly unbeknownst to the rest of the team.
Have you ever experienced anything like this in Malta? If you have any similar stories send them to us in confidence at [email protected]