Animal rights campaigners condemned the fine instead of a jail sentence imposed yesterday on the circus trainer. By Audrey Gillan.
One year after beginning his career with The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Kenny the baby elephant died in Jacksonville after performing two shows in one day. By Derek L. Kinner.
The precarious status of the circus in the UK. By Dea Birkett.
When Mary Chipperfield was convicted of cruelty to her baby chimp last week, the most famous name in British circus was disgraced. But animal protestors have been targeting circuses for years, regardless of how they treat their animals. Hounding them out of business is no answer. By Dea Birkett.
Mary Chipperfield, the youngest member of the 300-year-old circus dynasty, will be sentenced next month. Her crimes emerged when animal rights activists Terry Stocker and Rachel White infiltrated the Chipperfield circus. The Observer has obtained the activists' secret diaries, which paint a brutal picture of the dark side of circus life.
Big top owners and animal welfare groups are demanding a change in the law to protect circus animals.
A bill to allow commercial animals suffering cruelty to be "taken into care" has been backed by peers. The Protection of Animals (Amendment) Bill would apply to farm and circus animals, guard dogs, sniffer dogs, and animals kept in pet shops in England and Wales.
Singapore bans wild animals being used in circus shows, citing concerns about public safety and the welfare of animals.
By David Willey in Rome. The Pope holds a special mass dedicated to the world of entertainment, in St Peter's Square. "Healthy entertainment is good for body and soul," the Pope said.
Europe's first elephant races goes ahead near Berlin despite protests from animal rights groups.
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