Ten years to the day since the conviction of circus trainer Mary Chipperfield
PR ADI
##It's ten years to the day since Mary Chipperfield's historic conviction for animal cruelty, but animals still tour the UK in travelling circuses##
Today marks the ten year anniversary since one of the world's most famous circus trainers, Mary Chipperfield, was convicted of animal cruelty after being found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a baby chimpanzee and her husband was convicted of elephant abuse.
However, Animal Defenders International is campaigning for a change in the law, as in the last decade nothing has changed to prevent animals being toured around the UK in travelling circuses. That's despite a Government promise in 2006 that wild animals would be banned from circuses. This has not materialised, and a parliamentary petition criticising a Circus Working Group report has attracted 183 MP signatures.
The Mary Chipperfield trial remains the defining legal case in circus campaigning. She was convicted on 12 counts of animal cruelty towards 18-month old chimp Trudy. Her husband, Roger Cawley, was also convicted of cruelty to a sick elephant named Flora. Footage of the animal abuse sent shockwaves around the world and 400 video tapes of undercover footage filmed by ADI were handed over to the trial.
Mary Chipperfield was not banned from keeping or training animals, despite famously declaring at her trial; "I don't regret anything. I haven't done anything abusive to harm any of my animals." In recent years she was filmed by undercover ADI field officers at a European circus with a group of white tigers she trained.
The couple were acquitted on 28 other charges, as whipping animals, chaining them up, depriving them of water and failing to provide basic hygiene, did not come under the legal definition of cruelty at that time. The investigation and trial showed that not only did the circus industry consider violence towards animals to be acceptable, but that the law could not protect animals in the entertainment industry.
The pair were fined a total of £8,500 plus costs. After a major media campaign, Trudy was re-homed to the Monkey World sanctuary in Dorset. Two of the elephants previously owned by the couple are now living at Colchester Zoo.
ADI Chief Executive, Jan Creamer, says "The conviction of the renowned circus owner Mary Chipperfield for animal cruelty blew the image of the circus industry to pieces. But ten years on, there is no greater protection for circus animals. Does anyone really believe it is acceptable in the 21st century to keep elephants in chains, or lions and tigers in tiny cages on the back of a lorry? The majority of the British public has backed a ban on wild animals in circuses for more than a decade. Three years ago we were promised one. Enough is enough, it's time the suffering stopped."
Ally MacDonald - Public Relations Officer
Animal Defenders International
Millbank Tower
London SW1P 4QP, UK.
Tel. +44 (0)20 7630 3344
Fax. +44 (0)20 7828 2179
Email: allysonm...@ad-international.org
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