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Australia's last circus elephant. A sad story about Saigon.

She wrote to me:

“…Saigon is a 55 year old elephant who used to perform with The Perry Bros circus. Following a huge public outcry Perry Bros agreed to ‘retire’ Saigon to a country property where she could interact with other elephants for the first time in her life. However just four days after Australia was celebrating Mr Shuffles being born alive, Perry Bros circus backflipped on their decision saying Saigon would not be retired and would remain in her small enclosure traveling with the circus.”

The Herald-Sun reports…

AUSTRALIA’S last living circus elephant cuts a hulking, forlorn figure. Saigon lives out of the back of a truck for 10 months of the year, traveling from town to town with Perry Bros Circus and Zoo.

The last of her four female friends died at Christmas and, at 55, she has never known a male, nor produced a calf. Too old to perform tricks, Saigon still has to hit the road with the rest of the menagerie as the show must go on.

Bunkered down at Point Cook on the outskirts of Melbourne for a few days, she stood on the dustbowl of vacant land where the circus has pitched its big tent. Surrounded by an electric fence with a few bales of hay, she shuffled from foot to foot, slowly swaying, and with no rain or nearby pool, idly blew dust over her broad back to filter out sun.

The RSPCA said it was “100 per cent against exotic animals being kept in circuses” and called on Victorians to boycott any traveling or touring group that featured them as an act. Born the fifth generation of circus family, Maynard said Saigon could expect to live another 20 years. “Then she will die at home on the property and be buried with the rest of the herd and I shall plant a nice tree at the head of each of them, marking their final resting spot,” she said.

So why did Perry Bros agree to retire her to their country property and then backflip on that decision?

On The Animals Australia website , Executive Director Glenys Oogjes says:

Though she is too old to perform, Saigon still spends weeks on end confined alone in a barren enclosure behind a truck next to the big top. She has no toys to play with and is unable even to exercise properly as she simply passes each day, waiting for the next. Confining a solitary elephant in this way would be illegal in neighbouring states. Your help is urgently needed to outlaw such cruelty in Victoria as well.

The story of Saigon has touched the hearts of thousands of caring Australians, and as you may know, Animals Australia believed in good faith that Perry Bros had recently responded to community concerns by retiring Saigon to their country property. However, on Sunday 14th March we learned via Perry Bros website that they were not going to retire this old elephant from life on the road, and instead have trucked her back to Melbourne to be with the circus for their season at Bayswater North.

This decision has shocked and horrified Animals Australia. That this 55-year-old elephant will now have to face the stresses of further transportation and relocation only to be once again confined in a small barren enclosure on public display is a tragedy, and proves beyond any doubt that the welfare of this elephant is not a priority for Perry Bros Circus.

With the clear refusal of Perry Bros to act in the best interests of Saigon, Animals Australia now has no choice but to re-launch the campaign on Saigon’s behalf and lobby the Brumby government to ban the keeping of single elephants in circuses in Victoria in line with cruelty legislation in SA, NSW and QLD. Saigon deserves the same protection from abuse in Victoria that she would receive in neighbouring states.

 

The government needs to hear the heartfelt pleas of the community on behalf of Saigon. We have prepared a draft letter that can be printed and sent, but even more effective will be a personalised letter from you.

To all our supporters, please accept my sincere thanks again for speaking out on behalf of captive circus animals. Your help today will strengthen the call to secure a peaceful retirement for Australia’s last circus elephant, and move us all an important step closer to a world free from the cruelty of exotic animal circuses.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Saigon’s only hope for a peaceful retirement now lies with our lawmakers.

You can personalise or just sign a pre-written letter through Animals Australia here:
http://www.animalsaustralia.org/take_action/free-saigon/

OR you can contact the Victorian Minister for Agriculture, Joe Helper, directly here:
joe.helper@parliament.vic.gov.au

Last but not least people can contact Perry Bros circus at info@perrybroscircus.com.au to ask them change their mind once again. Perry Bros has a property where they can retire Saigon, they just need to commit to doing it.

No circus can ever provide a suitable environment for any wild animal. You can help end this cruelty by pledging to only visiting circuses that rely on human, not animal performers — and please encourage your friends and family to do the same.

I stopped going to circuses that featured animals many years ago. I notice the Moscow Circus which is about to tour Australia no longer has animals. Do you have memories of going to the circus as a kid?