Animal rights: Princess Stéphanie speaks out
Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival
Princesse Stéphanie spoke to Monaco-Matin on a subject that is close to her heart: animal rights
A bill to fight against cruelty to animals will be put to a vote by French MPs on 15 November. Among other things, it should introduce a ban on animals in circuses, cetaceans in dolphinariums and sales in pet shops.
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Known for her commitment to animal causes, what does Princess Stéphanie think? On circus animals, the honorary president of the World Circus Federation defends the preservation of traditions. A position she reiterated in an interview with Monaco-Matin…
The Princess gives her opinion
“Many people believe the animals have been taken out of the wild. Not at all, that was outlawed in 1950. They are born and raised in the circuses, bottle-fed, loved, cared for (…) Why punish people who do their job well, and for whom it’s the only job they know?”
She feels the animal rights campaigners are fighting the wrong battle: “In the circus, we make people happy, we’re not hurting anyone, but we get picked on. Whereas hunting with hounds, for example, is cruel to deer, horses and dogs.”
However, Princess Stéphane does believe that there is an urgent need to regulate the sale of pets. “An animal is like a child, it needs to be given an education. And treated like a living being. To hammer home the point she added: “It’s not an iPhone!”