The alarm goes off for the circus too. Due to the current health emergency, hundreds of tigers, lions, hippos, elephants, horses and camels have been left without sustenance.
To make it known is Coldiretti which mobilized with the adoption of circus animals by farmers throughout the territory, from Friuli to Sicily, bringing emergency food rations, such as milk and meat, but also hay and straw.
In addition, food, fruit and vegetable scraps were also sent to all the blocked circuses. Only for their livelihood are they required over 2,7 million euros per year.
“Under the awnings of the Italian caravans – explains Coldiretti on Censis data – there are tigers, lions, camels, elephants, hippos, horses, donkeys, dogs, ostriches, giraffes, rhinos and zebras. Throughout Italy there are at least 70 active realities that carry on a century-old tradition, with the management of almost 2000 animals that must be looked after every day".
In Sicily, Coldiretti together with the Civil Protection have come to the rescue of the six circuses blocked on the island: the exotic Aquatic Circus in Mazara del Vallo, Sandra Orfei in Caltanissetta, Happy Circus in Castelvetrano, Circo Lamar in Caltagirone, Circo Torres in Campobello di Licata and Darix Martini in Santa Teresa Riva.
Tons of hay and meat, tons of products including feed, milk, eggs, vegetables to feed the animals have been donated to them in the last week.
The situation in the world of traveling entertainment was already critical, but with the Coronavirus emergency it risks becoming dramatic. The blocking of activities together with the loss of any type of income, affects not only circus families but above all the animals with which they work and live to create shows for the general public.
However, it is not only circuses that are suffering. Horses still and to be looked after are at the center of the request for help that comes from the world of horse riding. The Fise, the Italian Equestrian Sports Federation, intervened to bring attention to a reality of 300.000 employees and allocated 400.000 euros directly from its coffers to feed 32.180 registered horses entrusted to clubs and stables which at this stage are no longer able to look after them. The owners, in fact, cannot move from home and the clubs find themselves in serious economic difficulty. In addition to the problem of moving the horses and looking after and feeding them, there is also the problem of training in a sector that counts 8 Olympic disciplines. In this case, the athletes are the riders but also the horses.
