Henshalls Insurance Brokers has withdrawn its sponsorship of Newport Rugby Club after it allowed Peter Jolly’s Circus, which uses live animals in its acts, to perform on club grounds.
Henshalls, along with Telford Group and Stafford Land Rover, decided to stop sponsoring the club after outrage from a video that depicted the circus animals being kept in poor conditions. The animals were housed in a cramped barn and weren’t let out as often as Defra regulations state. The video also shows an employee taunting and spitting on a camel.
The video was released by animal welfare organization Animal Defenders International. Jan Creamer, ADI’s president, said: “Circuses simply cannot meet the needs of wild animals in small, mobile accommodation.
“The government has promised a ban, but we’re asking people to vote with their feet – don’t go to a circus with animals.”
Henshalls Insurance Brokers wrote on its official Facebook page: “Henshalls has been a proud sponsor of Newport Rugby Club for more than 15 years, helping to fund the upkeep of its sports fields and community facilities.
“In the light of their decision to allow a travelling circus which uses live animals to use their land, we have now officially withdrawn our sponsorship at this time.”
