LONDON: An Italian animal rights group is bringing the Colosseum back to life. This time, however, it won't consist of animals fighting to the death – or humans – but instead they are employed jugglers and clowns to entertain and promote animal welfare. Silvia Natale, an Italian animal rights supporter who attended the event, told Bikya Masr via telephone from Rome that she was “happy” and “excited” to see the event take off the way it did. “There were lots of people who came together to show their support for animals and to end the cruel actions that we Italians often do to animals,” she said. The group LAV saw the Colosseum, its tradition of bloodshed, as a way of raising awareness for a campaign to end animal imprisonment and cruelty in the country's circuses. According to LAV, some 2,000 animals remain caged as part of circus acts across Italy. The activists on Wednesday organized a small, symbolic circus show inside the Colosseum before a few dozen children. There were no animals — just one performer dressed as a lion, while kids were given animal masks. Over the coming weekend LAV plans to set up stands in Italian piazzas to keep up its campaign. BM
