I am registering my protest at Gladstone Council's approval of a circus with performing animals at Gladstone Showgrounds from 28th - 31st Oct. Animals forced to perform for human beings are kept in perpetual captivity and trained by cruel and punitive methods to perform unnatural and undignified acts. This is immoral and offensive and no civilized or humane community should tolerate it. It is particularly appalling that children should be exposed to this mistreatment of animals as if it were acceptable and amusing. Numerous Councils around Australia have banned circuses with animals from their land - most recently, Camden Council, in June. Overseas, whole nations have banned them. Gladstone Council is seriously out of step with progressive and enlightened opinion, worldwide, in continuing to approve performing animal circuses. By signing this petition I support a motion to ban all performing animal circuses from Gladstone Council land in the future.