An outspoken advocate for animal rights, Stéphanie de Monaco is also an ambassador for the circus arts. In a recent interview by French newspaper Le Figaro, she insisted that these two activities are not entirely incompatible.
According to Stéphanie de Monaco, defending animal rights and the traditional circus arts is not irreconcilable. A key figure in the protection of various species, Stéphanie de Monaco is very publicly involved in the animal cause. On the other end, since 2015, the princess has been the president of the International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo. She has assumed this role despite the criticism for the contrast that the possible conditions that these circus animals might be subjected to.
“The hardcore activist animalists are impossible to reach because they are so deeply anchored in their positions (…) But the others, those who are ignorant to the all the information, we must educate them, and it’s up to the circus to do it. When I say that animals are no longer taken from the wild, listen to me, I am not kidding, look at the laws,” explained Stéphanie de Monaco to our colleagues at Le Figaro.
In an effort to inform the general public, an open house will be organized during this year’s circus festival. “Educators will explain in detail how they interact with their animals and show that none of what they do would be possible without true complicity. The old ways of the chair and the whip no longer exist,” Stéphanie de Monaco assured. “This distinction, the Big Top Label, includes an impressive list of aspects: the cleanliness of the toilets, the employees’ canteen, all the quality guarantees of the circus. This holds true for the human condition but also for the living conditions and animal transport.”