Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022 | 2 a.m.
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I read that Dirk Arthur’s “Wild Magic” show, featuring big cats, was slated to open soon, though Arthur has since been denied use of a downtown nightclub to stage his show.
Arthur has run out of places to perform, and rightly so. With his long history of violations concerning lack of veterinary care, shade issues, cages being too small, poor diet, etc. — all documented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture — it’s time for Arthur to do the right thing and give these animals some peace and stability that they have earned.
For many years, Arthur has made a good living off his working cats. It’s time for him to retire them, as other performers have. They deserve to be in an accredited sanctuary and live out the remainder of their stressed lives on grass, free to move around at will and no longer be forced to perform for profit.
Wild animal shows are a thing of the past. Even Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey caved in to low ticket sales and pressure from the public over the abusive treatment of animals. The public’s attitude toward these shows makes it a dying industry.
