Animal Defenders International protest outside Peter Jolly's Circus in Hillstown, Derbyshire.

Half a dozen members of Animal Defenders International (ADI) demonstrated today outside Peter Jolly’s Circus in Hillstown near Bolsover.

The group say the circus - which uses camels, zebras and a fox - is cruel and that no wild animals should be used as entertainment.

ADI volunteer, Tammy Ashforth, said: “We wanted to highlight the suffering of these animals.

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“Circuses deprive animals of everything that is natural to them. Tethered in their pens for most of their lives, carted around the country on the back of a lorry.

“Animal Defenders International has recorded abnormal behaviour showing their not coping with their unnatural lives.

“Some of the public we spoke to did not know they used animals for entertainment - they told us they will not go again.

“People are overwhelmingly against the use of wild animals in circuses. It’s Victorian entertainment.”

Peter Jolly’s circus responded this week by saying their animals were well cared for and urged residents to visit and ‘form their own opinion’.