Animals, may stop concert

Press, 24 February 1988, Page 4

Animals, may stop concert

PA Auckland Two concerts by Australian rock group Midnight Oil this week-end will be stopped if there is any likelihood of their sharing the venue with lions and tigers, says the Auckland Regional Authority. A.R.A. parks manager, Mr Phil Jew, said unless eight lions and eight tigers belonging to Chipperfields circus were removed from the venue’s carpark by Thursday morning, approval for the concert would be withdrawn. The owner of the big cats is hoping to board them at a local safari park. “There will be no concert if they’re not out. It’s as simple as that,” Mr Jew said. “We can’t have large numbers of people there with circus animals in the area. If there was, we

would definitely take it up with the police, because it’s a matter of public safety,” he said. Circus representative, Mr John Chipperfield said he was looking for alternative housing for the animals until they left the country. The Auckland Zoo Director, Mr Derek Wood, said the animals could not be looked after at the zoo, but the Auckland Safariland manager, Mr Harry Kimber, said the park’s owner had agreed to mind the cats, if it was a short stay. Mr Chipperfield said he was waiting for confirmation of a booking to ship the lions out of the country on Monday. No date had been set to export the tigers. The Midnight Oil’s promoter could not be contacted yesterday.