Jan Lennon said Camden Council should also have talked to the circus industry instead of relying solely on the argument from the RSPCA before making a decision.

At its meeting on May 13, councillors voted 6-3 to impose the ban.

"The circus industry wasn't even notified that anything like this was going to happen so we had no representation there,'' Mrs Lennon told the Advertiser.

The Stardust and Lennon Bros circuses use lions and monkeys in their shows, and up until January this year had an elephant as part of the act.

Mrs Lennon said the circus business was better than ever which was a sign that people did not object to the use of the animals.

"These cats are not born in the wild and all of a sudden handled by people,'' she said.

"Yes, they're still wild animals of course, but they're more domesticated than wild.''

But Larry Murphy from Animal Liberation NSW said circus animals were forced to do pointless tricks that were contrary to their behaviour.

"There is no educational benefit nor conservation,'' he said.

"It is simply exploitation disguising itself as entertainment.

"Circuses teach children that animals are there to be laughed at, be used however we see fit and are there for our amusement.''

Councillor Eva Campbell, who moved the motion for the ban, said her decision was based on information from two zoos, the RSPCA and her general knowledge.

"Any decision that the council makes is never actually set in tablets of stone,'' she said.

"If there is a change in the future or if we have made some sort of omission or error, that can be further addressed.'' Cr Campbell said she would be happy to hear Mrs Lennon's case if she wanted to put it to the councillors.

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