THE director of the UK's first touring tiger and lion show has hit back at animal rights campaigners.

Pitched as an act which lifts the curtain on wild animal training in the entertainment industry, 'An evening with lions and tigers' started a 10-day run in Welshpool, Powys, on July 3.

Its two lions were set to appear at the Herefordshire Country Fair in August but the act was cancelled after animal rights organisation Animal Defenders International (ADI) gathered more than 12,000 signatures on an online petition calling for it to be dropped.

Now, Anthony Beckwith, director of the show, has spoken out in its defence.

He said: "There are many misconceptions about the welfare of animals used for entertainment, so what we are doing is taking people behind the scenes demonstrating the methods used in training and explaining how and why we do what we do and why it's an important part of our culture."

The animals are owned and presented by Thomas Chipperfield whose family have a 300-year history of working with wild animals and once had the largest circus in Europe. Mr Chipperfield has spent most of his years in the circus, but has also provided animals for film and TV.

ADI said 'An evening with lions and tigers' had attracted negative publicity and an outcry from animal groups and members of the public.

It said the lives that the big cats endure are in 'stark contrast' to those they would have in the wild.

The Born Free foundation has also campaigned against the show and said in a statement on its website that the complex welfare needs of non-domesticated animals such as big cats cannot be met in a travelling circus environment.

But Mr Chipperfield said the show is also aiming to raise awareness about wild big cats facing extinction.

He said: "Something we are also aiming to do is to draw attention to plight of the wild cousins of my animals. There's estimated [to be] less than 4,000 tigers left in the world and I believe by people seeing them and learning about them sparks an interest in protecting them.

"Nothing can compare to seeing these animals in real life and so close-up it creates a whole admiration for the animals and if we can do that and get people on board with wanting to conserve these animals then that's a job well done."