animal cruelty in circuses essay

Cruelty to Animals in Circuses

How it works

The circus was created by a man named Philip Astley. Astley had served in the seven years war and when he was discharged he decided to imitate the trick- riders. In 1768, he opened up a riding school and had a building that was a circular area which he called the circle, or circus. In 1770 Astley decided his performance needed more novelty and added acrobats, rope-dancers, and jugglers to perform alongside his horse displays. By the late 1700’s there was circuses starting in England, France, Canada and America, but it wasn’t until 1825 that circuses became ‘moving theatres’ and the wooden building was replaced by the canvas tent we see today.

This was around the same time Hac Haleigh Bailey purchased a young African elephant which he successfully paraded around the U.S.A.

It is often argued that circuses aren’t an issue, as long as the animals are well cared for. One cannot deny that it wouldn’t be an issue if these animals were well kept but the truth is that these animals aren’t well cared for. However, the animals are facing extreme health effects by having to do wild acts. As a result, many of the animals are dying or facing adverse health effects like obesity, starvation, dehydration, and even death. One of the biggest dangers of circuses is the treatment of the animals. Many elephants face obesity. In the wild, elephants walk up to 30 miles a day. However, in the circus elephants are held in chains daily. Baby elephants starting around one years old are chained up to 23 hours a day. Another big health effect is that many of the animals face starvation and dehydration.

The trainers call it “operant conditioning” it is what they use to train the tigers and lions. To get the big cats to perform on command, they deprive the animals of food and water to establish dominance. Not only is it just elephants and tigers facing problems but a lot of the animals are crammed into tractor trailers when traveling from venue to venue. These trailers are usually cramped, filthy, sweltering, and poorly ventilated. An elephant named Heather died from heat exhaustion in a tractor trailer. She was found by police officers in a trailer at a hotel parking lot. Heather’s body and 10 living circus animals were removed from the poorly ventilated container and turned over to the custody of the Rio Grande Zoo. Heather was estimated to be around 6 years old and weighed 2,400 pounds, according to zoo officials.

Ideal weight for a healthy elephant her age would have been closer to 4,000 pounds. Opposing views claim that circus animals become adjusted to being held in captivity. Certainly, the animals become accustomed to be tortured if they don’t do what their trainers tell them. However, circus animals often display disturbed behavior which shows how they react badly to being in captivity. Most animals become severely depressed and ‘snap’ when overwhelmed with stress. As a result of the stress sometimes animals can kill trainers or inflict self harm. Many circus animals become depressed and aggressive as a result of the cruel punishment, training, and confinement of boxcars and chains. Some signs of extreme psychological distress in circus elephants include rocking, swaying, head-bobbing, or other repetitive movement.

When elephants are in pain they breath with their mouth open. When large cats and bears are captive they pace back and forth in their cages and some bears have been known to bang their heads against their cages. Another common trait among circus animals is bar biting and self-mutilation and this is directly related to the stress of the circus. Animals don’t just harm themselves when they are stressed they can also hurt trainers. According to the The Straits Times , “On April 7, 2003 in Indonesia, a circus elephant killed its trainer during a bungled stunt in front of hundreds of spectators. The elephant became angry when the trainer attempted to put his head inside the elephant’s mouth. The elephant then stabbed the man with his tusk.” Statistics show that circus animals spend around 96% of their life in chains or in cages, which is a direct correlation to the psychological effects most circus animals have. It is often argued that circuses wouldn’t be entertaining without the animals that are in them.

Of course it is entertaining to see a bear on a unicycle and elephants balance on their head. however, most of these animals suffer physical pain from the uncomfortable acts, and beatings they recieve. As a result of more animals lashing out from these difficult stunts, some circuses are starting to be animal-free. Most animals don’t ride bicycles in the wild, or balance on balls, and tigers definitely jump through fire because they are actually scared of fire. It is very difficult and confusing for these animals since their bodies aren’t made for them to stand on their own head or ride a bike because they wouldn’t do that naturally in the wild. But these animals have to perform because they are scared of the consequences of being deprived of food and water, or being beaten.

For example, the newspaper The Virginian-Pilot states that “A handler with Sterling and Reid circus faces animal cruelty charges after being accused of beating an elephant resulting in bloody lacerations on the animal.” As a result of costly legal battles many circuses are shutting down, like the ringling brothers, and a new circus is coming to town and they don’t use animals. Animal-free circuses have all the fun and thrills of a regular circus but none of the cruelty towards the animals. Instead of seeing depressed elephants, tigers, and many other animals who go through beatings and are forced to perform, you see talented people. There are tightrope walkers, trapeze artists, jugglers, clowns, contortionists, acrobats, fire-eaters, musicians, dancers. Some of the animal- free circuses include Cirque du Soleil, Circus Vargas,Cirque Eloize, Wanderlust Circus, Cirque Productions. All of these circuses include death defying stunts that keep many of the edges of their seats without an animal in site.

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Why animals should not be in circuses

10 december 2022.

The truth about animals in circuses is that they are abused and endure lives of complete misery, while some are even poached from the wild, purely for entertainment.

Circuses around the world continue to use animals in their shows and very few countries have banned the practice. So what is the problem with wild animal performance? Here are the facts about circuses:

Where do circus animals come from?

A tiger being mistreated for performance at Xiamen Haicang Safari Park

This is the million-dollar question. In Vietnam, we’ve seen species which are protected by national and international law performing in circuses . This includes elephants and moon bears.

Laws state that these species cannot be poached from the wild or sold for commercial purposes. We also know that no bear bile farmers in Vietnam were able to successfully breed captive bears – so where are the circus animals coming from?

The truth is some are highly likely to have been illegally poached from the wild and sold into circuses, while other animals have been bred for the entertainment industry.

How are circus animals treated?

In circuses, animals are made to perform unnatural tricks which no individual would willingly carry out.

Elephants are made to stand on one leg and spin in circles – often while standing on top of small stools. These are actions elephants have never been observed carrying out in the wild precisely because they cause long-term damage to the animals’ physiology.

It is well documented that elephants are forced to perform these actions by being beaten with bullhooks, while young elephants are savagely constrained and beaten in a process known as “the crush”, which breaks their spirit and forces them to comply.

Big cats are popular in the circus, but many have their teeth and claws removed rendering them harmless to their abusers. They are “trained” with whips which teach them to fear the ringmaster and not attack.

Our investigations in Asia have uncovered moon bears riding motorbikes, macaques riding dogs and orangutans spinning plates. These actions are so unnatural that no animal can be encouraged or instructed to carry them out – they must be forced. Initially this is done with violence, then with the promise of food. As a result, many circus animals are also underfed to keep them hungry and eager to please.

Together we can rescue animals from their miserable life:

Do animals like being on stage?

A moon bear is forced to stand on two front legs

The wild animals commonly abused in circuses are extremely stressed by circus conditions. The loud noise of the music, the cheers of the crowd and the dizzying lights all disorientate and cause stress to wild animals.

Over prolonged periods this can result in abnormal behaviours and health problems related to anxiety.

While it is possible that domesticated dogs could enjoy the stimulation of certain types of circus training and performance, for wild species such as tigers, bears and macaques, performing on stage is deeply traumatic.

Animals Asia does not support the use of any animals – including dogs – in circuses due to widespread abusive training techniques and poor living conditions.

How do circus animals live?

The living conditions at circuses consistently fail to meet the animals’ most basic needs. When the show stops, the animals typically return to isolation in small, barren cages which give them no opportunity to carry out behaviours natural to their species, or to interact with their own kind.

Animals Asia’s investigation into animal circuses in Vietnam found 100% of facilities failed to meet the animals’ basic needs. We found bears rocking in tiny cages – a well-known sign of stress and mental health disorders – and macaques chained by their necks.

Circus animals are often transported over large distances with circuses in Indonesia even transporting dolphins by truck and plane which is clearly unsuitable for the species.

For full information read our circus report here .

What’s good about animal circuses?

As with any industry which creates financial gain, some people try to defend animal circuses. They say the animals are stimulated by training and performance, but all the evidence and the experts disagree.

Defenders of animal circuses also argue that seeing animals perform is a form of education which raises awareness and appreciation of wild species. But the truth is very different.

In reality, animal circuses teach our children nothing . The behaviours they see are completely unnatural and give an entirely false impression of the lives and needs of animals. Seeing animals abused on stage only teaches people that animals are here for human entertainment and that we can treat them in any way we please, regardless of their emotions and needs. Is this the lesson we want to teach our children?

Will you donate today and show kindness to animals who only know sadness and pain?

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Circuses Are No Fun for Animals

Lorraine Murray

— As a circus specialist with the animal rights organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), RaeLeann Smith works to educate people about the cruelty involved in circuses and other animal acts and meets with legislators to develop ordinances that protect animals used for entertainment. She is currently working to promote legislation in Chicago that would be the strongest elephant protection law in the United States. As a guest writer for Advocacy for Animals this week, Smith discusses the abusive treatment of elephants and other animals in circuses.

Recently, four zebras and three horses escaped from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Colorado and ran loose near a busy interstate highway for 30 minutes. This harrowing incident is just the latest in a long series of escapes and rampages that illustrate the dangers that animals in circuses pose to both themselves and the public. Transporting wild animals from town to town is inherently stressful for these animals, as it requires that they be separated from their families and social groups and intensively confined or chained for extended periods of time. It’s no surprise that many animals try to escape.

The modern circus traces its history to the Roman Circus Maximus, an elongated U-shaped arena constructed in a long narrow valley between two of Rome’s seven hills. In the arena, both aristocrats and commoners attended chariot races, equestrian events, and, later, wild-animal displays. Although the events staged in the Circus Maximus began as fairly benign popular entertainment, they became increasingly violent spectacles. Little attention was paid to those injured or killed during these events—slaves and animals—because they were “nonpersons” according to Roman law.

The modern circus arose in the early 19th century, beginning with equestrian and acrobatic acts. A circus first claimed to have tamed wild animals in 1820. In 1851 George Bailey added a menagerie, including elephants, to his show. Flying trapeze artists, clowns, and a live orchestra rounded out the fledgling circus. In 1871 a human “freak” show was added.

Although human freak shows have nearly disappeared, animal circuses otherwise continue relatively unchanged. Animals in circuses are still deprived of their basic needs to exercise, roam, socialize, forage, and play. Signs of their mental anguish include a plethora of stereotypical behaviors, such as swaying, pacing, bar-biting, and self-mutilating. Sometimes these animals lash out, injuring and killing trainers, caretakers, and members of the public. They are transported up to 50 weeks a year in stifling, cramped, and dirty trailers and train cars and are forced to perform confusing and physically challenging tricks, such as standing on their heads, riding bicycles, or jumping through rings of fire. In the wild, these animals would be ranging long distances and enjoying rich social lives.

Animal Abuse

Training methods for animals used in circuses involve varying degrees of punishment and deprivation. Animals perform not because they want to but because they’re afraid not to. In the United States, no government agency monitors animal training sessions.

Former Ringling animal crew employees Archele Hundley and Bob Tom contacted PETA independently after witnessing what they described as routine animal abuse in the circus, including a 30-minute beating of an elephant in Tulsa, Okla., that left the animal screaming and bleeding profusely from her wounds. Hundley and Tom reported that elephants are chained whenever they are out of public view and are forced to perform while sick or injured. They also reported that horses are grabbed by the throat, stabbed with pitchforks, punched in the face, given painful “lip twists,” and whipped. Other Ringling whistleblowers have confirmed these abuses.

PETA obtained undercover video footage of the Carson & Barnes Circus that shows elephant trainer Tim Frisco beating elephants with a sharp metal training device called a “bullhook” during a training session. The animals cry out in pain. Frisco tells other trainers, “Hurt ’em. Make ’em scream.” Frisco also warns other trainers to avoid beating the elephants in public view. Undercover video footage of animal training at various other facilities has revealed the widespread use of abusive techniques, including beating elephants with bullhooks and shocking them with electric prods, striking big cats with whips and sticks and dragging them by heavy chains tied around their necks, smacking and prodding bears with long poles, and kicking chimpanzees and beating them with riding crops.

Animals used in circuses may travel thousands of miles a year during extreme weather conditions. They are confined to boxcars and trailers and have no access to basic necessities, such as food, water, and veterinary care. Some elephants spend most of their lives in shackles. One study of traveling circuses reported on an elephant who was forced to spend up to 96 percent of her time in chains. Tigers and lions usually live and travel in cages that are four feet high, seven feet long, and seven feet wide, with two big cats crammed into a single cage. Big cats, bears, and primates are forced to eat, drink, sleep, defecate, and urinate in the same cramped cages.

Constant travel, forced inactivity, and long hours standing on hard surfaces in their own waste lead to serious health problems and early death in captive elephants. At least 25 elephants with Ringling have died since 1992, including four babies. Circuses routinely tear unweaned baby elephants from their mothers to be trained and sent on the road.

Escapes and Attacks

There have been hundreds of incidents involving animal attacks and escapes from animal circuses, often resulting in property damage, injuries, and death for both humans and animals.

Perhaps the most dramatic animal attack involved Tyke, an elephant traveling with Circus International in Honolulu in 1994. In an hour-long episode, Tyke killed her trainer and caused injuries to more than a dozen people. Police fired 87 bullets into Tyke before finally killing her. This was not the first time that Tyke had acted out; she had previously caused $10,000 in damage during a Shrine Circus performance in Altoona, Pa., and attacked a trainer in North Dakota, breaking two of his ribs.

Other attacks by elephants, big cats, primates, and bears are common but haven’t received as much media attention because they are rarely videotaped. Many circuses, including Ringling, do not allow video cameras in the arena. In order to avoid publicity, circuses are often quick to settle lawsuits that allege injuries.

Circus Bans

More than a dozen municipalities in the United States have banned performances that feature wild animals. Costa Rica, Sweden, Singapore, Finland, India, and Austria ban or restrict wild animal performances nationwide. Districts in Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, and Greece ban some or all animal acts. PETA has been campaigning in the United States for specific bans on the most abusive circus practices, including chaining elephants and using training tools that cause pain and suffering, such as bullhooks and electric prods.

Circuses that use animals have been struggling with falling attendance rates and public disillusionment as people learn more about wild animals and their complex physical and emotional needs. Many of the smaller animal circuses have merged or gone out of business. The trend in circus entertainment has been shifting away from the use of animals, as evidenced by the hugely successful Cirque du Soleil. This Montreal-based circus, founded by two street performers in 1984, features only human performers and now has as many as 15 shows running simultaneously around the world. With attendance at animal circuses dwindling, smaller, nonanimal circuses have proliferated, including the New Pickle Circus, the Imperial Circus of China, the Hiccup Circus, and the Flying High Circus.

Images: Elephant led with bullhook–courtesy PETA; elephants in chains–courtesy PETA.

To Learn More

PETA’s Web site on circuses
Amboseli Elephant Trust page about Amboseli Elephant Research Project’s study of African elephants
Page about African elephant communication , from Elephant Voices
Animal Protection Institute
The Elephant Sanctuary , which gives homes to elephants who spent years suffering in circuses and zoos
Performing Animal Welfare Society , a sanctuary for abandoned and abused performing animals
About not sending the wrong message to children

How Can I Help?

Support the work of PETA
Join PETA’s Activist Network
Sign up for updates from PETA on animal issues
Support animal-free circuses
Get Active for animals in circuses
Help Dancing Bears
Urge the American Humane Association to support a ban on the use of bullhooks
Discuss the issue with friends and family

Books We Like

The Rose-Tinted Menagerie , published in 1990, is a history of the training and use of animals as performers and servants, and the picture it paints is not amusing, nor is it flattering to humankind. (The title refers to the common view of circuses and menageries as harmless, innocent fun, seen through “rose-tinted glasses.”) In the first chapter, “The Blood-Red Menagerie: The Circus in Ancient History,” Johnson informs the reader that, before circuses with “performing” animals were developed during the Roman Empire, the equally rich culture of Egypt as early as 2500 B.C. counted jugglers and acrobats among its troupes of entertainers. Egyptians kept animals as pets and used them in hunting. But, “Egyptian aristocracy … regarded many creatures from the cat to the crocodile as sacred, [and] there were no performing animals as such. It was necessary that a far more mechanistic culture, one almost contemptuous of nature, would invent the idea of the performing wild beast, quite simply because from its very inception, its basis was to ridicule and demean the innate character of the animal.” That culture was Rome circa 329 B.C. and later, when public celebrations such as inaugurations and the dedication of the Colosseum called for the bloody slaughter of thousands of wild animals before cheering (or, sometimes, sickened) audiences.

In addition to these mass killings, Rome was treated to bear-baiting and gladiator contests against animals. Some animals were saved from slaughter and were trained through merciless beating to perform tricks. There were tightrope-walking elephants and dancing bears. These feats might seem harmless or amusing and even today are performed to the delight of unreflecting audiences. But through Johnson’s explanations, readers learn the often brutal tricks of “training” animals; it becomes clear that these exercises involve domination, humiliation, and pain, and any pleasure one might take in seeing a chimpanzee ride a bicycle should evaporate.

In subsequent chapters Johnson continues the history of the circus into modern times and branches out into considerations of dolphin shows, traveling menageries, and other venues using animals as entertainment. Exposing the practices of these businesses also involves dealing with where the animals come from; thus, a chapter on the trade in endangered species exposes loopholes in international law, and other chapters give the lie to the idea that seeing animals performing in a circus or captive in a zoo has “educational” benefits. The chapter “Justice Undone” shows how the law lets down circus and other performing animals needing protection from cruel treatment like that revealed in later chapters on circus training methods and international dolphin and whale capture.

Because The Rose-Tinted Menagerie (whose full text is available online at http://www.iridescent-publishing.com/rtm_home.htm) has not been updated since its publication, discussions of the law may now be inaccurate, but circuses, zoos, and commercial dolphin and whale shows continue to thrive, and the principle remains the same. As one reviewer said, “The animal show is, literally, a dramatization of our superiority over the animal kingdom, an enactment of little parables of mastery and servitude.”

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The New York Times

The learning network | should circuses be animal free.

Should Circuses Be Animal Free?

A rehearsal before a Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus last year in Brooklyn. <a href="//www.nytimes.com/2015/03/06/us/ringling-brothers-circus-dropping-elephants-from-act.html">Related Article</a>

Questions about issues in the news for students 13 and older.

See all Student Opinion »

Is it cruel to use wild animals, such as elephants, tigers and bears, as traveling entertainers? Or would the circus just not be the circus without its animal stars?

Should circuses be animal free?

In “Ringling Brothers Circus Dropping Elephants From Act,” Richard Pérez-Peña writes:

In the 133 years since P. T. Barnum bought his first one, no animal has been so closely identified with the circus as the elephant, starring under the big tents, adorning posters and ritually announcing the circus’ arrival with a gawk-worthy parade into town — in the case of New York, through the Midtown Tunnel. But after decades of pressure by animal rights activists who say that the giant creatures are treated cruelly, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey announced Thursday that its three circus companies that still tour the country, performing 1,000 shows a year, would phase out elephant acts, retiring all of the animals by 2018. “It’s pretty remarkable, since they’ve been fighting this fight for so long, and for over a century the icon of the American circus was the elephant,” said Matthew Wittmann, a historian of circuses who has advocated ending the use of elephants. “The view Ringling always propagated was that you can’t have the circus without the elephants, but the global success of Cirque du Soleil shows that you don’t need to have animals of any kind to have a circus.” The debate over circus elephants has been framed in moral terms, but both sides described Ringling’s move as fundamentally economic. “The biggest issue is, there’s been a lot of legislation in different cities and different municipalities,” regulating the use and treatment of animals, said Kenneth Feld, president of Feld Entertainment, Ringling’s parent company. Each elephant costs $65,000 a year to maintain, he said. Ingrid Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said people have turned against animal acts as they learn more about the animals and how they are treated. “These are complex, intelligent animals, and this is a lousy, lousy, dirty, cruel business, and people see that,” she said. “This was purely a business decision.”

Students: Read the entire article, then tell us …

— Should circuses be animal free?

— Has the success of Cirque du Soleil demonstrated that audiences will still flock to see acrobats, trapeze artists and tightrope walkers without any animal acts? Or would the circus just not be the circus without its iconic animals?

— Is it cruel to use elephants, tigers and other wild animals as traveling entertainers? Or can these animals be treated humanely while performing across the country?

— Do you think Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey made the right decision in phasing out all elephant acts by 2018? Why?

— Do you think other performing animals might be next? Which ones, and why?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment below. Please use only your first name. For privacy policy reasons, we will not publish student comments that include a last name.

Comments are no longer being accepted.

Circus animals have the right to be protected and treated humanely under the Animal Welfare Act. Tigers naturally fear fire, but they are still forced to jump through fire hoops in some circuses.In more than 35 dangerous incidents since 2000, elephants have bolted from circuses, run amok through streets, crashed into buildings, attacked members of the public, and killed and injured handlers.

I see how it can be costly, but does make it neccesary to shut down circuses

No, because those people trained hard with their animal and to have it taken away from them would be not only cruel to the animal, but to the owner as well. If any other circus animals I think it would be the lion because it can get free and hurt others and the circus owner does not want that to happen.

Circuses should not be animal free because that the main reasons people go to circuses. There wouldn’t be circuses without animals because the circus would not get very many people that attended.

I believe that a circus needs animals. The animals are exciting and they give everything a big rush. I also think that they will change their minds and keep these animals in.

I do not think it is cruel to use these animals as traveling entertainers as long as they show that they enjoy doing it. If they seem down and unhappy while doing their job and you still continue to make them entertain then i feel that is cruel because you’re making them do something that they do not want to do.

no i don’t think that circuses should be animal free because the animals are the reason why most people go to the circus. And the circus would not be as ironic without the circus animals. No it is not cruel to animals to be traveled in a cage. Yes he should the elephants act should go out because they have been in the circus since it started up. And no i dont think there will be other animals in the circus because everyone likes the animals in the circus already

I think that it is not cruel to use elephants or wild animals as traveling entertainers as long as they are treated humanely.

I think that the Ringling Brothers did the wrong thing by phasing out the elephants because i think people will want to see more.

Circus animals should not be forced to perform. Performances would not be lessened by their absence. Wild animals deserve to have their freedom and not become spectacles for gawking humans. I applaud Ringling Brothers for phasing out elephant and other animal acts.

I think if the animal doesn’t want to be a traveling entertainer than it’s wrong to force them to.

I think that they did not make the right decision because elephant are a endangered species, there a circuses out there that will whip them and be cruel to them and I personally think that it is not right to keep a animal locked in a cage.

If the elephants didn’t think being entertainers then yes they did the right thing by phasing out all the acts.

NO I do not think circuses should be animal free cause it makes it more entertaining for the little kids.

I think the circus animals should be free but then i think that they can be treated humanely. They can probably can have a circus without animals but, probably the one main reason people go to the circus is beacuse of the animals too. I dont think its cruel to use animals because its for peoples entertainment. I think if they have tigers or lions in their circus act they will take them out also for dominince reasons.

I think that animals shouldn’t be used in circuses because animals shouldn’t be forced to do tricks in front of people for entertainment. The success of Cirque du Soleil has proved that people will still come to see acrobats, trapeze artists, etc., because they can make a good show that has amazing stunts even though they don’t have animals. Yes, because not only will they be doing the right thing but if they could make a good show without the elephants it might show all of the other people that they don’t have to have elephants. Yes, because its not only the elephants being treated badly so they will make a good show.

No i do not because they may even get treated better in the circus act. Getting bathed and food and so much more it would be bad if they were in the wild getting bit and hurt and starving. Some animals don’t know the difference because they have never been in the wild.

I think circuses should be animal free because it could harm animals in the circuses and the crows might freak them out. I think other performing animals like birds may be next cause a flock of them could maybe fly through a ring of fire or make cool shapes in the air

Circus animals have a right to be protected and treated right it can be costly but it does not make it right to shut down circuses.

Of course animals should be in the circus with out the animals there would be no circus. Who pays a fee to get into a building to see a man purposely slip on a banana peel and leave.

I think that eventually all animals will be taken out of circuses. There’s always going to be someone that complains the use of animals. Even without animals in circuses, I think that people will still go to circuses. The circuses would be more entertaining with the animals, but they would still be entertaining without them.

I don’t think that circuses should not be animal free. Why I think this is , because animals like the main part of the circus. There are also acrobats and trapeze. But it is also cool when the big animals do the tricks and the are trained to do those tricks. In this article it says,”it is cruel to use elephants, tigers and other wild animals as traveling entertainers.” But, no they are trained they are not wild how do you think they do those tricks. It is because they are trained. That is why I think circus animals should be protected.

Yes It is tragic to see these wild animals to be treated like this but it is a better life style than in there habitat. They are now exposed to as many threats in the circus as they are in the wild. Also they do not have to search for there next meal.

I don’t think that circuses should be animal free because having large exotic animals is what circuses are known for and I honestly don’t think it would be the same if you took them away.

I think that the circuses should be free of animals because the people could do some of the stuff they are doing.

I get where people are coming from to close the circus animals down, but little kids would like to see animals.

What's Next

Circuses and other shows

Animals all around the world suffer terribly in circuses and other shows using animals. They are forced to live in situations that are often similar to those in factory farms, and are continuously subjected to pain, terrible fear, and distress so they will perform in circus acts. A comprehensive scientific study published several years ago concluded that circuses cause significant suffering to the animals forced to perform. 1

The way animals used in entertainment are forced to live

Animals used in circuses spend almost their entire lives in traveling crates, barns, or trucks in which they lack room to move freely. These places are cramped and uncomfortable. 2

Horses are often kept in crates in which they cannot even turn around. Big cats often cannot move in their cages. Elephants are permanently chained, and therefore, also unable to move very much. Circus animals spend most of their lives like this. However, when they are out of their crates or cages their situation is even worse: they are let out just to be tortured so they perform.

In addition to extreme confinement and very poor housing conditions, the stress these animals undergo is increased because they are made to travel in trucks for thousands of miles. In many cases they travel at least once a week, with almost no rest. 3 This causes many animals to die on the road. It is common for them not to be fed or given enough water while traveling. They also suffer from the heat or cold, since the trucks transporting them are not climate controlled to make the effects of the weather milder. They often lack ventilation as well.

This causes much distress for the animals, and in particular for those animals who are not used to very hot or very cold conditions, such as polar bears, ungulates or big cats imported from the African savanna. These animals may also be affected by the weather even when they are not traveling, since local climates can be far too cold or hot compared to what is comfortable for them.

Tortured to perform

Animals exploited in circuses are forced to make certain movements and perform in certain ways which are presented as “artistic performances” such as dances and leaps. They are taught to perform certain “tricks” that are often physically uncomfortable and psychologically distressing, as well as dangerous. Over time the animals can damage their muscles, joints, or bones. For instance, elephants are often made to stand on their hind legs or even balance on one leg. This can cause hernias for such heavy animals. Another common trick for elephants is to pretend they can dance by moving their heads violently from one side to the other. This can cause them nerve and muscle pain, which may eventually become chronic. Tigers, lions, and other big cats are forced to jump through burning rings. They are very scared of fire, so they wouldn’t do this unless they were even more scared of the trainers. A similar case is that of apes who ride motorcycles. In other cases, animals such as big cats are forced to stand on top of horses. This is terrifying for both the horses (who fear the predator on top of them) and the big cats. Bears are forced to stand on their hind legs, and although they can sometimes do this, it is uncomfortable for them to do it for a very long time. One way to force them to do it is to burn the bears’ front paws so that it’s painful for the bears to walk on them.

The distress of having to perform is increased by the presence of many spectators. In addition, it has been proven that loud noises (such as the ones a crowd makes) are a very significant cause of stress. 4

How can it be, then, that animals nevertheless manage to perform in circuses? The answer is simple. They do it out of fear of being punished. The “trainers” frequently use chains, whips, muzzles, metal hooks, and electric prods to force animals to behave in a certain manner. Other methods include chaining animals and depriving them of food and water.

In order for trainers to be able to control the behavior of the animals, they break the animals’ wills from a very young age. This is done by systematically beating them. When baby elephants arrive at the circus they are beaten continuously during the first few weeks until they completely surrender and learn to obey and be terrified of the trainers. This punishment is constant and very harsh, since otherwise it might fail to condition the animals to act in ways that are uncomfortable and unnatural to them.

Circuses have acknowledged the use of these methods. For example, Kenneth Feld, the CEO of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, admitted that elephants are struck behind their ears, under their chins, and on their legs with chains, metal prods, and hooks. He also acknowledged that they are given electroshocks. 5

Animals are also mutilated so it is less risky for humans to train them. For example, animals are often declawed and have their teeth taken out, sometimes with hammers, in order to prevent them from attacking their trainers. We all can imagine how horrible, painful, and traumatic this must be, and it can lead to many problems when it comes to eating.

Sometimes the animals are also drugged to perform, so they are subdued and less dangerous while performing.

Damage to the physical and psychological health of the animals

In addition to the physical pain that these forms of torture cause, we must add psychological distress because of the anxiety and fear the torture causes the animals. In fact, due to the tortures they endure, together with the conditions of their enslavement and the lack of any opportunity to exercise or have any entertainment or social relations, the animals commonly suffer from psychological problems, which can lead to very serious mental conditions. As a result, the animals commonly display stereotyped behaviors, such as repeatedly moving back and forth or from side to side. Others hit their heads, bite the bars of their cages, or self-mutilate.

Life in the circus is particularly hard for social animals. They would like to be together with other members of their group; instead, they live alone or with a very small number of other individuals. This means that they can’t have the social relations they want and need in order to stay mentally healthy. 6 They feel lonely and mentally suffer as a result, just as we would in their situation.

Due to the high levels of stress and frustration the animals suffer, 7 they sometimes refuse to perform despite the harsh punishments they receive. When this occurs, the customary way to deal with the animals is by punishing them harder. Even in cases in which the animals have undergone these extra punishments, they may continue refusing to perform if they break down psychologically or their frustration reaches very high levels.

There are many other hardships imposed on animals kept in circuses. It has been suggested in defense of circuses with animals that training and performance provides the animals with the exercise they need. 8 But this is far from the truth. Due to the conditions they live in and their inability to move and exercise, they often develop joint problems and may even become lame. Obesity is also an issue for circus animals since they cannot exercise.

In addition, circus animals cannot do other things that are healthy for them, such as take mud baths, which elephants need to keep their skin healthy. As a result, elephants often have skin problems.

The end of suffering in circuses

As a result of their situation, many animals have tried to escape from the circus or have attacked and even killed their exploiters. This has happened in particular in the case of elephants. But instead of rescuing these animals in distress, humans have killed them. 9

Death also awaits animals when their exploitation is no longer profitable. When this happens they are locked in cages until they die or are sold to laboratories or private collections.

It’s important to bear in mind that this happens not only to the animals we have been discussing, such as elephants, bears, and big cats, but also to many other animals who live in circuses. In fact, even though the idea of a “circus with animals” brings to mind wild animals, in many circuses horses, pigs, dogs, and other domesticated animals are exploited as well. From an ethical perspective, the circuses that use any animals must be rejected.

Fortunately, nowadays, more and more people are aware that circuses with animals must cease to exist. In fact, many places, such as Bolivia and Greece have banned circuses with animals. Today, there are many circuses that only include humans performing, such as Cirque du Soleil, Circus Chimera, New Shanghai Circus, Flying High Circus, Circus Millennia, and many others.

Other venues in which animals are exploited: zoos are not like animal sanctuaries

In addition to circuses, there are other venues in which nonhuman animals suffer for the sake of human entertainment. Among these are aquariums and zoos. Defenders of these businesses claim that it is good for animals to be taken care of, even if that means being in places where they cannot be completely free. 10

To see why this is not a sound claim, we must first recognize that it is good to be taken care of even if that means you are not totally independent, at least when the alternative is suffering and death, as it is for most animals currently. Denying this would be failing to understand the interests animals have in living good lives. We can see this clearly if we consider the case of true animal shelters and sanctuaries. All around the world there are people who have built new homes for animals who have suffered due to exploitation by humans or other causes. For instance, animals rescued from farms and laboratories have started new lives in these new homes where they are taken care of and can live free from oppression. These rescues would not have been possible without the existence of such places. Animals in the wild, such as orphan animals whose families have been killed by humans or died from natural causes, have also been rescued. These animals would have died if it weren’t for the people who rescued them and provided them with new homes.

However, this argument does not hold in the case of zoos. In many zoos around the world, animals have to endure circumstances that cause them distress. These circumstances are the same as those endured by animals in circuses. One is loneliness, which can be very distressing in the case of social animals. Another is confinement; many animals in zoos lack room to move and exercise. These animals also find themselves living in uncomfortable places with concrete walls and floors. They also endure harsh weather conditions; animals fit for particularly cold, hot, wet, or dry places have to deal with completely different environments. These animals often have chronically poor health. Some of them are individual, solitary animals who endure stress due to lack of privacy from always being exposed to the zoos’ visitors. 11

Animals in aquariums

Animals who are used in aquariums, in particular in aquatic shows, undergo much distress.

These animals have a lack of space in the aquarium, which is usually very small. This is pretty obvious in the case of large animals such as marine mammals. In countries such as the USA, dolphins can be confined in tanks that are only about 9-10 meters/30 feet long. As a result, these animals spend the whole day swimming in circles and their mental health is seriously affected.

Another reason why aquariums cause torment is because many animals kept for shows in aquariums, such as dolphins and other marine mammals, use echolocation. When these animals are locked in tanks, the echoes of the sounds their sonar produces rebound constantly off the ends of the tanks and come back to them immediately. This is extremely stressful and severely affects their mental health. It’s very hard to imagine how this must feel to them. We can guess how it would be by imagining what it would be like to be locked in a small room in which we can’t hear anything except for a very loud noise. However, even this may be misleading, because echolocation appears to be more important for these animals than hearing is for us. Maybe a better comparison, for most human beings at least, would be one in which we imagine we are blind and we have to constantly hear the loud sound.

These animals usually have significant skin problems caused by the water in the pools, which is filled with chemicals and has a composition that is not good for them.

Furthermore, various dental pathologies are observed across captives whales, with pathologies beginning at a young age. Oral stereotypies exhibited by orcas contribute to the observed dental damage. Approximately 24% of whales exhibit “major” to “extreme” mandibular coronal tooth wear, with coronal wear and wear at or below gum line highly correlated. More than 60% of mandibular teeth 2 and 3 exhibit fractures. 12

In addition, as it used to be and still is in many countries with human slavery, the animals are often separated from their families. Moreover, when they are captured in the wild it is not uncommon for them to die due to stress during their capture and transport.

Conservationism against the defense of animals

Another argument claims that aquariums and zoos are necessary because of the role they play in the conservation of species. 13 In many cases, the populations of animals confined in these places are considered to be something like “gene reserves” for when animals of that species disappear in the wild. 14

This once again shows the conflict between views that aim to conserve species or ecosystems, even if it means harming sentient beings to achieve that aim, and those that consider the interests of animals.

Other animals are victims of shows using nonhuman animals

Finally, all shows and displays that include the use of animals also harm other animals who don’t appear in them. They are those used to feed the animals that are used in aquariums, zoos, circuses, and other shows. In some cases, the feeding is done as a show. In Beijing’s zoo, visitors can buy animals, such as hens or goats, that they can throw to big cats to watch them tear apart and eat alive. 15

Even in cases where this doesn’t happen and animals aren’t eaten alive in front of visitors, they are nevertheless captured or farmed so these shows can continue.

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NEW YORK STATE HUMANE ASSOCIATION

Fostering a humane ethic and a compassionate attitude toward animals

The Circus – A Nightmare for Animals

Circus elephants endure much abuse learning "entertaining" tricks.

Once again, Albany played host to the annual dreary migration of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus as it forced its performing animals to entertain the crowds for a three-day engagement in May. Again, the elephants were prodded as they marched from their unloading site to the Times Union arena along downtown streets — a far cry from the migrating marches of the family–based elephant herds in Africa who have the good fortune to live their natural lives in the satisfaction of their physical, psychological, and emotional needs.All circus animals endure lives that are stressful and often cruel, depending on the species. The domesticated animal acts using dogs and horses are easier for the performers to bear since they are at least familiar with and responsive to humans after millennia of domestication (though even these animals often lack proper veterinary care and suffer from confinement). The wild animals fare the worst, and elephants top the list in the inherent cruelty that circus animals experience, simply because their size makes transport and housing so confining and unnatural for them. Their training protocols are geared to ensure that the public will never see the underlying abuse, and therefore circus owners remain assured of their wide profit margin after each city stopover.

Click here to link to PETA article about elephants in circuses that contain graphic photos including above photo.

Elephants evince some of the most obvious physical damage seen in animal performers if the spectator knows what to look for — the wounds along the lower limbs and near the eyes and ears from sharp stabbings by the bull-hook or “ankus”, in very sensitive areas; perhaps the weight loss of chronic disease, including tuberculosis, which has been diagnosed in most traveling circuses during their histories; and certainly the “stereotypes”, which are the purposeless and repetitive movements that are proof of psychosis. The spectator might also note lameness and arthritis, and will certainly note the chains – fore and aft (i.e. attached to two limbs) — which the elephant wears for twenty-three out of twenty-four hours daily. This style of incarceration and immobilization, as well as the abusive nature of their training and conditioning creates mental illness in this species, which has evolved to live in complex social units and to have an intelligence known for its problem-solving and creative abilities.It is the training of the future elephant performers that is most heartbreaking: obviously, the circus requires animal performers that will never exercise independent thought and refuse to perform. Equally obviously, the elephants who may weigh five to six tons at maturity must be so highly obedient that the humans working with them in a show are completely safe from their acting out in aggression or frustration against their handlers or the audience. Thankfully, there have been a few brave trainers who have turned informant since they could no longer be complicit in hiding brutal cruelty, and the videos and images they have released to the public are very distressing. Not only do the trainers freely beat their charges, they state explicitly that they know they cannot abuse them “on the road” (i.e. in the public’s sight) so their training sessions are their one chance to ensure complete obedience, based on the elephants’ fear of painful beatings and electroshocks.

The saddest images available through the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ website show the very young babies taken from their mothers early so that they can learn the fear of humans and the pain that human handlers can inflict at a very early age, while our species is still able to dominate them (“Elephants in Circuses: Training and Tragedy”.) They are shackled and shocked, stabbed with the ankus’ sharp tip, spread-eagled on the ground to learn how helpless they are, forced to sit on tubs and do headstands—essentially to perform all the unnatural and uncomfortable tricks they will be forced to display as adult performers, or suffer excruciating pain. All this abuse delivers the desired final product — an animal too frightened and psychologically crushed to do anything but obey, so that the public is duped to think that their performances are fun for all. But the public will never see this except in those instances that occur periodically when an elephant cannot take it anymore and lashes out in rage. Their typical target is their trainer. The elephant invariably is shot to death as a public danger, paying with his or her life for his/her sad life of daily abuse.

Unfortunately, the public has little opportunity to witness and report the elephants’ mistreatment that violates state anti-cruelty laws. The best that advocates can do is to write letters to the editor detailing the animal abuse in these shows, and to ask all their friends to support the many fine circus companies using only human performers that still “razzle-dazzle” their audience. Do not expect much help from the veterinarians who work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and are charged with inspecting traveling animal shows — the USDA has far too meager a budget to have sufficient veterinary inspectors for an entertainment venue, and even though the federal Animal Welfare Act has a clause stating that any management system causing stereotypical behavior is inherently cruel, the presence of these behaviors in 100% of circuses has never once been cited as a charge of cruelty.

What You Can Do:

Boycott circuses that use animals. Educate your friends and encourage them not to attend them.
Support the wonderful circuses that use only human performers. Ask your local circus sponsor to arrange for one of these instead of one that uses animals.
Write letters to your newspaper editor detailing animal abuse in circuses.

New York State Humane Association Humane Review , Vol.XXVI, No.1, Spring/Summer 2012.

ARTS & CULTURE

After claims of animal cruelty, can the circus survive.

At the International Circus Festival in Monte Carlo, an unlikely figure is leading the charge to transform the circus for the 21st century

Andrew Lawler

Correspondent

Jozsef-Richter---Grand-tableau-d'animaux.jpg

Smiling broadly and with his arms extended, Jozsef Richter vaulted his lean frame from the back of a walking white horse, somersaulting onto the back of one that followed behind—and somersaulted again onto the back of a third. Then, as his sequined costume glittered in the spotlight, he gracefully balanced his wife Merrylu’s head on top of his own as he stood on a horse circling around the ring.

Their astonishing dexterity this past weekend brought the crowd of 3,500 fans at the 42nd International Circus Festival in Monte Carlo to their feet—and earned the couple the top prize, the Gold Clown, at what amounts to the Oscars of the big top.

The festival took place amidst a major upheaval in the circus industry. In the United States, the famed Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus closed last year. Across Europe, countries are placing limits on the use of animals in the popular entertainment. In November, for example, the Italian parliament voted to phase out circus animals. Belgium, Greece and Malta already have done so, and other nations are following suit. This relentless push to ban exotic and even domesticated animals from the ring clouds the future of the circus, something heavy on the minds of the performers in Monaco.

“Real circuses have clowns, acrobats and animals, and we want to maintain this tradition,” Richter told me after his award-winning performance. While his act paid homage to the seminal performance held 250 years ago this spring, when British cavalry officer Philip Astley brought together music and jugglers on a London field to supplement his horse tricks, birthing the modern circus in the process, it was also designed to make a political point that animals are the essence of the entertainment.

“I feel like Don Quixote, tilting at windmills,” said Flavio Togni, a judge at the annual competition and producer of Italy’s American Circus who grew up working with elephants. “We could lose a big share of our audience, and we may have to close down.”

At Monte Carlo last week, circus aficionados vowed to fight what they argue are misleading claims of institutional animal cruelty. “We will do whatever is necessary to keep animals in the circus,” thundered Alain Frere, the 82-year-old artistic advisor who organized the first festival in 1974 at the behest of Monaco’s circus-loving Prince Rainier III. “We must fight together so these stars can continue their work. Hands off my circus!”

The ring’s biggest benefactor and most important advocate today is Princess Stephanie of Monaco, the daughter of Rainier and American actress Princess Grace [Kelly] of Monaco. Princess Stephanie, who once ran away with an elephant trainer and married an acrobat, now spends time working with her two rescue elephants, Baby and Nepal. With her backing, the government of the principality, wedged between France and Italy, erects a white tent each January in a public park next to the tiny Monaco heliport. Vendors selling popcorn and French fries set up shop on a makeshift midway in the chic downtown.

The annual event, which includes a glittering gala hosted by Monaco’s sovereign, Prince Albert II, Stephanie’s brother, draws the world’s best acts. Talent scouts from around the globe attend, seeking to book performers for the coming year. This year’s performances ranged from deceptively simple acts, such as a young Spaniard who juggled seven lit balls in the dark, with an eighth perched on his head, to three Hungarians dressed as astronauts performing moves that seemed to defy gravity on a gigantic moving metal truss structure perched high above the ring.

This year’s festival headlined the Richters and Carmen Zander, who performed a series of heart-stopping tricks with four Bengal tigers and one white tiger. “They are my love and my life,” insisted Zander at a press conference. But the vast majority of the series of shows featured acts comprised solely of humans, a sign that these are what will likely dominate the circus.

Animal-rights advocates insist that scientific studies conclude that animals subjected to training and transportation, along with frequent performances, can suffer from stress and injuries. “Malta adopted this ban as our government recognizes that circuses do not, by any means, provide a suitable environment for animals to express normal behavioral patterns, nor provide suitable shelter or protecting from pain and suffering,” said Marlène Mizi, a Malta representative in the European Parliament, at a 2017 meeting she co-hosted in Brussels.

Opponents of animal bans cite other studies that come to more nuanced conclusions, such as lack of evidence that transporting circus lions increases their stress levels. They argue that animals are constantly monitored, and are provided with social interactions and freedom of movement that outstrip those of many zoos. In some countries, such as France and Germany, animal handlers must pass strict tests to ensure their competency and knowledge.

Proponents of circus animals at Monte Carlo declared that they won’t give up without a fight. At the princess’s behest, public announcements at the circus urged spectators to sign a petition to be sent to the European Parliament backing the use of animals in the circus, and by the end of the weekend more than a thousand had done so. A former singer and fashion designer, Princess Stephanie has recently emerged as a leading spokesperson on the issue. “This is a fake problem,” she told a French magazine recently. Circus animals in Europe, she insisted, are subject to a web of regulations that ensure adequate and humane care.

At Monte Carlo, the public was invited to view the animals in their pens before and after the shows, which included Meryrlu Richter riding a zebra into the ring and Jozsef overseeing a living carousel of elephants, zebras, horses, llamas, camels and horses all moving in opposite directions.

“If you take animals out of the circus, you take away the soul of the circus,” says Joe Saly, an Italian from a circus family who swung two sets of bolleadoras— weights attached to cords—at an animal-less Sunday afternoon performance that won him a standing ovation.

But corralling the famously independent-minded circus community into concerted political action seems a trick that may prove too difficult to accomplish. Some managers and artists at the event noted that those circuses that include animals—particularly ones deemed wild—are steadily shrinking and that the trend seems unstoppable. There are only a dozen circus elephants in the United States and some 30 in France. Since transferring elephants from the wild or from zoos is typically forbidden, these mark the last generation.

Meanwhile, Cirque du Soleil and other similar entertainments dispensing entirely with animals have proved both popular and profitable. “The circus is always evolving, and the future is without animals,” said one Monte Carlo performer, requesting anonymity. In some countries, human acrobatics were always at the core of the circus. In China, for example, animals were never part of the circus tradition.

During an intermission in one of the event’s four-and-a-half hour shows, Frere, the long-time event organizer, acknowledged that change is essential to keep a 250-year-old entertainment vibrant. “Young people are transforming the circus with music, emotion and erotic power,” he said. With or without wild or domesticated animals, there seems little doubt that the show will go on.

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Andrew Lawler | READ MORE

Andrew Lawler is author of Under Jerusalem: The Buried History of the World’s Most Contested City. He is also author of The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession , and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke . Website: andrewlawler.com

Animal Cruelty in Circuses

University of Southern California

Leigh Vogel / Getty Images

Animal Rights
Endangered Species

Most accusations of animal cruelty in circuses focus on the elephants, but from an animal rights perspective, no animals should be forced to perform tricks in order to earn money for their human captors.

Circuses and Animal Rights

The animal rights position is that animals have a right to be free of human use and exploitation. In a vegan world, animals would interact with humans when and if they want to, not because they are chained to a stake or trapped in a cage. Animal rights are not about bigger cages or more humane training methods; it's about not using or exploiting animals for food, clothing, or entertainment. When it comes to circuses, attention has focused on elephants because they are considered by many to be highly intelligent, are the largest circus animals, might be the most abused, and arguably suffer more in captivity than smaller animals. However, animal rights are not about ranking or quantifying suffering, because all sentient beings deserve to be free.

Circuses and Animal Welfare

The animal welfare position is that humans have a right to use animals, but cannot harm animals gratuitously and must treat them "humanely." What is considered "humane" varies greatly. Many animal welfare advocates consider fur, foie gras , and cosmetics testing to be frivolous uses of animals, with too much animal suffering and not much benefit to humans. Some animal welfare advocates would say that eating meat is morally acceptable as long as the animals were raised and slaughtered " humanely ."

Regarding circuses, some animal welfare advocates would support keeping animals in circuses as long as training methods are not too cruel. In 2016, California banned the use of bullhooks , a sharp tool that is used as punishment in training elephants. Many would support a ban on "wild" or "exotic" animals in circuses.

Circus Cruelty

Animals in circuses are often beaten, shocked, kicked, or cruelly confined in order to train them to be obedient and do tricks.

With elephants, the abuse begins when they are babies to break their spirits. All four of the baby elephant's legs are chained or tied for up to 23 hours per day. While they are chained, they are beaten and shocked with electric prods. It can take up to six months before they learn that struggling is futile. The abuse continues into adulthood, and they are never free of the bullhooks that puncture their skin. Bloody wounds are covered with makeup to conceal them from the public. Some argue that elephants must love performing because you can't bully such a large animal into doing tricks, but with the weapons at their disposal and years of physical abuse, elephant trainers can usually beat them into submission. There are, however, tragic cases where the elephants rampaged and/or killed their tormentors, leading to the elephants being put down.

Elephants are not the only victims of abuse in circuses. According to Big Cat Rescue, lions and tigers also suffer at the hands of their trainers: "Often the cats are beaten, starved, and confined for long periods of time in order to get them to cooperate with what the trainers want. And life on the road means that most of a cat’s life is spent in a circus wagon in the back of a semi-truck or in a crowded, stinking box car on a train or barge."

An investigation of one circus by Animal Defenders International found that the dancing bears "spend around 90% of their time shut in their cages inside a trailer. Their time outside these miserable prison cells generally averages just 10 minutes a day on weekdays and 20 minutes on weekends." ADI's video "shows one bear desperately circling a small steel cage measuring about 31/2 feet wide, by 6ft deep and about 8ft high. The steel floor of this barren cage is covered in just a scattering of sawdust."

With horses, dogs, and other domesticated animals, training and confinement may not be as torturous, but any time an animal is used commercially, the animals' well-being is not the first priority.

Even if the circuses did not engage in cruel training or extreme confinement methods ( zoos generally do not engage in cruel training or extreme confinement, but still violate the animals' rights), animal rights advocates would oppose the use of animals in circuses because the practices involved with breeding, buying, selling, and confining animals violates their rights.

Circus Animals and the Law

In 2009, Bolivia became the first country in the world to ban all animals in circuses. China and Greece passed similar bans in 2011 and 2012, respectively. The United Kingdom has banned the use of "wild" animals in circuses but allows "domesticated" animals to be used.

In the United States, the federal Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act would ban the use of nonhuman primates, elephants, lions, tigers, and other species in circuses, but has not been passed yet. While no U.S. states have banned animals in circuses, at least seventeen towns have banned them.

The welfare of the animals in circuses in the U.S. is governed by the Animal Welfare Act , which offers only the bare minimum of protection and does not prohibit the use of bullhooks or electric prods. Other laws, like the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act protect certain animals, such as elephants and sea lions. In 2011, a lawsuit against Ringling Brothers was dismissed based on a finding that plaintiffs did not have standing; the court did not rule on the cruelty allegations.

The Solution

While some animal advocates want to regulate the use of animals in circuses, circuses with animals will never be considered completely cruelty-free. Also, some advocates believe that a ban on bullhooks just causes the practice to remain backstage and does little to help the animals.

The solution is to go vegan, boycott circuses with animals, and support animal-free circuses, such as Cirque du Soleil and Cirque Dreams.

Is It Time to Say Goodbye to the Circus?
Key Facts About Animal Abuse
Overview of Animal Cruelty
Is Pet Ownership Ethical?
What Are Animal Rights?
Overview of the Animal Welfare Act
What's the Difference Between a Zoo and a Sanctuary?
Are Zoos Ethical? Arguments for and Against Keeping Animals in Zoos
Avon, Mary Kay, and Estee Lauder Practice Animal Testing
What is the LD50 or Lethal Dose 50 Test?
The Iditarod and Animal Cruelty
Historical Timeline of the Animal Rights Movement
Do Bugs Have Rights?
Everything You Need to Know About Animal Testing for Cosmetics
How Animal Rights Activists View Zoos Keeping Endangered Species
Horse Racing and Animal Rights

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Circuses: Three Rings of Abuse

Although some children dream of running away to join the circus, it is a safe bet that most animals forced to perform in circuses dream of running away from the circus. Colorful pageantry disguises the fact that animals used in circuses are captives who are forced—under threat of punishment—to perform confusing, uncomfortable, repetitious, and often painful acts. Circuses would quickly lose their appeal if more people knew about the cruel methods used to train the animals as well as the cramped confinement, unacceptable travel conditions, and poor treatment that they endure—not to mention what happens to them when they “retire.”

A Life Far Removed From Home Because circuses are constantly traveling from city to city, it’s nearly impossible to meet animals’ complex, daily needs. The animals, most of whom are quite large and naturally active, are forced to spend most of their lives in the cramped, barren cages and trailers used to transport them, where they have only enough room to stand and turn around. Most animals are allowed out of their cages only during the short periods when they must perform. Elephants are kept in leg shackles that prevent them from taking more than one step in any direction. The minimum requirements of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) are routinely ignored.

During the off-season, animals used in circuses may be housed in traveling crates or barn stalls— some are even kept in trucks. Such interminable confinement has harmful physical and psychological effects on animals. These effects are often indicated by what are called “abnormal repetitive behaviors” (ARB), such as head-bobbing, swaying, and pacing. 1

The tricks that animals are forced to perform—such as when bears balance on balls, big cats jump through hoops, and elephants stand on two legs—are physically uncomfortable and behaviorally unnatural. The whips, electric prods, bullhooks, and other weapons used during circus acts are reminders that the animals are being forced to perform. These “performances” teach audiences nothing about how animals behave under normal circumstances.

Beaten Into Submission Physical punishment has always been the standard training method for animals in circuses. Animals are beaten, shocked, and whipped to make them perform—over and over again—tricks that make no sense to them. The AWA allows the use of bullhooks, whips, electrical shock prods, or other devices by circus trainers.

The Wisconsin Historical Society forced elephants and other animals to perform every summer at a museum called Circus World in Baraboo. A PETA investigator documented that at Circus World, elephants Isa and Viola were forced to perform grueling tricks in shows twice a day, seven days a week, even though their feet were chronically swollen and they showed signs of other ailments. Following years of pressure from PETA, the Society announced that the elephants it has been forcing to perform will be “retired” after summer 2023—but that “animals will continue to be a vital part” of its shows. The elephants will reportedly live at a facility in Oklahoma operated by Carson & Barnes Circus, which chains “retired” elephants, breeds them, and exploits them for lucrative public feeding photo ops and other forms of entertainment.

Video footage shot during a PETA undercover investigation of Carson & Barnes Circus showed Carson & Barnes’ animal-care director, Tim Frisco, as he viciously attacked, yelled and cursed at, and shocked endangered Asian elephants. Frisco instructed other elephant trainers to beat the elephants with a bullhook as hard as they could and to sink the sharp metal bullhook into the animals’ flesh and twist it until they screamed in pain. The videotape also showed a handler who used a blowtorch to remove elephants’ hair as well as chained elephants and caged bears who exhibited stereotypic behaviors caused by mental distress.

Following decades of abusing animals and declining ticket sales, Ringling Bros. final performance was in 2017. 2 In 2022, Feld Entertainment announced that the circus would return in the fall of 2023 with a focus “on connections between the performers, and the audience.” 3

Animals Rebel These intelligent captive animals sometimes snap under the pressure of constant abuse. Others make their feelings abundantly clear when they get a chance.

Wayne Franzen, the founder and owner of Franzen Bros. Circus, was killed by one of the tigers he was exhibiting in front of 200 schoolchildren and their families in Carrolltown, Pennsylvania. 4

A visitor to the Endangered Ark Foundation was “attacked without provocation by an adult elephant” while participating in an elephant encounter in Hugo, Oklahoma. The guest sustained “serious and lifethreatening injuries” and was left disabled and disfigured. ” 5

What You Can Do As more people become aware of the cruelty involved in forcing animals to perform, circuses that use animals are finding fewer places to set up their big tops. The use of animals in entertainment has already been restricted or banned in cities across the U.S. and in countries worldwide .

Take your family to see only animal-free circuses, such as Cirque du Soleil. PETA can provide you with literature to pass out to patrons if a circus that uses animals comes to your town. Find out about state and local animal protection laws, and report any suspected violations to authorities. Contact PETA for information on ways to get an animal-display ban passed in your area.

References 1 G. Mason et al ., “ Why and How Should We Use Environmental Enrichment To Tackle Stereotypic Behaviour? ” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 102(2007): 163–188. 2 Greg Toppo, “ Curtain Falls On Final Ringling Bros. Circus Performance ,” USA Today , 22 May 2017. 3 Yaseen Shah,” ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ is being ‘reimagined’ — without the animals ,” Yahoo Finance, 24 June 2022. 4 Associated Press, “ Circus tiger kills trainer in front of children ,” 8 May 1997. 5 Andrea DenHoed, “ With lawsuit pending, bill proposes protecting controversial method of handling elephants ,” NonDoc.com, 28 Feb. 2022

Urge Hovatter’s Wildlife Zoo to make a plan to send the animals to reputable facilities.

Urge Katz to do what’s best for Bow and work with the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance to find an accredited sanctuary.

Urge Mid Rivers Mall management to shut down this booth and ensure that no animals are given as prizes at any of the venue’s events.

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Long-fought campaign for animals ends in monumental victory, as Massachusetts passes circus law

Massachusetts House Bill 4915, which bans using primates, bears, big cats, giraffes and elephants in circuses, was just signed into law by Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey after it unanimously passed the House and passed the Senate on a voice vote. Here, my colleague Nicole Paquette shares her thoughts on two decades of activism on this front.

I’ll never forget the first state bill I worked on to ban the use of wild animals in circuses and traveling shows . It was in 2001 in Massachusetts, and its introduction by state Sen. Robert Travaglini followed years of headlines exposing the dark side of the big top.

In those years, elephants in circuses had even escaped and rampaged in the streets, with some gunned down by law enforcement officials. They were dying from tuberculosis. Trainers were mauled and even killed by tigers , sometimes in front of spectators. Videotapes of behind-the-scenes beatings of animals surfaced, some showing elephants being beaten with bullhooks, which inflict pain, lacerations and puncture wounds.

I knew that we had to move boldly to try to stop this cruelty, especially given the fierce opposition from the circus industry, which downplayed these chronic horrors as isolated incidents. This became one of my passions after I met Pat Derby , a one-time wild animal trainer and founder of the Performing Animal Welfare Society, while in law school.

Over the years, the Massachusetts circus bill underwent several iterations and would be introduced year after year, championed by a bipartisan group of legislators in the state. Other states and localities around the country also took on this issue, building momentum and increasing pressure on circuses by passing bans on vicious training tools or outright prohibitions on the use of wild animals in traveling shows.

Some in the industry adapted to public demand for cruelty-free entertainment and passage of laws restricting mistreatment and use of wild animals. After years of clandestine ops targeting animal protection groups, gaslighting and defending the indefensible—including attempting to rebrand violent use of bullhooks as “guiding,” or equating constant chaining of elephants to leashing a dog, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, UniverSoul Circus and others voluntarily eliminated animal acts . I cried tears of joy when I heard the news of Ringling’s decision. In the thick of this campaign, through so many years, I had never quite been able to envision such an ending.

So , imagine my excitement today when, after more than 20 years, the Massachusetts legislature passed its circus bill, making it the 11th state to restrict the use of wild animals in circuses and other traveling shows. Earlier this year, Maryland’s governor signed a similar bill into law.

These outcomes show the rewards of perseverance, resilience and the inestimable value of working together with other groups in focused coalitions. We were honored to campaign alongside advocates, wild animal sanctuaries and numerous local, state and national animal protection organizations—many of them over decades—to get this bill passed. No matter what happened, we never gave up fighting to protect and free captive wild animals from the abuse and cruelty they suffered in this industry.

We relied heavily on research and investigations to make our case. An HSUS undercover investigation of Ryan Easley’s ShowMe Tigers act revealed violent training and intense confinement. Digging into the history and biographies of individual animals used in the industry, we learned more about Beulah, an elephant who was taken to the U.S. as a juvenile and sold to an exhibitor. Instead of growing up with her mother, she was confined, transported from state to state, giving rides to fairgoers and circusgoers for over four decades. She collapsed in 2019 in a parking lot at a Massachusetts agricultural fair and died from blood poisoning caused by a uterine infection that had plagued her for years. Beulah’s owner and federal regulators knew she was sick, yet the owner still forced her to travel and entertain paying crowds.

Urge Shriners International to adopt a humane, modern business model by prohibiting local chapters from using sensitive wild animals in their circuses.

Humanity has learned the hard way that using stressed and unpredictable wild animals in traveling shows poses a risk to public safety. In April 2024, an elderly elephant named Viola, belonging to Carson & Barnes Circus, escaped from a circus in Butte, Montana. Viola knocked down a fence, crossed through traffic, passed a casino and paused on a residential lawn before she was re-captured by handlers with bullhooks. Despite two previous escapes and injuries, Carson & Barnes continues to keep Viola on the road, showing no regard for her safety or the public's.

It’s past time that exhibitors accept that exploiting animals in this way is not just inhumane, but bad for business. Bullying wild animals, who in their natural lives enjoy freedom, choice and autonomy, into performing demeaning tricks with cruel devices such as bullhooks, whips and electric prods is unacceptable. There has been a clear shift in public attitudes, which explains why nearly 200 localities in 37 states have passed restrictions governing the use of wild animals in circuses and traveling shows. Massachusetts now joins 10 other states in enacting similar measures.

Even so, many circuses and traveling shows continue to exhibit and use wild animals. Chronic underenforcement of the federal Animal Welfare Act, which regulates such use, has prompted our decision to pursue stronger laws prohibiting these acts at the state and local levels. It is these laws that will push the remaining circuses and traveling shows, including many Shrine circuses, into the future of humane, 21st century entertainment.

You can help to end wild animal acts in your community by pressing Shriners International to prohibit chapters from using wild animals in circus acts.

The story of the Massachusetts law shows that victories may not always come quickly. We will not give up until the circus industry abandons its cruelty and leaves wild animals in peace, and we will win this fight. Let’s keep the momentum going.

Nicole Paquette is chief programs and policy officer of the HSUS.

Helping Captive Wild Animals

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Animal abuse in circuses

Animal abuse in circuses - Essay Example

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Elephant with circus apparel on their head.

Massachusetts Cracks Down on Circus Cruelty!

By Liz Cabrera Holtz

Massachusetts is the 11th state to ban certain wild animals in circuses. The new law bans using elephants, big cats, primates, giraffes, and bears in traveling exhibits and shows.

Animals Suffer in Circuses

Wild animals in traveling acts spend most of their days in tiny cages, hauled from city to city where they’re made to perform unnatural—and sometimes painful —tricks and stunts. Isolated from their families, these animals endure a lifetime of loneliness and abuse.

Beulah , an Asian elephant, was one of those animals. Beulah was forced to entertain for years across the Northeast before she died of blood poisoning in 2019. Just before her death, she collapsed multiple times at the Big E in West Springfield , Massachusetts . S he was photographed lying on her side in a parking lot the day she died.

Massachusetts’ circus bill , signed by Governor Maura Healey in August , ensures no elephant will suffer like Beulah again .

A Victory Decades in the Making

Advocates have pushed for this bill for over two decades in the Massachusetts Legislature. The coalition supporting the bill included The Humane Society of the United States, MSPCA , the Animal Legal Defense Fund, PETA, the Animal Welfare Institute, Four Paws, Berkshire Voters for Animals, the Global Federation for Animal Sanctuaries, Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) , Animal Rescue League of Boston, and World Animal Protection .

Want to help animals still suffering for entertainment? Join our campaign urging GetYourGuide, the international travel company, to stop selling tickets to cruel venues that exploit wild animals.

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Cruelty to Animals Essay

Introduction

Our planet Earth is a very beautiful place. Here, all the living organisms are dependent on each other and live together. We, humans, are considered as the most intelligent species on Earth. But, we sometimes become very insensitive to the creatures who cannot express themselves, especially the animals. We harm them just to fulfill our needs. We have an essay here on cruelty towards animals which will cover the questions like - write an article on cruelty towards animals, cruelty towards animals paragraph, paragraph on stop cruelty towards animals, article on cruelty towards animals class 9 and so on.

Long Paragraph on Cruelty to Animals

Animals, just like human beings, deserve a peaceful life. Animals are an important part of our ecosystem and are very useful to us. But, we sometimes forget that they are also living creatures. We keep on harassing them and these poor creatures can't even express their feelings and grief. Cruelty towards animals have become an international matter of concern. This needs to be addressed as soon as possible and should be eliminated for ever.

We become cruel towards animals for two reasons - one to fulfill our needs and other for fun. We use animals for their fur, their skin, their meat, their teeth and horns too. Sometimes, we apply colours on them which harm their skin, we also burn crackers without thinking about them. Sometimes , the tea-shop keeper pours the hot water on the street dogs, which is a great example of cruel behaviour towards the animals.

The animal skins are used in textile industries. Their skin and body hairs are used to make exotic fabrics for us to use. Animal’s teeth, horns, skin and fur are used to make home decor items which we beautifully use to decorate our homes without thinking how much pain animals go through for giving us these luxuries.

Another industry that contributes in cruelty to animals is the cosmetic industry. Whenever we buy any cosmetic products, we always make sure that the product is safe on our skin. But, we hardly realise that these products are tested on animals before it reaches us. The chemicals are often injected in animal’s bodies or applied on their skin. Sometimes, these are tested on their eyes too. And if the test fails, it sometimes leads to the animal's death also. These tests cause itching and burning too. But,we the human beings, keep on torturing the animals for our own purposes.

Our progressing medical science also has a big role in harassing the animals and showing our cruelty towards them. For the trials of medicines, animals are selected. They are then injected with the trial medicines without thinking about their pain. They are often kept in freezing temperatures for the experiments. We also ill treat the animals at zoos and circuses. The place where they are kept is not cleaned often. Also, the feeding methods are not too hygienic. These result in various diseases and often to their death.

Many animals and birds, in the name of pets, are being sold everyday. These animals are kept in cages or are kept tied with a chain. Most often, they are beaten up. The street dogs are often beaten up by the shopkeepers if they are found roaming around. Many cows are found roaming around the garbage heaps finding food. Many times many animals are hit by the fast moving traffic. These all are the examples of cruelty towards animals.

But now it's enough! We, the human beings, who are considered as the most intelligent creatures on Earth have to stop playing with these poor creatures' lives. We have to raise our voice and stop being cruel to the animals. We have to bring new strong laws to protect the animals. Every school should teach students how to respect and protect our fellow creatures - animals. Parents themselves should treat the animals with respect and love and should teach their wards the same.

We should always keep one thing in mind that we cannot survive without animals. Everything on Earth has its own purpose. The animals help in balancing our ecosystem. We have to take a call and save our environment, our mother Earth and our animals.

Short Paragraph on Stop Cruelty Towards Animals

Cruelty means a behaviour that harms others physically or mentally. But it's a matter of shame that we only consider human beings when it comes to cruelty. We forget that animals are also living creatures and we should not be cruel to them. Just because these creatures can not express themselves as we do, we forget that what we are doing to them if someone does to us, we will die.

Human industries that contribute to this cruelty are - Textile, Cosmetics, Home Decor and many more. Animal skins and furs are used in textile industries, animal skin, fur, horns and teeths are used to make home decor items. Many animals are killed for their meat also. Animals are ill-treated in laboratories where they are used for testing and experiments. They are often kept in freezing conditions or in boiling conditions.

It is high time now that we stop abusing these poor animals. They are also living beings and are very very important to us as without them the whole ecosystem will disbalance. We should raise awareness and stop these cruelties against animals.

Conclusion:

Cruelty to animals has become a nationwide problem nowadays. The government has already imposed a few laws and a few more are needed. Along with that, social awareness is also required. Students should learn how to treat animals in schools. Parents should also treat their pets well and teach their children. Our planet Earth is a very beautiful place. Here, all the living organisms are dependent on each other and live together. We, humans, are considered the most intelligent species on Earth. But, we sometimes become very insensitive to the creatures who cannot express themselves, especially the animals. We harm them just to fulfil our needs.

We have an essay here on cruelty towards animals which will cover the questions like - write an article on cruelty towards animals, cruelty towards animals paragraph, paragraph on stop cruelty towards animals, article on cruelty towards animals class 9 and so on.

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Students can read this essay right now and can get ready for any tests or exams on it with confidence.

FAQs on Cruelty to Animals Essay

1. List Some Animal Protection Laws.

Here are a few laws and acts to prevent animals:

Article 51A(g) - It states that it is the fundamental duty of every citizen to be compassionate towards other living creatures.
IPC Section 428 & 429 - Killing animals is a punishable offence.
Section 11 (1)(i) & Section 11(1)(j), PCA Act, 1960 - Abandoning animals can lead to a prison of upto three months.
Monkeys have been protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Section 22(ii), PCA Act, 1960 - Animals such as Monkeys, Tigers, Bears, Lions, Panthers, Bull can not be trained and can not be used for entertainment purposes.

2. How do we Use Animal Teeth and Horns?

We use animal teeth and horns to make decorative pieces with which we decorate our home and offices. These decorative items are truly expensive for nature and its habitats. The most common example of animal cruelty is hunting. Animals are hunted for their meat, bones, leather or any other precious body parts. This can cause the species to be endangered or even go extinct. Another example of animal cruelty is enslaving them for entertainment or hard work. There are a lot of examples of animals being cruelty trained in circuses, kept as prisoners in zoos, or used as labourers to get the hardest jobs done.

3. What is meant by cruelty to animals?

Animal cruelty is defined as harming animals by either subjecting them to slavery, product-testing, or hunting. Killing endangered species for their meat, bones, or leather also comes under animal cruelty and is a punishable offence. The government of India has passed a lot of laws that prevent cruelty to animals from happening on a large scale. But still, in some neglected places like undeveloped villages, slums, or forests, these activities are followed illegally. And the government and some big governing bodies like PETA are working hard towards eradicating any kind of animal cruelty.

4. How does cruelty affect animals?

Cruelty towards animals can be dangerous for their overall species. There are a lot of examples like dodos, sabre tooth tigers, etc that have gone extinct because of excessive hunting. It is also morally incorrect to torture any living thing to die for the sake of an experiment. That's why animal testing is also banned. Animal testing is another example of animal cruelty and can hurt animals and even cruelly kill them. Animal cruelty should be banned completely.

5. How can we prevent animal cruelty?

There are very clear action steps to take to prevent animal cruelty. We can be responsible pet owners and start showing love and affection towards the animals at our home. We can adopt or at least hand over the abandoned baby animals we find on the streets to animal care centres. We can prohibit the use of animal-tested cosmetics or any products. We can even file a complaint against anyone who is abusing stray animals or harming them.

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COMMENTS

Cruelty to Animals in Circuses
Cruelty to Animals in Circuses. The circus was created by a man named Philip Astley. Astley had served in the seven years war and when he was discharged he decided to imitate the trick- riders. In 1768, he opened up a riding school and had a building that was a circular area which he called the circle, or circus.
Cruelty to Animals in Circuses Essay
Animals as well as humans deserve the same respect. As a human being, we need to respect and protect this living form of life from suffering just because they don't have a voice to defend themselves and we have the power to do it. We want a circus, yes, but without animals. Because animals are not clowns.
Why animals should not be in circuses
Why animals should not be in circuses. 10 December 2022. The truth about animals in circuses is that they are abused and endure lives of complete misery, while some are even poached from the wild, purely for entertainment. Circuses around the world continue to use animals in their shows and very few countries have banned the practice.
Circuses Are No Fun for Animals
Animals in circuses are still deprived of their basic needs to exercise, roam, socialize, forage, and play. Signs of their mental anguish include a plethora of stereotypical behaviors, such as swaying, pacing, bar-biting, and self-mutilating. Sometimes these animals lash out, injuring and killing trainers, caretakers, and members of the public.
Should Circuses Be Animal Free?
Circus animals have the right to be protected and treated humanely under the Animal Welfare Act. Tigers naturally fear fire, but they are still forced to jump through fire hoops in some circuses.In more than 35 dangerous incidents since 2000, elephants have bolted from circuses, run amok through streets, crashed into buildings, attacked members of the public, and killed and injured handlers.
Circuses and other shows
Animals all around the world suffer terribly in circuses and other shows using animals. They are forced to live in situations that are often similar to those in factory farms, and are continuously subjected to pain, terrible fear, and distress so they will perform in circus acts. A comprehensive scientific study published several years ago ...
Animal Cruelty Essay: Most Exciting Examples and Topics Ideas
Essay Title 3: Animal Cruelty in Entertainment: Exploring the Dark Side of Circuses, Zoos, and Exotic Pet Trade. Thesis Statement: This research essay delves into the ethical concerns surrounding animal cruelty in entertainment, focusing on circuses, zoos, and the exotic pet trade, and examining efforts to improve animal welfare in these ...
circus animal cruelty essay
Animal abuse is an issue people hardly look at. People are not being informed enough to the abuse of these animals. Not just dogs and cats are being abused, wild-life such as zoo animals and show animals like in circuses. Animal cruelty is a problem that's rapidly growing, animals around the world are being starved, beaten, or just left to die.
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The Circus - A Nightmare for Animals. Circus elephants endure much abuse learning "entertaining" tricks. Once again, Albany played host to the annual dreary migration of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus as it forced its performing animals to entertain the crowds for a three-day engagement in May.
After Claims of Animal Cruelty, Can the Circus Survive?
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Good Essays. 1279 Words. 6 Pages. Open Document. The Circus and The Animal Cruelty It Entails. The circus can be dated back to as far as 1782 in Paris, France, where people came to enjoy family friendly entertainment. The circus has always included tricks and stunts by not only people, but also highly trained animals.
Circus Animal Cruelty
The life of a circus animal is hard and demanding. It is not an acceptable way of life for an animal. Circuses would quickly lose their appeal if the public were more aware of their mistreatments of these animals. Many circuses do not have much money and as a result the animals suffer from inadequate care.
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Humanity has learned the hard way that using stressed and unpredictable wild animals in traveling shows poses a risk to public safety. In April 2024, an elderly elephant named Viola, belonging to Carson & Barnes Circus, escaped from a circus in Butte, Montana. Viola knocked down a fence, crossed through traffic, passed a casino and paused on a residential lawn before she was re-captured by ...
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This essay "The Issue of Animal Cruelty" focuses on an issue of serious concern especially when it comes to circuses and zoos due to the poor treatment that animals receive. As a result, it is crucial to understand the sufferings that animals undergo in circuses and zoos…
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The essay "Animal abuse in circuses" explores the exploring the maltreatment of the animals in the circus shows and exhibitions at the hands of their owners on the one side, and discovering the ways essential for protecting the hapless and speechless creatures from the atrocities exercised. ….
Animal Cruelty in Circuses
Filter Results. Animal Cruelty in Circuses. The atmosphere is unimaginable. Bright reds, greens and blues adorn every wall; the loudspeakers boom, filling your ears with the sweet, delightful music that can only mean one thing - the circus. The enthralling 'buzz' is reflected in the eyes of the children who eagerly await the obscure and ...
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Massachusetts is the 11th state to ban certain wild animals in circuses. The new law bans using elephants, big cats, primates, giraffes, and bears in traveling exhibits and shows. ... Massachusetts Cracks Down on Circus Cruelty! Blog 12 August 2024 By Liz Cabrera Holtz. Massachusetts is the 11th state to ban certain wild animals in circuses. ...
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Blatant cruelty was found in their circuses. In 70 amphitheaters, elephants, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, crocodiles, giraffes, lions, tigers, bears, deer and more were butchered just for the fun of it. 8 thousand animals were killed on the first two days of the opening of the Coliseum in Rome itself.
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