save circus animals
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save circus animals
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stop circus and save circus animals from cruelty
Circus animals live in small cages-4 feet by 5 feet by 6 feet. Barely able to move, they are forced to eat, sleep, urinate, and defecate in the same small space.
Because circuses depend on travel, the animals are routinely kept in these cages, traveling thousands of miles, for upwards of 50 weeks a year.
Animals perform out of fear. Standard training methods include burning bears' front paws in order to get them to dance on their back legs and muzzling and chaining bears and big cats in order to break their spirits. Sometimes, animals' teeth are removed in order to make them more 'trainable,' further contributing to confined animals' helplessness. Animals are often intentionally kept unhealthy and miserable; a trainer with Royal Hanneford Circus admitted to the USDA that he keeps chimps in solitary confinement so they will be more 'motivated' to perform when let out.
Training tools include bull hooks, metal pipes, hotshots, and whips, jagged wooden sticks, electric shock collars, as well as fists, elbows, and knees. Because these are wild animals, they will never be completely predictable when performing these unnatural stunts, so trainers use brute force to maintain a position of dominance through fear. An undercover video of Carson & Barnes circus showed trainers attacking elephants with electric prods and bull hooks until they screamed; trainers are instructed to sink the pointed hook into the elephant's flesh until they scream in pain, but to conceal the beatings from the public.
Repetitive and often destructive behaviors such as obsessive swaying, bobbing, chewing, sucking, weaving, rocking, and licking are common in circus animals, and are manifestations of their extreme stress and boredom.
Arthritis and other joint problems are very common in circus animals, caused by their forced immobility. Stress-based ailments such as ulcers also plague circus animals.
Abusive training techniques, lack of socialization and other stimuli, and constant confinement often causes animals to become so stressed that they become dangerous, lashing out at trainers and spectators. Deaths and injuries from such incidents are not uncommon. Since 1990, elephants alone have killed 65 people and injured over 130 more. Other animals have also been responsible for injury and death (and the animals are usually shot or otherwise killed after they attack). The statistics since 1990: captive big cats (51 human deaths, 170 injuries, 82 cats killed because of the attacks), bears (14 human deaths, 8 of which were children, 40 injuries, and 26 bears), and primates (2 human deaths, 140 injuries, and the killing of 450 offending primates). Click here for more information on Circuses & Public Safety.
Animals are leased seasonally by circuses, constantly being transported and 'broken in' by new trainers, perpetuating the cycle of fear and violence even further. Many circuses do not provide routine veterinary care, and animals that are too old or disobedient to be useful to the circuses are permanently relegated to cages, sold to zoos, roadside attractions, game farms to be hunted for their meat, research laboratories, or private individuals, often continuing their abuse.
The Animal Welfare Act provides legal protection for circus animals, but these standards are minimal and rarely enforced. It does not prohibit any kind of training method, including the use of whips, bull hooks, electric prods, or other devices that cause suffering. The Animal Welfare Act mandates that animals have enough room to stand up and turn around, but violations of even this basic standard are commonplace. In a two-year period, Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus was cited for 65 violations of the AWA.
Discussion Forum
Well, what can we do to stop cruel circuses?
Started by Emma Nov. 11, 2008.
Comment Wall
Comment
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Comment by Lyrina on April 17, 2009 at 11:39am -
I know of one circus that takes good care of their animals, but it's a very small one. I can't remember the name though, sorry. They have one tiger, who often sleeps in the bed of her trainer. The tiger was rescued for another circus, the Barnum and Baily circus. The lion they have was taken as a cub from a private home. He now thinks of his trainer as his new mom. The horses are regularly taken outside and groomed.
If anyone remembers this circus's name, please tell me. I want to make something so everyone in the ASPCA community knows of their great animal affection and care.
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Comment by Susan O on November 15, 2008 at 8:32pm - I just came from the Shriners Circus here in Springfield IL. I thought the bear act was sad and depressing. Their mouths were closed shut with a leather harness and they were led around on a leash and forced to ride bicycles and even a motorcycle. I felt horrible for them. After reading up on the treatment of circus animals, especially those of the Hanneford Royal Circus, which was here tonight, I will not attend a Shriner's Circus in the future. A few years ago I went to my first circus, a Barnum and Bailey's event and before the show started they announced that their animals were not subjected to cruelty. Of course, they could be lying.
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Comment by Eadie on August 17, 2008 at 1:39pm - I saw a show on tv where these circus elephants were walking the streets to advertise the circus and one went crazy attacking store windows and people. She had enough of the abuse. Also same show people were riding an elephant and the elephant broke loose with the people still on them. Elephants and any other circus animal are abused daily. It needs to be stopped!
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Comment by NiviaLovesAnimals on August 8, 2008 at 1:04am - people this day dont know what they are doing to animals..they might think theyre piece of shit but theyre not....animals have feelings too and they are persons tooo....so like from now on i DONT TRUST ANY PERSON NOT IN THIS WORLD ESPECIALLY THE ONES WHO DO THIS KIND OF STUFF
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Comment by Gina Sicina on July 21, 2008 at 1:24pm - I went to the circus ONCE when i was a kid(10 yr old) and it upset me very much to see the animals forced perform, and I didn't even know then that most were abused. Now I choose to go to Cirque de Soleil, they're great shows and only people perform in them.
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Comment by Antonette Maldonato on July 19, 2008 at 12:25pm - The ASPCA is very much proactive in issuing facts and relative information against the circus industry however, until society can be educated against using wild and domestic animals for the purposes of entertainment which also involves, dog and horse racing, rodeos, movies that involve animals, advertisements such as the Verizon commercial viewing agressive pit bulls which we have called to complain about the discrimination of this breed and have insisted on an apology and a counter-commercial which to date have received returned phone calls apologizing and they are yanking this ad from the airwaves - however, until such time, we must continue to educate everyone to the humane treatment we are commissioned to provide to all of our animal family.
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Comment by Bobbie on July 18, 2008 at 3:39pm -
From the Washington, D.C., publicinterest law firm of Meyer, Glitzenstein & Crystal, discussed legal issues in a pending federal suit against Ringling Brothers-Barnum & Bailey Circus alleging mistreatment of circus elephants, and Bruce Wagman a partner at San Francisco’s 400-lawyer Schiff Hardin, spoke of the recently settled case involving the abuse of chimpanzees by their Hollywood trainer.
Similarly the Committee participates in programs hosted by other TIPS general committees and outside forums. For example, Barbara Gislason was a featured speaker in the President’s Showcase program hosted by the TIPS Media, Privacy and Defamation Law Committee at the 2007 ABA Annual Meeting. She addressed "The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act: A Target for First Amendment Challenges." On September 18, 2007,Vice-Chair Joan Schaffner spoke at a conference entitled "The Relationship between Animal Abuse and Human Violence" at Keble College in Oxford, England, hosted by the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. There is justice being served. Although full investigations are always required it is never fast enough 4 me but i Help is on the way and lots of New Laws have stopped much abuse of circus animals as they are under Federal Watch. Hope this helps, Bobbie
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Comment by rebelbarbie on July 18, 2008 at 2:00pm - I agree with you, it is very cruel to animals, they have to perform almost every day,in such grueling conditions,especially the heat, then to make matters worse yet, they keep them locked up, my bet is that the circus people don't spend any personal time with them, they do not get the nurturing they need and some of them are traumatized mentally as well as physically. I would not want to be an animal and have to travel from town to town and state to state stuck inside cages, how horrible for them.
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