Animals in circuses
What's wrong with animals in circuses?
Even if all these statements are true, the circus is still no place for
animals. Modern zoos are starting to set up more natural environments
so that animals can express the instinctive behaviour of their
species. Circuses can never make such changes and will always provide
a restricted and impoverished environment.
Circuses are constantly travelling from town to town, with the animals
locked in small travelling wagons. On site, circuses set up temporary
cages and enclosures that are still small and dull.
Circus animals spend most of their lives in this boring environment. The
only "relief" from the monotony is a short time in the ring. Modern zoos
wouldn't keep animals in these conditions. The animals are well fed,
but they are prevented from carrying out behaviour that evolved over
millions of years.
Here is what some experts on animal behaviour have said:
"
There is something biologically immoral about keeping animals in enclosures where their behaviour pattern, which has taken millions of years to evolve, can find no expression. Animals do not live by nutrition alone. They cannot live without it, but we must go a good deal further
." (Dr Desmond Morris, zoologist and former curator of mammals at London Zoo)
"
In a naturalistic environment, which simulates the essential
characteristics of an animal's wild habitat, there will be opportunities
for the animals to engage in natural patterns of behaviour. That such
improvements can be made in a circus seems to be an impossibility. Circus
cages ... are designed only for transportation. They must, by definition
and design, always be inadequate ." (David Hancocks, zoo director
in USA)
"
The frustration of activities natural to the animal may well be the
worst form of cruelty ." (Biology Professor Sir Julian Huxley)
"
The life of circus animals is harsh and demanding. Although some
circuses are better than others at caring for their animals, no circus can
ever provide an acceptable way of life for an animal. Hours, even days
are spent travelling between different sites and however well managed
the travelling arrangements, confinement and restriction of movement
are inevitable ." (RSPCA UK)
The alternative is to have only human acts in circuses: trapeze artists,
acrobats, tight rope walkers, clowns, jugglers, and all the other amazing
skills humans are capable of.
Circus Oz is one example of a very entertaining show without
animals. Chinese acrobats who tour Australia from time to time are
another example of human skill and ingenuity.
Some of the animals kept in circuses naturally live in close family
groups, some are active and cover large distances in search of food, and
all have to use their intelligence to solve the daily problems involved
in their survival. These behaviours are not possible in the restricted
and dull environment of a circus.
Lions are the most social of all cats. They live in groups called prides
on the African plains. A pride contains up to 12 adult females, their
cubs, and up to 6 adult males (1).
Females live in the territory where they were born. They are all related
to each other, and bonds between them are particularly strong. They rear
their young together, and will even suckle cubs other than their own. "
Companionships may last a lifetime. In fact, this social bonding,
usually between closely related individuals that have grown up together,
and particularly between mothers and daughters, is the very foundation
of lion society " (2).
Lions rest for up to 20 hours a day. The rest of the time they feed young,
socialise and hunt. Female lions do most of the hunting.
The territory occupied by a pride is large, anything between 20-400
square kilometres. Groups of females stalk their prey until they are
quite close, then charge. They can run at speeds of over 50 kilometres
an hour for short distances. (1) Chases are not always successful,
and the lions may cover many kilometres before they finally get a meal.
Unlike lions, tigers are solitary animals who seek out the cover of
forests or tall grasses. They stalk and ambush their prey. During a
night's hunting, they cover 10-20 kilometres, so they are quite active
animals.
Unlike some other cats, tigers are particularly fond of water. They are good swimmers, and often stand or lie in water to keep cool (1).
Monkeys such as the macaques are highly social animals. An average group would have around 8 females, 4 males, 5 infants, and 2 juvenile monkeys (3).
The females stay in the group where they were born, and form the core of the group. Closely related females move and sit together, and groom each other (1).
Macaques mainly eat fruit, but also flowers, seeds and sometimes insects. They move around as a group to forage for food wherever they can, but sleep mainly in trees.
Asian elephants live in groups led by the oldest female, and made up of related females and their young. Bonds between these animals are very close, and they will come to the aid of a wounded group member. "Nursemaids" help with the birth of babies, and then help the mother look after and protect the young elephant. Older siblings also help.
Under these conditions, survival of the infants is good. In captivity, on the other hand, the breeding of elephants is generally poor. "
The extremely poor breeding success is due in part to maintenance conditions that are almost completely unnatural; the gigantic animals are often kept in chains during most of their day, so they gradually become profoundly depressed
" (4).
Elephants eat huge amounts. They spend 18 hours a day locating and eating food, and may travel long distances to reach water or good feeding sites. Asian elephants eat mainly grasses, as well as bamboo.
The elephants' skin is very sensitive. They have to take frequent baths and dust baths to keep it in good condition. They use their trunk to throw water or dust over themselves. They can't sweat, so to keep cool they need shade or mud to wallow in.
Bears need large quantities of food, and will eat just about
anything. They spend most of their time wandering and foraging, always
on the look out for berries, roots, succulent shoots, insect grubs,
fish or small mammals. They are active and inquisitive animals, who live
a solitary lifestyle for most of the year (1).
It is obviously impossible for animals to express this natural behaviour in a circus. Even comparing circuses to the changes taking place in zoos makes it obvious how inadequate the circus environment is and always will be.
From time to time circuses have been found guilty of cruelty, for example, for having a collar or halter embedded in an animal's flesh, for neglect, or for inadequate cage sizes. Animals have suffered as a result of accidents on the road and in the ring, or have been shot after escaping. Circus animals have attacked their trainers and handlers. Several people have been killed by circus elephants, and several have been mauled and gashed by big cats.
For more detailed examples, go to
Accidents and cases of cruelty
.
Animal Liberation is not the only organisation opposed to the use of animals in circuses. RSPCA Australia has a policy against the display of animals in circuses. The Conservation Council of South Australia has issued a press release against the use of exotic animals in circuses. If you would like to find out more about these views, go
Views about animals in circuses
.
Recognising that circuses are an inadequate home for animals, 36 councils around Australia have passed laws banning circuses with animals from council controlled land. Councils who passed such motions in South Australia were Hindmarsh-Woodville, Noarlunga, Marion, Tea Tree Gully, Elizabeth and Thebarton.
In 1992 it became illegal in the Australian Capital Territory to confine
exotic animals in circuses. Primates may be only be brought into the
Territory with the Minister's approval.
There is now a Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals in Circuses, which is law in New South Wales and South Australia, but not in other states. This Code sets out how animals are to be housed and treated. For example, it sets out minimum sizes of exercise yards that must be provided. If you would like to read more details of this Code, go to
Circus animals and the law.
The Code of Practice is an improvement on how animals were kept in the
past. However, it still doesn't provide an adequate environment, and
can never do so because of the very nature of the travelling circus. The
exercise areas are rather like the exercise yard in a prison. It's better
that prisoners have this area to stretch their legs and get outside,
but there isn't much you can do there, and it certainly isn't an adequate
living environment. Exercise cages and pens are still pitifully inadequate
for a lion that can charge at 50 kph, a tiger that roams 10-20 km per
night, monkeys and bears who are constantly active and curious in their
search for food, and elephants with their close-knit and complex social
structure.
From time to time journalists have expressed opinions about animals in circuses. In the most recent example, Rex Jory in The Advertiser commented: "
I despair at the indignity suffered by exotic animals, particularly lions, tigers, bears, elephants and monkeys. It's like a throwback to the 18th century freak shows
."
If you would like to see more media examples, go the
Circus animals in the media.
The natural behaviour of wild animals
Lions
Tigers
Monkeys
Elephants
Bears
Accidents and cases of cruelty
What some other organisations think
Circus animals and the law
Circus animals in the media
References