Abuse of Animals in the Circus

However, recently part of the world had been shocked with the video footage of animals cruelty in an infamous circus. This had arisen a controversy of whether we should use animals in circus or not. Little of us knew what exactly went behind the circus and how the animals were trained, despite the fact that they did give the best entertainment to mankind.

In the article “PETA urges L.A. to ban all wild animals from circus performances”, Alexia Fernandez highlights the speed with which animal activists go in order to free wild animals from being used in circuses. According to the spokesman for the Ringling Bros, after L.A. “banned circuses from using bullhooks to manage elephants” in 2014, PETA activists demanded that circuses remove wild animals from their performances and Barnum & Bailey Circus begged to differ by arguing that animals in their facilities are taken good care of and are not mistreated (Fernandez, 2016). In conclusion, both sides of the arguments believe that neither is misinformed.

Today, protestors are fighting for animal’s rights and against the use of animals in circuses’. Protesters are objecting to animal circus performers, purely because of the belief that these animals are being forced to do impossible stunts, are in confined areas, and are abused with painful tools. One of the biggest frustrations of the protesters is the fact that circus animals are held in constant confinement. Protest organization The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) explains how circus animals in

Throughout the years, we have been made to believe that wildlife in the entertainment industry is captivating. Even though these animals may seem to be happy and healthy, the truth is the majority of these animals suffer a great amount of abuse. SeaWorld and the Circus have made a name for themselves, by claiming that he/she provides a safe a friendly environment. However, what is not shown during these performance acts is the abuse these animals suffer, or the amount of stress and anxiety the animals are under. Wildlife in captivity for exotic animals can cause a serious amount of stress along with abuse, anxiety which can lead to a fatal result for the animals and the people who take care of them.

Think about how we will look back on our cruel forms of entertainment in the future. Will we be proud of the way we treated these great animals, with abuse as neglect? Today we turn our heads away from reality and what happens behind the scenes of animal entertainment. However, we can’t turn our heads forever. Around the world, there is so much more to animal entertainment than what meets the eye. These animals have been torn away from their beautiful, natural homes and brought to a prison of concrete. In these prisons, they are beaten, starved and tortured all for our money and entertainment. These animals lives should not be taken from them for us. Our money and happiness should not be worth these animal’s lives. Circus, theme park and zoo animals all suffer from aggression towards trainers, mental disabilities and physical injuries. These animals should not have to suffer any longer.

Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circus has recently declared the end of their career and disbanded the circus. Since the disbandment an ongoing discussion concerning the circus and its ethics has been widely discussed by many different groups; but disagreement can be most strongly seen between the discourse of animal welfare groups, and the circus performers themselves. The topics being addressed is how these different populations perceives the events surrounding the circus’s disbandment and what is actually more beneficial for the circus animals and the performers in the long run after the greatest show on Earth is over. The discontinuities often seen among these two groups when the circus is discussed are: the languages of unnatural behavior, abuse, the description of culture, sports, art, along with the

In the article entitled, “No Ethical Way to Keep Elephants in Captivity” by Ed Stewart, the reader is introduced to a progressive issue or concern that has been debated about for decades. This issue involves whether it is ethical or not to keep elephants in captivity. Mr. Stewart is very clear and concise on what his thoughts are on this issue as he describes the cruel nature and hazardous conditions that many elephants in captivity experience such as: “deadly foot disease and arthritis, infertility, obesity, and abnormal repetitive behaviors such as swaying and head bobbing” (Stewart, 2013). Mr. Stewart, who is the founder of PAWS which stands for “Performing Animal Welfare Society” goes into immense detail about his position against

Although the issues regarding circus cruelty have gained much-needed attention in recent years, circus animals still suffer from lives of confinement, social deprivation and violent methods of training.

There are many types of animals used for entertainment such as circuses, dog fighting, zoos, and rodeos. All of these types of entertainment are not natural for these animals which is a form of abuse. Often times they are wild animals that don’t belong in cages and are not able to do things that are in their instinct to do. This is especially true about zoos and circuses. Animals are not able to roam free and instead kept in small cages. Even in optimal settings experts say that it is difficult to provide for the needs of wild animals.(Lemonick) Children should learn to respect animals and not see them as entertainment. People should only support animal free circuses and raise awareness how animals are abused for entertainment.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing animal cruelty. On the ASPCA website, known as www.aspca.org, it states the key issues that concern the organization and how they are taking action to prevent these issues. The audience the website is aiming for consist of people that also take the issue of animal cruelty very seriously and are willing to help. Within the website there are many links for viewers to donate towards the cause and prevention, which can also help us to understand what type of audience this is intended for. The ASPCA not only has a site that educates viewers on abuse and has an emotional appeal, they also have many emotional appealing

Circus animal abuse is, unfortunately, quite the common occurrence. Many people go to the circus because all they see are good and fun times. There are quite a number of things that people don't know about the circus, and here are some of them. Stay tuned for part 2, which will be here soon.

Circuses began as small shows based on equestrian acts but have evolved into large shows that involve multiple species of animals and acts. The use of the animals in the circus has become a controversial issue, mainly towards the treatment of the elephants. Specifically involving the ethics of taking the animal out of its natural habitat,

During the Seven Year’s War, and English entrepreneur named Phillip Astley began an equestrian act that would become the antecedent of the modern American circus. In 1793, Bill Ricketts cultivated Astley’s idea and opened the first one ring show in Philadelphia to great acclaim and success. Soon after in 1825, Joshuah Purdy Brown developed a canvas tent to house performers and the travelling circus was founded. Along with the awe inspiring trapeze artists, amazing strongmen, daring tightrope walkers and enigmatic ring masters, a hidden legacy of cruelty and animal abuse was born alongside this American tradition.

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. These animals spend most of their time in small cages used for transportation. The Animal Welfare Act provides cage requirements, but many circuses fail to follow this law. Even the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey circus was cited for 65 violations over a two-year period according to Florence Lambert. When traveling, animals spend hours, even days between sites in confinement..

The behavior of different species of wildlife which are brought into the circus industry also varies, and they therefore require different living conditions. Observing the natural behavior of tigers versus lions illustrates this fact. Unlike tigers, which have a mainly solitary existence, lions are very social, and are really the only big cats which display this characteristic (Whitney). Furthermore, elephants have yet another type of lifestyle, and “form deep family bonds and live in tight matriarchal family groups” (Whitney). By looking at just these few select animals, one can see that they all require different treatment based on their natural predilections. Tigers may be comfortable to exist in solitude with the circus, but a lion would be more accustomed to travelling with his pride, not alone, a sentiment which would be shared my an elephant used to being with a family. Moreover, separate from their preferences for company, both tigers and lions are extremely territorial and are usually in charge