Animals Used And Their Treatment

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.

Imagine you are stolen from your family at a young age, forced. Forced to perform routines, and you can not understand why, when you mess up or refuse to perform, you are punished with lacerations or starvation. No one responsible for you cares about your health and will do whatever they can to put as little effort and resources into you. This is the life for many animals forced to participate in circuses. Circus animals, such as elephants, big cats, camels, or bears, live in conditions no human would want to experience. Traveling in small cages, being deprived of experiencing a “natural” life, being forced to perform routines, these are all things circus animals have to go through. A circus is no place for an animal, especially when forced

Zoos, SeaWorld, and circuses are places for families to enjoy entertainment. However, most people do not realize how the animals in each of these establishments are handled. Yes, they all bring in revenue and present the tricks these animals can do, yet these places preform detrimental acts to the animals. For example, the killer whales at SeaWorld are sometimes starved if they do not perform the way the trainer wants them to. In comparison, circuses torture lions and tigers until they are submissive to how the show-people want them to act. Zoos do not necessarily torture their animals, but it is proven the animals live much shorter lives in captivity. “Lives of animals in the wild versus captivity are literally worlds apart, and even the best captive facilities can’t recreate the conditions of the wild — not exactly. Most don’t even try, leaving animals in tiny enclosures with no socialization, enrichment or joy. Captivity is unnatural and unhealthy” (Sentenac). People are starting to recognize the danger of continuing these practices, but there’s a long way to go.Furthermore, animals in all of these places have suffered many traumatizing and even deadly events. There was a recent report that two circus lions, whom had severe head injuries, were killed by poachers who snuck into the sanctuary. “Last year poachers bypassed an advanced security system at a lodge near the town of Tzaneen in the Limpopo province, killing two lions by feeding them poisoned meat” (Graham).

This is good news for elephant lovers everywhere, but for the lions, tigers, monkeys, and bears it’s not something to celebrate. Although the big, colorful tents and cheery music may draw a crowd, circuses are notoriously known for the treatment of their animals, and for good reason, too. According to DoSomething.org, “virtually 96 percent of a circus animal’s life is spent in chains or cages” (“11 Facts”). These cages have no separate area for eating, sleeping or defecating, which can lead to sickness, irritability, and even death. When not performing, the time spent out of these cages is to teach the animals to perform outlandish tasks, using training methods such as whipping, food deprivation, and electric prods (“11 Facts”).

During this time period, there was little to no regulation of the circus crew or the animals. This was the situation in a Water for Elephants. To top it all off, the show was owned and operated by a money hungry and cruel person, who would do anything to save money such as not paying the workers, not feeding the workers, not giving the exotic animals proper care and the list goes on. But in the circus, the audience seem to buy into the performer's deceptions. The audience is completely oblivious and are deceived by this circus, but in reality the circus is not as perfect as they make it

I really enjoyed going to the circus as a child but, I never knew how it was planned out. After reading my novel I’m surprised at how many problems a circus faces, even though it’s such an exciting place.

The circus has been around for many years, but in recent years the circus has been getting a bad rap. The most famous circus in the United States, which started under the big top, will be closing after a amazing 146 year run. Barnum and Baily will be closing due to animal rights activists, which fought them in many expensive court battles that ending their world famous elephant acts. For a long time, the circus was a dream for kids to have fun and watch the impossible be done. The first cirus were in Europe, but Americans gave their spin on them which included collapsible tents, so they can move on the go.

Back in 1782, the very first circus show was performed in the Amphithéâtre Anglois, Paris, France. The circus progressed into shows in tents, with very distinct circus music, spotlight features, star performers for each act, and basic costumes. Animals like lions, elephants and monkeys were typical acts. Many people tried to copy circus, and it worked. Too much competition meant no time to expand with new ideas. These businesses often struggled. In the end, circus didn’t seem so special

According The Wall Street Journal” … Cirque du Soleil, the Canadian company that redefined the dynamics of a declining circus industry in the 1980s. Under conventional strategy analysis, the circus industry was a loser. Star performers had “supplier power” over the company. Alternative forms of entertainment, from sporting events to home entertainment systems, were relatively inexpensive and on the rise. Moreover, animal rights groups were putting increased pressure on circuses for their treatment of animals.” (Murray, 2014) A new era was created transforming the concept of what is a circus today. As the Wall Street Journal described, “Cirque du Soleil eliminated the animals and reduced the importance of individual stars. It created a new form of entertainment that combined dance, music and athletic skill to appeal to an upscale adult audience that had abandoned the traditional circus. (Murray, 2014)

On the other hand, circus includes wild animals, and for these wild animals to perform scripted

Indeed, since the animals are not making anymore money for the circus, the circuses simply have no use for them. The picture above shows bears being forced to stand on their two back legs with chains around their necks. Trainers beat the bears with sticks as they try to perform unnatural tricks like balancing on a seesaws or standing on their paws. In one incident, the PETA saw a 1 year old cub was forced to walk on his hind legs and hula-hoop. He was crying throughout the stunt, but the trainers only responded by beating

The Big Apple Circus, established in 1977, has not gotten rid of animals, but it is only partnering with animals that have a “traditional working relationship with man”. The Big Apple Circus “continues to explore and address the needs of performing animals and insist upon sensitivity to quality of life, both in and out the ring for all performers.” In July 2000, the Big Apple Circus stopped touring with

Animals have been a main focus in circus performances around the world for many centuries; however, in recent history, there have been far more regulations put on the use of these creatures, stemming mainly from how they are treated by both their trainers and the circus as a whole. Whether it be on the federal or local and state-level, there has been a definite increase in the questionable legality of America’s circus industry due to the neglect and abuse of the participating animals, courts’ decisions highlighting the true importance of the issue. These rulings make one ask the question: What types of regulations could be put in place in all circuses to ensure that the animals involved are not abused in the process? In the end, many

* Animal acts provided an added form of entertainment along with the various circus acts. Electric lights and moving pictures also added to the magic of the circus.

“The wild, cruel animal is not behind the bars of cage. He is in front of it”—Munthe, Axel 1857. Animals have been used in circuses for generations around the world. You will never find monkeys dance waltz, bears ride bicycles, or tigers jump through burning hoops in the wild. Circuses have broken the law of nature. Circus performers collect money easily by using animal to do stupid tricks and they even do not take care of them properly. Animals should live in cramped cages and travel in the dark cold trailer. That’s why I think using animals as entertainment in the circus should be forbidden. You may laugh while enjoying animals performance in the circus, but let’s see if you still can laugh after read