What You Should Know About Circuses and Animals
Let's Really Grow Up and Ban
Circuses!
"Don't be a spoil sport! Animals love doing
tricks. My dog often does little tricks for me."
When it wants to perhaps. But if you tried to make it do unnatural or
difficult tricks twice nightly timed to the split second in front of an
audience, it wouldn't work. Why? Because your pet knows you won't hurt it
and isn't afraid of you. The performing animal acts through fear of man's
domination instilled during the rigorous breaking-in and training period.
A famous lion trainer admitted in his memoirs that fear is the key to
training animals and that if the animal makes a mistake "energetic and
instant correction is indispensable."
"Anyway, the circus is good clean fun -- real family
entertainment."
Do you call it fun to degrade animals by dressing them up and making
them do stupid tricks? The real animal lover finds animal acts intolerably
sad and pathetic--not something to laugh at. And don't forget--the human
circus performers choose their jobs. Animals can't choose. Utterly at
man's mercy they are forced to be there and forced to perform. Man
degrades himself too when he exploits and dominates animals in this way.
The circus can still be good entertainment--without the animals.
"Children would miss seeing them."
They see animals to much better advantage in TV programmes and films
when they are behaving naturally in their own surroundings. Today
enlightened parents and teachers encourage children to appreciate and
protect wild animals -- not to think of them as figures of fun to be
laughed at. Children learn by example. They won't learn how to treat wild
or domestic animals properly by seeing them in the circus ring forced to
do tricks to "amuse" an unthinking audience. In today's violent world it
is more necessary than ever for children to grow up with civilised
standards based on kindness and consideration for others, including
animals. Don't let us confuse them by on the one hand emphasising the need
for wildlife protection and on the other condoning the abuse of animal
life in the circus ring. It is civilised to teach children to care about
animals. Let's be consistent!
Life Sentence with No Court of Appeal -- except YOU!"At least
circus animals don't have to hunt for their food and are well looked
after."
Which would you prefer? Captivity in prison or freedom to live your own
life, taking your chance as every living creature must do? There is no law
governing the size of the traveling cages in which they are transported
and kept. Close confinement in totally unnatural conditions is the fate of
circus animals for life. Is that what you call being "well looked after"?
"They say the training is all done by kindness."
It is virtually impossible for any outsider to watch training sessions
EXCEPT by prior arrangement when you would see only what the circus people
want you to see. If it's "all done by kindness", why the secrecy? There
have been enough testimonies of sickening brutality in the treatment of
performing animals to indicate that this kind of exploitation must not be
tolerated. In addition to physical pain, animals can suffer nervous stress
when forced to do things totally against their nature, such as leaping
through fire, working with "natural enemies", riding cycles or turning
somersaults. Can you really believe that to make a lion or tiger jump
through a blazing hoop all that is necessary is to give him a hunk of meat
and a friendly pat? Animals are afraid of fire. To get them to do such a
trick they must be made more afraid of what the trainer will do to them
than of the fire itself.
"If it is so wrong and cruel the authorities would ban it."
Many local authorities DO think it is wrong and cruel and they ban
circuses with animals from local authorities land.
"I think you have got a good case but what can I do about it?"
You can do lots of things!
- Join the growing army of people from all walks of life -- many of
them well known personalities -- who are determined to see an end to
animal performances.
- Stay away from circuses and other entertainments with performing
animals and don't encourage children to go.
- Don't watch performing animals on TV, and let the TV people know
why.
- Exercise your rights as a citizen and ask your local authorities NOT
to allow circuses with performing animals to use their land.
- Don't use shops which display posters advertising circuses with
performing animals and tell the shop-keeper why.
- Write to the national and local papers saying that you don't agree
with forcing animals to perform.
In the UK, The Performing Animals (Regulation) Act 1925 permits
entry by local authority inspectors and police only at "reasonable" times.
In effect, this gives circus proprietors the advantage of advance warning
of any inspection and therefore protects the trainer and not the animal,
as nothing of an incriminating nature is likely to be seen.
It is time we moved into the 20th century and banned circus and other
animal performances.
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