The Harsh Truth About Animal Circuses

They were robbed of everything that gives their lives meaning

Elephants, tigers, lions, and other animals including horses and bears do not do circus tricks like jumping through hoops and standing on their heads because they want to, and certainly not because they enjoy it. It is because they are afraid of what they will have to face if they don’t.

Circuses such as Carson & Barnes Circus and UniverSoul Circus works hard to hide their traces of animal abuse from your eyes. Employees are told to be on their best behaviour so you will not see them abusing the animals. The abuse, happens behind the scenes, during training, transportation, and other times when you’re not watching.

Life of the animals in the circus

To force animals to perform, trainers abuse them with whips, chains, tight collars, electric prods, bullhooks - heavy steel batons with a sharp steel hook at one end – and other inhumane devices you can think of. Some trainers even go to the extent of removing the animals’ teeth and claws to make them easier to handle. Often times, these cruel actions begin when the animal is still an innocent baby.

Elephants are forcibly taken away from their mothers when they are just below a year old, bound with ropes on all four legs as well as around their necks and trunks. They are then aggressively pushed and pulled into unnatural and painful positions to learn to perform tricks.

Photos and video footages have shown trainers using bullhooks to beat elephants, sometimes until they bleed, in order to force them to perform dangerous, uncomfortable, and meaningless tricks such as standing on their head and balancing on a small pedestal.

Travelling in constant confinement

Circuses travel throughout the year, in all sorts of weather, which means that animals are confined to trailers or trucks - sometimes for days on end - where they may not have access to basic necessities such as food, water, and proper veterinary care.

Elephants are chained, and big cats and bears are locked in cramped, filthy cages, where they will eat, drink and urinate all in the same place. Even after they reach the circus venue, these animals will still remain chained and caged.

Depressed and dangerous

Sometimes, the animals may get depressed and show signs of abnormal behavioural patterns such as swaying, head bobbing, and continuous pacing. They might even come to a point where they will deliberately try to hurt themselves.

When the animals become overwhelmed with stress and frustration, they snap. There have been cases where animals have escaped from the circus and gone on rampages, crashing into buildings, attacking the public and even injuring and killing the trainers.

Usually these animals will be recaptured and forced to return to their miserable lives, however, there are some cases where the animals will be gunned down and shot to death. In 1994, a terrified elephant, Tyke, killed her trainer and injured 12 spectators before being shot almost 100 times by officers while running through the streets of Honolulu.

Animal-free circuses

As the public are becoming more aware of the animal cruelty performed in circuses, demand for cruelty-free circuses continue to grow. Many countries around the world including Columbia, Mexico, and Singapore have banned wild animal acts.

Circuses such as the Big Top out of the Box Circus in North America and Circus Center in the San Francisco Bay Area provide the audiences with fun, dazzling, and humane entertainment and audience members even get the chance to interact with the performers. 

Stop animal cruelty now

Do your part to put an end to the torture and suffering that these animals have to face. Do not attend circuses that use animals to earn money and sign petitions. If one of your local stations are promoting and supporting animal abuse in circuses, make a quick call and politely as them to stop. Every call counts.