Animals are held in deplorable conditions in circuses. No attention is paid to their well-being. Nor to their safety or that of the audience. Once Voice denounces the lack of strict regulation that should guarantee their protection, regulation that already exists for animals held in zoos.
Locked up for life
Animals in circuses live in conditions that are totally unsuited to their needs. Most of the time they are held in a trailer with a grille, with the floor covered with a little straw. Not even the primates are entitled to more concern. Elephants are chained up, usually to their front foot. Horses, llamas and other herbivores are often enclosed in a temporary pen. They do not always have shelter and fresh water available… The flight distance, i.e. the distance below which the animal would run away or hide, is not respected, causing the animals extreme stress. They cannot usually even hide from people looking at them. Mothers who give birth have their babies taken away from them quickly as, exposed in this way, they often sacrifice their litter… Dogs are tied up and cats are piled on top of each other in tiny cages. Neither wild nor domestic animals receive humane treatment from the circus people. They are "working tools". Their only "outings" are for the show or for training sessions…
Behavioural problems
Circus animals can never behave naturally. Their lack of activities means that they get bored and develop stereotypical behaviour in response to stress. They are often left in the dark, their trailer shut, which increases their anxiety. Often there are too many animals in the same cage and, as they cannot keep away from each other, they attack each other. These animals suffer from a lack of freedom, enclosed as they are in a living space that might be as small as a trailer. For example, in the wild lions and elephants travel vast distances every day. In circuses they barely have enough room to turn round! Without even mentioning the consequences for their physical health, it is clear that these living conditions are completely inadequate. The result is that the tragedy increases. Some are killed because they manage to escape or are injured in the same circumstances, others attack their trainer or the audience, and others, especially elephants, just give up and die…
An exception for circus people
But how are these practices still possible in our country? The answer is simple. Legislation that relates to zoos, which notably defines the – strict – criteria according to which animals are held, does not apply to circuses. One Voice, which feels that it is unacceptable to lock up wild animals under any circumstances, denounces this incredible situation: because they are mobile, circuses are exempt… from ensuring the well-being of the animals they keep. How can we change this? Imposing the same rules on them would mean banning animals from circuses. It is actually impossible to guarantee animals’ well-being by compelling them to travel thousands of kilometres every year. Just the time spent travelling in trailers is incompatible with regulations. If we then look at the size their enclosures should have, and the equipment they should contain, we can understand how a mobile company could never provide wild animals with acceptable living conditions…
Neither wild nor domestic animals receive humane treatment from the circus people. They are "working tools". Their only "outings" are for the show or for training sessions…
