Safety standards are not respected in circuses. Humans are placed in danger, as are the animals. The number of tragedies is increasing, despite warnings from One Voice.
Danger for the audience
Few people measure the risks to which they are exposing themselves and their children when they go to a circus with animals. And yet the danger is omni present. Outside the tent, the animals are often presented in a mobile menagerie, a sort of zoo with cages that are not suitable either for the animals’ well-being or the public’s safety. There is no surveillance and the animals can easily get over the barriers. And the lion seems so peaceful, the monkey seems so human that it is tempting to reach into the cage to stroke them. The “other news" pages in newspapers are full of events that could have turned tragic, like tigers whose cage collapsed leaving them free with a mother and her son; or a little girl bitten in the face by a chimpanzee. There is no less danger inside the tent, as can be seen by the little boy who was attacked by a bear which left the ring. We can also mention the health risks: elephants are not vaccinated against tuberculosis, which is highly contagious, and monkeys carry major diseases. Despite this, circus owners often encourage children and adults to touch the animals…
Danger for the local area
People who live in the area where circuses pitch their tent are also put in danger. It is not unheard of for animals to escape from their old cages or their temporary enclosures. Llamas, goats or ponies can easily be caught, but when a lion escapes among houses it’s another matter entirely. An animal which is attempting to escape a live of slavery finds itself being hunted by the gendarmes, and often ends his life as he lived it by being shot at. Safety is far from guaranteed during parades through cities. For example, parents have no problem stopping pushchairs less than a metre from animals. But, frightened by the noise, they can react unpredictably, like the elephants which damaged several vehicles. In America and Asia animals have even rebelled and killed several members of the audience.
Danger for the animals
Circus animals are not safe from accidents either. Their unsuitable living conditions are not just harmful to their well-being, they also put their lives in danger. Cages which collapse, animals which die of thirst or which are exposed to direct sunlight or torrential rain without shelter during transport are common. Among many tragic situations are the baby tiger which was killed by its mother who was trying to escape from the bars of its cage in which its head had become stuck. Or even the bull which died after eating pine tree branches. And how many others have died without us hearing about them ?
Danger for the circus people
The circus people themselves die or are seriously injured by the animals they exploit. They are often the first victims of animals that they forget are wild and have no place in a circus. An employee was strangled to death by a 6 metre python; a keeper was seriously injured by a tiger he was feeding; a man was trampled to death by an elephant. Sadly these are common events.
How many more human and animal victims are necessary for the law to ban the exploitation of animals in circuses ?
For example, parents have no problem stopping pushchairs less than a metre from animals. But, frightened by the noise, they can react unpredictably, like the elephants which damaged several vehicles.
