The animal cruelty in many circuses has finally come to light. In fact, some countries have banned using exotic and wild animals in traveling circuses. Creatures like big cats, bears, and elephants who have been performers their entire lives are finally freed. For instance, in 2015, a mountain lion named Mufasa was the last animal to be rescued from a Peruvian circus. He had spent 20 years chained to the back of a truck before returning to the wild.
Rescuing a Chained Mountain Lion from the Circus
In 2011, Peru had banned using wild animals in circuses and Animal Defenders International helped to enforce this. But in April 2015, authorities heard about a mountain lion trapped and chained illegally by the Circo Koreander circus. They had subdued Mufasa with a heavy harness and chains around his body. Plus, they kept Mufasa in the back of a pickup truck with other equipment as they traveled from village to village. There was an eight-hour stand-off between police officers and members of the circus. Finally, Mufasa was brought to Animal Defenders International’s Spirit of Freedom’s rescue shelter for rehabilitation. Mufasa had spent 20 years under abuse after being kidnapped as a cub from the wild.
After healing in the rescue shelter, the ADI released Mufasa into the Tambopata reserve in the Amazon rainforest. This area holds some of the most preserved habitats on the globe. The president of the ADI, Jan Creamer explained,
“It is magical to see him moving about in and out of the trees in his own piece of protected forest. Mufasa was torn from the wild and has endured the worst possible life and will need special care. So I hope people will help us give him a wonderful retirement by making a donation today.” [1]
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Animal Cruelty in Circuses
This ban on exotic and wild animals has ended many traveling circuses, including the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which ran for 146 years. And according to animal welfare experts, it’s about time. Animals often live confined to tight spaces and forced into stressful and grueling experiences.
“Wild animals, even if they’re born in captivity, retain all their natural instincts, which are completely thwarted when they are trapped in small cages and shuttled from city to city in trucks and trailers,” said Wayne Pacelle. He is the president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States.
Performing in front of screaming audiences is harsh enough but these animals also have to endure unnatural acts. Like bears walking on tightropes, elephants balancing on stools, mountain lions dancing, and tigers jumping through flaming hoops. To tame these animals, trainers have to “break” them at a young age. For instance, they hit young elephants with sharp metal poles until they are meek enough to follow the trainers’ orders. Failing to follow orders, including ones unnatural to the species — like twirling or standing on their hind legs — leads to more punishment. Additionally, investigations have found trainers guilty of mistreating and abusing their charges. This includes ShowMe Tigers owner Ryan Easley who was caught on video beating his tigers with sticks and whips. He struck one tiger 31 times in just two minutes as it cried and yelped.
Furthermore, many circus animals were captured from the wild as babies. The capturers often kill the mothers to prevent them from protecting their young. Either that or elephants are bred into captivity and taken from their mothers at an early age. Elephants by nature bond as families and this detachment causes long-lasting psychological damage. That’s before the abuse and training to perform unnatural acts begins.
Banning Circus Animal Acts
“A hundred years or so ago, when we were ignorant about the intelligence and emotions and ability of a species to communicate, we might have had the excuse of our own ignorance that we treated these animals so badly,” says Jan Creamer, founder of Animal Defenders International and an advocate for TEAPSPA. “But we simply don’t have that excuse any longer. Wild animals in circuses don’t belong in an advanced, civilized society.” [2]
This awareness of animal cruelty has led to animal circus bans in the United Kingdom, India, Italy, Ireland, Israel, Iran, Guatemala, and Hungary, as well as full or partial animal bans in some municipalities in Canada and the United States. [3] Additionally, circuses that still use animals have falling attendance rates as people learn more about the potential animal abuse. As a result, many have merged, closed, or transitioned into animal-free acts. The incredibly popular Cirque du Soleil has led by example what a modern, human-performers-only circus can accomplish. [4]
Keep Reading: Someone Explained Why Veganism Is Not Cruelty-Free, And It Might Make You Think Twice
Sources
- “Watch Mufasa the mountain lion get released into the wild after spending 20 years chained in the back of a circus van”. Independent. Chloe Farand. November 21, 2015
- National Geographic. Natasha Daly. May 20, 2017
- “Is It Time to Say Goodbye to the Circus?” Tree Hugger. Sidney Stevens. February 8, 2021
- “Circuses Are No Fun for Animals.” Britannica. Lorrain Murray.