Circus Animals in General

dragon(ele)nerd

dragon(ele)nerd

Well-Known Member
Hey guys,

I've recently been drawn back into looking up about circus animals of sorts, around the world and ones that have a large range inculding, Krone, Knie, Ringling Bros etc.

It somewhat amazes me though is that how many animals one circus has to care for. Ringling Bros. has mass amount of elephants preforming, but I am unsure how many tigers they have, they seem to how quite a large number though.

Could someone tell me about details in preforming animals in general what transport is like?
And which Circuses in australia keep big cats, which species and how many?
 
Haha, Dumbo, what a film :)
The big cat housing nowadays is basically a lorry or trailer converted into cages. However they don't spend all their time in there, they (most of the time) get access to exercise pens. In think theres a pic in the gallery of a zoo in New Zealand using an old circus truck for their Lion housing.
 
There a newby shopping center within 40 minutes walking range of my house that usually has a circus set-up on a particular spot. I personally have only gone to one circus in my life.. and since then I just haven't gone to anymore after one clowns pushed me down the stairs and gave me stiches. ;)

There was one time how I saw a huge cage set up to the side of the tent though of a cricus with a stack of lions in there. I can't remember details or the name of the circus but I can remember that the males had poorly developed manes and most of them were quite skinny. They were also very aggressive towards each other.
 
that's good, to hear, although there are several circuses that take very good care of their animals as well as getting regular enrichment. in general think that a lot of them are cruel and are kept in horrible conditions.
 
The only circuses in Australia with performing big cats at the present time are Lennon's, which has 3 lions and Circus Stardust, which has 5 lions.

Animal rights organisations will tell you that circus big cats are living in "hell on earth."
Circuses will tell you that their cats are much loved members of their extended family.
(The truth of course is somewhere in between.)
 
I think the three most important things are when taking care of captive animals are:

facilities, enrichment/ activites, and company of other animals.

The animals would get a lot of enrichment. Though sometimes it depends if the enrichment is humane.
Circus facilites will vary on location but mainly they are quite poor. The company of other animals.. hmmm I've noticed that either that a circus with elephants will either have 1, a pair, a small even group ( usually to preform in an evenly presentation, of 4 or so) or a mass amount of over 12 or so.
 
I think circuses get too much bad press. Sure, some of them have abused animals in the past, but I highly doubt it happens anymore as circus people seem hugely dedicated to their animals, and training methods have advanced a lot too.
 
Well... what the hell, let me be controversial, as usual.

I hate the idea of animals at circuses and i do not care about that governmental report in Great Britain in which some expert proclaimed it to be OK.

I am 50+, I have seen so many chained circus elephants bobbing their their heads, dizzy from the latest 10 or 12 hour transport in a lorry or at the railroad.

I believe I have mentioned a memory from my childhood somewhere on this forum: a hippo in a wagon just about big enough to carry him - with a "mock fence" outside the wagon to fool the innocent bystanders that the animal was eventually let out of the wagon. It took me years later to realise that that fence would not have kept a hippo back and in any way: how would they get him back into the stupid wagon - God knows how they got him into it in the first place. Anyway: this poor hippo was obviously transported around Swden just as an attraction. He probably never left that wagon for months....

But OK, that was in the 60s. An atrocity like that would be dealt with immedialtely, today in Sweden.

And big cats are since ages ago forbidden in circuses in Sweden, thank God!

But what about elephants? I think it is just a matter of time before circuses will be forbidden to show elephants in Sweden, but sadly to this day it is still allowed. Just the other week I could read in a morning paper about a female circus elephant dying in a "winter stable" situated in one of the industrial areas in my hometown (I had now idea that there was such a thing in this area). She got sick and fell down, the fire brigade was there and tried to get her on her feet, but eventually she died. I learnt that she was the only elephant in this damned circus and I can only try to understand what a life she had lived, alone... no herd, endlessly long transports in the summer time - now locked up in this "winter stable". Oh God.............

By the way, I think the saddest thing I have ever read about circus elephants was a quote from a former "insider", being interviewed about the Ringling Brothers putting on a show at Madison Square Garden in New York, a three week stint, or so:

"So where are the elephants when they are not performing their nightly routine?", asked the interviewer.

"Oh, I assume they are chained 23 hours a day up there in the stables on the 8th floor". he laconically replied.

Could have been the "whatever floor", but you get the picture?
 
But that's the worst situation Dan, I'm sure similar things have happened in zoos too. Do you not think they can be kept properly at all?
 
I can see where your coming from Dan, there has always been far more contreversy of animals in circuses than zoos.

I'd like to know if there is one circus you know of that you think is far better than the rest in terms of animal keeping.
 
Dan said:
Well... what the hell, let me be controversial, as usual.

I hate the idea of animals at circuses and i do not care about that governmental report in Great Britain in which some expert proclaimed it to be OK.
Click to expand...

This is the greatest drawback to attempting a mature discussion on this subject.

People who's emotions blind them to reality.

The circus world has recently been well and truly scrutinised on a number of ocassions by different experts who have determined that circus life is not incompatible with good animal welfare.

Some people refuse to accept those findings, others do. There is no bridging the divide.

My only concern is with those people who seek to force their opinions on the rest of us. They have no right to do so.
 
dragon(ele)nerd said:
I'd like to know if there is one circus you know of that you think is far better than the rest in terms of animal keeping.
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Heythrop zoo ;) Circus Krone looks pretty damn good too, and the Great British circus appears to be good too, although I've never been to any of the latter two. Will see the GBC when it comes nearby though.
 
Steve Robinson said:
This is the greatest drawback to attempting a mature discussion on this subject.

People who's emotions blind them to reality.

The circus world has recently been well and truly scrutinised on a number of ocassions by different experts who have determined that circus life is not incompatible with good animal welfare.

Some people refuse to accept those findings, others do. There is no bridging the divide.

My only concern is with those people who seek to force their opinions on the rest of us. They have no right to do so.
Click to expand...

Point taken, Steve. I will get back to this thread with more reasoned arguments.

However, and since you bring the subject up, can you direct me to any other net sources, apart from that UK investigation I mentioned, that support your view? I would be honestly interested in studying them.

Just for the record, though: I am not seeking to force my opinions on anyone (in case that sentence was directed at me?).
 
ashley-h said:
But that's the worst situation Dan, I'm sure similar things have happened in zoos too. Do you not think they can be kept properly at all?
Click to expand...

My old hippo example (from the 1960s) was extreme, I do not deny that.

As for the rest of what I wrote, I believe it to be a description of "business as usual", though.
 
dragon(ele)nerd said:
I can see where your coming from Dan, there has always been far more contreversy of animals in circuses than zoos.

I'd like to know if there is one circus you know of that you think is far better than the rest in terms of animal keeping.
Click to expand...

No, though the truth is that I never never consiently searched for any such examples. There may well be what I would regard as exceptions to the general rule (as I see it) and I certainly hope there are.
 
ashley-h said:
Circus Krone looks pretty damn good too, and the Great British circus appears to be good too, although I've never been to any of the latter two.
Click to expand...

Yeah Krone is quite good! the facilities are better than most circuses, and going on the elephants they look to be in very good condition, their skin is a great colour and their feet look good.
 
And their elephant bull is very impressive looking, and I believe this is their big cat act (or trainer for definite):
Awesome :)
 
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yep Colonel Joe, supposedly 3.5 meters high and over 7 tonnes but I think that he's more likely to be smaller.
 
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