Circus Animals in General

Up until a few decades ago there were only 4 "real" zoos in the whole of Australia.
For generations, most Aussies who didn't live close to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth therefore only got to see exotic animals when a circus came to town. In times when entertainment was limited, the arrival of a circus was a REAL BIG DEAL!

Australian circuses large and small always had elephants, lions and monkeys; usually a tiger or two; and occasionally something different, such as a hyena, an asiatic black bear or a leopard.
 
It was the same in the UK, now we have only one circus with a lion group and two tigers which also has 3 elephants and other exotics, and one circus with a few exotics (camels and that) and one elephant, which is pretty sad that she's alone.
 
It is quite amazing how animal circuses have fallen out of favour with the general public, but I'm extremely grateful that they have been almost phased out of existence. I could pass on horror stories from seeing big cats and elephants in cramped cages and semi-trailers, living substandard lives. Gradually many western countries have banned or almost completely eradicted exotic animals from circuses, although dogs and other domestic creatures are still fairly common in performances.

While circuses have justifiably been phased out from showcasing tigers jumping through hoops and bears on tricycles, zoos have worked hard at creating naturalistic, multi-million dollar exhibits that allow the general public to appreciate and cherish exotic wildlife. Exactly 30 years ago there was not even a single gorilla enclosure that was green, lush and natural anywhere in the world, and then the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle opened their 2 gorilla habitats in 1979. Now it is rare to find a zoo that does not have a naturalistic gorilla enclosure, and the same goes for many other animal species. I can't wait to see what the zoos of the world look like in another 30 years, as the good zoos have already phased out bars and traditional cages. What is the next step? Perhaps the 3 -10 acre elephant exhibits that are popping up in the U.S is a good example of the next major trend in worldwide zoos.
 
It is odd, it seems like they were everywhere 10 years ago, then bam they stopped, in the UK at least. But it seems as though we're getting them back, and it shows people are standing up to animal lib :)
I can't imagine how zoos will evolve, it'll probably be seen as unacceptable to keep gorillas in groups of less than 10 on under an acre of land. Look at the elephant situation, and that's over about 10 years.
 
Circuses in Canada and the United States will never in a thousand years go back to the old days, and it's rare to even find many circuses with many big cats, bears or elephants. That era is outdated and illegal in many areas, and thank goodness for that.

@ashley: you bring up a good point about gorillas, and it is amazing how many enclosures are an acre or larger already in the U.S. That country is leading the world in designing huge exhibits for gorillas, elephants and many other animals, and hopefully the economic recession doesn't have many adverse long-term effects on zoos. Most U.S. zoos with gorillas have a total indoor/outdoor area of minimum an acre, and soon 30% of all U.S. zoos with elephants will have those animals on 3 acres or more...and the list goes on. I'd like to see better bear and big cat enclosures, as there are still far too many pits and grottoes around. Progress is a wonderful thing!:)
 
Indeed, it's similar in the UK, as I don't think we have any elephant exhibits under 1.5 acres in the UK. Most Gorilla exhibits are good too, although I'll always think that the Howletts style cages are far better than any island exhibit. We have too many island type gorilla enclosure with very little for the animals to do, and I can't think of any with a decent amount of trees the animals can access either.
 
Circuses in the old days used to have a massive tent filled with their animals and charged admission for somewhat of liek a zoo. Ringling Bros. & barnum and Bailey claimed at one time that they had the largest collection of animals in the world. I doubt it though.
 
Yes, I think the Great British circus lets you pay to see the animals, could be wrong though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top