Performing Prisoners - Anti-Circus Article

[snowleopard]

This document is from Zoocheck Canada, which will undoubtedly make a few people roll their eyes as they read this. While I love zoos and criticize them in order to see improvements, I personally feel that circuses are barbaric and anachronistic. The time of animal circuses is fading fast, and this 27-page, 2006 report makes for an intriguing read. The days of big cats in cages that are barely large enough for them to turn around, bears on ridiculously tiny bicycles, or elephants standing on one foot are at an end in many progressive countries.

The most interesting section is right at the end, where there is a list of "jurisdictions around the world that have prohibited or severely restricted performing wild animal acts". I live in the Province of British Columbia, which is the most progressive Province in all of Canada in terms of animal welfare, but I was delighted to see that entire nations have banned performing wild animal acts: Austria, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, India, Norway, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland. I wonder how many other Provinces, States and nations have passed animal legislation in the 3 years since this comprehensive report?

http://www.zoocheck.com/Reportpdfs/PrisonersReport2006.pdf

 

[James27]

Thanks Snowleopard, I didn't know so many places had banned it! You know how I feel and I don't tend to follow anything Born Free do as it's a bit too one-sided for me.
Have you voted in the poll?

 

[snowleopard]

Yes, I voted "no" in the poll on the other thread. I too was taken aback at how many nations have banned animals in circuses, but living in Canada it is shocking for me to realize that there are still a fair number of countries that allow exotic creatures to perform tricks for humans. I think that the number of nations that don't allow animals to perform in circuses will continue to rise as the years go by.

 

[Ned]

I am uneasy with a blanket ban on performing wild animals for the following reason.
A few years ago I purposely went to see a circus that had animal acts. As a child the only acts that interested me were the animal acts and I was keen to see how I’d feel about them as an adult. I should say before I go any further that, on the whole, I disagree with travelling circuses keeping animals, as I don’t think it is possible to keep wild animals properly when they have to pack up and leave every couple of days. That said, the big cat act didn’t offend me. The act was based around the cats’ natural ability to jump (e.g. leaping from one pedestal to another). In fact I found the domestic horse routine far more difficult to watch as it ended with the horses bowing down on one knee. It looked very difficult and uncomfortable to perform.
Although I feel unable to support animal acts in travelling circuses, I’m not against wild animals performing circus tricks. Many zoos now have sea lion shows that are little more than circus tricks presented with an environmental / conservation commentary. I don’t see why big cats can’t also give presentations of a routine based around natural behaviour. In fact I think the cats would gain greatly from the enrichment such training and performing would provide. I have to confess my ignorance when it comes to the training of animals. I know that cruel methods have often been employed in such training, but I have seen sea lions trained using positive enforcement and I don’t see why this can’t be expanded on and used in the training of other animals that would otherwise have very little to keep them occupied.