Why Dont Circuses Stop Using Animals?

Question

Why Dont Circuses Stop Using Animals?
I love many parts of the circus. I love the amazing acrobats, dazzling theatrics and junky food. However the animal part of the circus has always disturbed me. I hate how they abuse animals and make them do these awful tricks. The fact that circuses still use animals today seems completely unecessary to me because their are many other more natural ways to see exotic animals today and seeing them looking depressed while they are harmed and humiliated is not fun compared to seeing them in a zoo which is more natural. I mean I dont think people enjoy the animal part of the circus they go to see the acrobats. So why dont circuses stop using animals in their shows? I mean it would benifit them since they would stop being portrayed as such a bad guy and more people would go? Its not like people would stop going since their are no animals?

Answer 1

Unfortunately, animals are cheap labour! They don't complain and join unions when working conditions become unbearable. We could use more people like you supporting their cause. Hopefully, you belong to an animal rights groups.

Answer 2

WHICH Circus animal disturb you? The dogs? Horses? Goats? Doves? Of course those are all domestic animals....they don't have a place in the wild.

The Indian Elephants? They don't quiet qualify as "domestic," since they have too long a period before they produce young. True domestic animals produce offspring at least once a year. Since elephants gestation period is two years, they will never qualify as fully domesticated. However these tame elephants have lost their ability to survive in the wild.

The big cats? Never domesticated, nor actually tamed. Just trained, wild animals.

Bears? Never domesticated, nor actually tamed, just trained wild animals.

So what should we do with these animals, like elephants, big cats, and bears? Shoot them all so they no longer have to perform? Rather cruel I think.

Turn them out into the wild? First off...WHAT wild? There simply isn't enough wildlife habitat for these animals to survive in!! Of course these animals would starve to death in the wild, since they do not know how to forage. Most of them would probably also kill humans (either by accident, or because they learned to hunt humans), because they have no fear of them.

So that means we can "retire" these circus animals to....?? Well what place exacty is large enough to take the several hundred elephants alone that Ringling Brothers & Branum Bailey Circus owns?

Who exactly is going to pay for their care and upkeep for their 80 year lifespan? Oh sure,you'll get lots of donations at first, because people will think it's a great idea. But at year 5 after interest serriously wains, how exactly will you feed these animals?

Now what about children in the cities who may never get a chance to see an actual animal other than a dog or cat? Do you think that maybe it makes children learn see these animals as living creatures, and to appreciate them, and possibly want to perserve their habitat in the wild? It's REALLY hard to care about something you have never actually seen.

My Mom worked at Lincoln Park Zoo, in Chicago. I grew up around all kinds of animals most people never even see. My baby photos are all of me with a baby raccoon, or a baby cheeta.

I have a VERY deep care, and understanding of these exotic animals. I also understand if people never get to see them, they will not care if all the elephants are turned into carved ivory, and elephant foot wastebaskets.

But if they SEE an elephant in a circus, or a zoo, and grow to admire and love that animal, they will also CARE what happens to those animals in the wild.

By the way, breeding programs for these "wild" animals have become HIGHLY successful. Most of these animals have not actually been in the wild in several generations.

There is no habitat to return them too in most of their native countries. Zoos and Circuses are very often the last remaining stronghold for these animals...the ONLY place they will survive.

We cannot always help animals in other countries which are torn appart by war, famine, or are simply having all of their habitat destroyed by the spread of mankind.

By the way, Ringling Brothers & Branum Bailey Circus is the ONLY circus with animals I will go to, because they have VERY GOOD ethices and treatments of their animals. (Despite what PETA would try and have you belive) I will not attend the smaller circuses with animals who have questionable treatment of their animals.

~Garnet
Homesteading/Farming over 20 years
Avid wildlife lover over 40 years

Answer 3

You are narrowing your view. Just because an animal is trained to do something doesn't mean its being abused. Is your dog not trained to sit/stay/rollover on command - does that make you a bad owner? TRUE there are some circuses that are cruel. TRUE not every zoo is animal friendly. These are the exceptions and they should be closed down.

Answer 4

I think that too. Its highly disgusting knowing that animals used in circuses recieve bad treatment. But the circus people still use animals because the audience will pay for it. Supply and demand. Audience wants, audience gets. If people didnt want to see the animals in circus because they think its cruel, they wouldnt go to the circus anyway. But yeah it is unnecessary and inhumane, but too be honest.... that is the greedy, money loving world we live in.

Answer 5

humiliation is a human perception.

exhibiting animals (in the US) is regulated by the USDA through the office of Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. if you are concerned about animal WELFARE then you should report that circus/zoo/shelter/any other facility using/housing/holding animals to APHIS

Answer 6

Harmed and humiliated? No circus harms animals. Only humans can be humiliated. Circus are bad? Zoos are "more natural"?

What about all the people that disagree with you? Are they bad also?

Answer 7

money