Circus Animals: How suffering animals in circuses

The attitude and training of circus animals are cruel. A ban on animals in circuses is long overdue. People can set an example by avoiding circuses, show off the animals.

Circus animals are there to amuse the audience. Elephants, tigers, and Co. but find it not funny to be demonstrated! The animals in circuses suffer unimaginable including that they have to live a life like in prison. Many people are now aware that, so they avoid circuses, put the animals on display.

Miserable welfare of circus animals

The housing conditions in the circus are generally not "humanely". In small cages, wild animals vegetate in front of him and have little freedom of movement - but there they spend due to long transport routes to most of their lives. Species-specific behavior, such as running, swimming or climbing can not be lived in the circus animals. Sometimes it even happens that circus animals are kept during the winter break in trucks. Contact with peers is often absent. In the ring, the circus animals are then forced to show off in an unnatural and sometimes painful way feats.

Behavioral disorders and high mortality rate for circus animals

The resulting from the housing conditions psychological and physical stress leads to circus animals in severe behavioral disorders. Obvious faults are repetitive, constant movements, which are considered foreign as the continuous rocking back and forth of the head with elephants or the comings and goings of tigers and lions. This is also known by stereotypes. From not "welfare" attitude of circus animals results, in addition, behavioral problems increased mortality - usually, it is the most sensitive elephants die prematurely.

High suffering through brutal training of circus animals

For the agonizing attitude of Wildlife, the dressage ranks. Circus animals are often trained in a brutal manner, for voluntarily not a lion jumping through a burning hoop! Means to an end here are food deprivation and mental or physical abuse. Some animals are even administered drugs to make them more pliable. Often stun guns are used. The immense suffering of animals leads to increased stress, sometimes to a subliminal aggression, which has led in the past to attacks on people. Animals to perform tricks in the circus under duress and pain, give a sad and undignified image.

Bad role model for children

Animals in the circus put a non-autogenous behavior to light, are often completely apathetic. This happens primarily children a completely false picture of wildlife. They learn in circuses, it is apparently normal, forcing animals to something and humiliate them. As the awareness of the animal-friendly treatment of all animals but at an early age is existent and here, too much education work is done, there are always more children who turn away from circuses with animals.

Bread lots art at the expense of circus animals

To put animals in the circus showcased is actually long out of date. The operation of traveling circuses applies in many places as completely unprofitable art. This is no accident: In Germany there are some 350 circuses, mostly suffer from chronic lack of money. Many of them have to go begging in order to stay afloat. The supply of feed and sufficient fresh drinking water is often limited, and at the expense of the animals. A study of 25 circuses in Germany shows that only a small proportion of circus animals has access to drinking water. It also happens that the care of the animals and cleaning the cages will be omitted entirely as an economy measure, which greatly increases the suffering of wild animals - this is part of their own personal care yes to species-typical behavior of the animals.

Blocked Bundesrat initiative by the ministry concerned

As early as 2003, the Federal Council has voted by a large majority for a ban on wild animals in circuses. Unfortunately, the responsible Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection blocks (BMELV) this initiative to date and is not to accept the decision. So circus animals must continue to suffer. In addition, an amendment to the Animal Welfare Act 2013, rather obtained a deterioration: Wild animals in circuses are more limited but an intervention should only occur if containment and transport cause considerable pain, suffering or injury to the animals.

The fate of disused circus animals

Are serious attitude defects detected, circus animals can be seized in theory? However, many authorities fear the cost and effort and prefer to wait out that the circus moves on so that they can escape responsibility. Given the few wildlife sanctuaries also raises the question: What to do with the maltreated circus animals? Few zoos are ready to receive confiscated animals from the circus since these are mostly old and sick.

Did the animals had its day in the circus once, they remain permanently in the cage or, for example, sold to research laboratories. In certain countries disused animals end up in private hunting farms - there they are cruelly hunted and shot. The life of a circus animal so usually ends just as unworthy as it started.

Prohibition of circus animals

Keeping certain wild animal species requires very high standards with regard to the enclosure, transport, safety and social behavior outbreak. This can not be assured of migrant circuses. In Europe, therefore, already 18 countries all circus animals or specific animal species have banned the circus. These include Austria, Denmark, Sweden, and Hungary. Many German cities strive to overcome the demonstration of animals in circuses: Heidelberg, Worms, Potsdam, and Co. give circuses, make certain wildlife on display, no more public land. Now a decision should the welfare of the animals finally nationwide or equal across the EU are taken!

Good entertainment without circus animals possible

A circus needs no animals! There are now numerous circuses, like circus Krawalli, Circus Flic Flac, the Chinese State Circus or Cirque du Soleil that are successful even without the agonizing use of animals. Become active by avoiding circuses with animal performances and put as a sign against the cruel exploitation of circus animals.