Do you think that having a circus with animals is animal abuse?
By Link
@BambooPanda13 (867)
United States
August 4, 2010 5:00pm CST
I know there have been tons of stories about animals being abused at circuses to get them to perform tricks, but aren't things better these days with all of the laws and animal rights? Is forcing these animals to do tricks abusive to them or are they being saved from being put down? If they weren't in a circus would they be in a zoo or reserve where they would get to just be an animal and not a performer?
I've never been to a circus before, not sure I would every go to one (mostly because of the clowns but partly because I do not know if the animals are abused and I do not want to contribute to that). What do you think about circuses with animals? Should it just be people doing tricks like in Cirque du Soleil acts or are circuses with animals more traditional and better liked?
2 people like this
10 responses
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
5 Aug 10
Circus... I loved those as a kid. As I grew up, I realized that they treat animals badly. But this is life and we cannot restrain others from making a living. Then I saw a Russian Circus where the animals were well feds and well taken care off. This relaxed me. I think that if the animals at the circus are taken care off in a better way, there is no harm in running them. Again, if the circus is banned across the globe, where will the kids go to see animals? At the ZOO? But the animals are not well treated there too! So based on the logic that we should ban all places where animals are not well kept, I think that would be a misfortune earned for our younger generation.
@Archie0 (5652)
•
5 Aug 10
I agree we have no rights, to restrain others from earning, but do we have any rights to harass someone who cannot talk or express their feelings? Who gave us rights to treat animals as a medium of earning source? i mean which age are we living? We have given freedom for the homosexuals, we have made it legal for human beings to behave the way we want, and what does this means that we have rights to ruin some other animals life just because they are not given the title of being 'social'?
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
6 Aug 10
You are right dear but the world is not getting to be a better place.
We have people who exploit people, abuse people and all we do is protest and raise a hue and cry... but the end result - Humans have a short lived memory - people forget all these. Same with Animals. There are many who let their voices sound like vevuzelas making all that crap about animal rights but at end... who cares? Does that make anything better? I have been a member of things like these in my country and have realised that at end its just about the organization - not about animals. Sounds bad but this is true.
Its still ages to go when mankind will get the real meaning of "Kind".
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
5 Aug 10
This is really an area where there is no completely one hundred percent of the case answer. I am sure that some circuses treat their animals as well as they can be expected. Then we go to the other horrific extreme. Where the abuse does happen. Trainers are cruel, uncaring, and just see the animals as tools that can be replaced. It is rather disturbing.
As entertaining as the circus can be, I'm sure that there could be a dark side to everything. In fact, you could really say the same thing about a zoo. Is it really fair to take animals out of their environment and put them out for us to gawk at. There is a dark side to many things that we really did not think about. Where it could be considered to be abuse depending on what angle you can think about it and it can get disturbing if you think too much about it.
@BambooPanda13 (867)
• United States
5 Aug 10
Thank you for your response. Yes there is always uncertainty about what happens behind the scenes. I really don't like circuses. I would want to see the lipizzaner stallions though. I do not know what the training practices are behind that. I have been to the zoo and enjoyed it but they were all zoos where they take in animals that won't survive if they are released back into the wild or they participate in breeding programs or rehabilitation, etc. Things that help the animals not just stick them in the zoo for people to see. The money goes back into helping animals.
@Archie0 (5652)
•
5 Aug 10
Hello bamboopanda, yes i hate the circus which has animals in it for earning a source of money. I really don't like people who hurt animals for no reasons. I have been to circus and trust me when you actually see the animals eyes the way they perform, its all so sad. They look sad they are not happy and you can actually feel that. I really feel so much depressed whenever i see a sad animal. And circus has it all if you want to see. I don't think we have any right to destruct someone elses life for our satisfaction, what else can be the better example. Another thing i noticed is some people get camels and horses to places where these animals are not used to, like camels just like deserted areas and they survive there but i find them in places where they cannot survive. But they are got there for rides to earn money, all this is so hurting. I want to do something for these animals and poor people, i am just waiting to start some earning so that i can get some power with me, i can not do much things without money.
@sender621 (14894)
• United States
5 Aug 10
In general, i don't feel that a circus contributes to animal abuse. of course, there will be exceptions. There are sure to be a number of circuses that push animals beyond their limitations. This shouldn't be allowed, but it does happen., Over all, i feel that circus animals are a treasure. Some people would never have a chance to see these amazing animals without the benefit of a circus.
@katie0 (5203)
• Japan
5 Aug 10
Sure!
Animals don't owe anything to us so when we use, wear and eat them like in a circus for example we are abusing.
Who said they are ours to use?
Good people never harm animals so I guess any kind of using them is evil.
I really don't enjoy seeing an elephant grabing a ball, doing tricks and they are my favorite animals. I love to see they walking around in Africa, all the way they like. It's like some stronger being to take us humans and just make us to do tricks or they are going to put a whole in us, cause they keep pitching the elephants so they learn and that hurts a lot...
@jerikjames (1041)
• Philippines
5 Aug 10
Nah, I haven't heard of animals being abused in the circus. Maybe they're being 'disciplined' when they get naughty, but I don't think it reaches to a point where the animals get injured. I think they use positive reinforcement like rewarding the animals each time they get manage to do a trick. It's the easiest and most humane way of training animals. But maybe some circus use force? If they do, I think animal welfare organizations need to watch closely how the circus treat the animals. 
@BambooPanda13 (867)
• United States
5 Aug 10
Well punishing an elephant with a bull hook when it gets naughty is considered abuse. And by naughty you mean acting like the wild animal that it is. I always feel bad when I hear that an animal performer or companion has attacked humans or gone on a rampage, but we have to remember that many animals are still wild animals and are not fully tame. Pretty much only cats and dogs are animals that we have really tamed and even they revert to their natural ways sometimes. There is only so much training we can do. Like the tiger and the magician, he did not blame the tiger for his injuries, he knows that working with them is always a risk no matter how tame they appear to be.
@Rtlsnk316 (1197)
• Mexico
5 Aug 10
I think it goes further than that, circuses exist since I don't know when, and I would guess that animal rights activists have monitored some of them.
From my stand point of view, doesn't seem like there's abuse in a harmful way, we know they make them do some work, which I would call it entertaining, not rough or abusive.
But how many circuses could they be in the world that can't be looked trough an eye glass to see what's going on with the animals? plenty I guess, and I might think that some of them do not take care of the animals as they should.
I agree, animals may be better at a zoo, but how many zoos can there be? Whatever revolves around animals at the circus, I do hope they do take care of them as best as they can.
@celticeagle (167015)
• Boise, Idaho
5 Aug 10
When I was young I remember going to the circus every year. When I grew older I didn't go anymore. I don't like seeing animals in cages. I don't care to go to zoos. I think if an animal has to me caged it should atleast have a mate. I do feel it is abuse. Atleast the animals in most zoos are not able to live in the wild but in circuses that isn't usually the case.
@standbymeforever (887)
• Australia
5 Aug 10
As long as the animals are not hurt and are fed properly and taken care of then no I do not think it is abuse.
