Circuses and Animal cruelty/abuse/suffering
@MommaOfAllTrades (969)
Canada
August 10, 2010 8:56am CST
My cousin gave me tickets to the circus last weekend. I took the family out without giving this controversy a second thought until I sat down and the program had a full page defending themselves against animal cruelty claims.
I had honestly forgotten about this hype and wondered if it was still as prominent today as it was so many years ago. The fact that the circus felt obliged to take up a whole page with stats and explanation makes me believe that it is.
What is your opinion?
Are circus animals mistreaded? Abused? Suffering?
Because while I'm sitting there enjoying watching these dogs do amazing tricks with frisbees, I can't help but notice how happy these dogs seem to be, wagging their tails and having a blast out there in the ring.
Now of course I've never learned how to read an elephant's body language... Maybe they totally despise the fact they are kept in captivity. Is it wrong? What about zoos? Is captivity ok for sake of observation & study and not entertainment? Where is the line drawn?
I'll have to admit that I was a tad disappointed when I realized that was going to be the extent of animal displays. No lions - no tigers - no bears - Oh my!
2 people like this
5 responses
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
10 Aug 10
I thought the same thing when I took my son this summer..Now the dogs, probably not, I have dogs and know they love to perform and will because that is dogs for you..My son has our one dog dancing for treats all the time, and she loves the attention..Now wild animals I think are different..They had a kangaroo who boxed this guy and of course it was on a harness without another guy holding him back. Though I got pictures because my friend took them I wondered also if maybe that wasn't right..
@MommaOfAllTrades (969)
• Canada
10 Aug 10
Hmmm I think it would be interesting to see a kangaroo do some boxing :) But you're right... Is it cruelty? Is this kangaroo classified as being mistreated because he's in captivity for the sake of entertainment? While I can understand that wild animals are meant to be out in the open field, my mind still wonders where we draw the line. All sorts of other questions pop in my head like hunting for example... Oh but that's a whole new discussion! LOL
1 person likes this
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
10 Aug 10
Well I thought it would be interesting too when I heard what the next act was..But when they brought him out, I just felt it was not right..As for hunting, I am not against it as long as it is for food and as much of the animal is used as possible..I know I will get a lot of flack for this comment, but unless someone is a complete vegan, including their clothes and some products they use, then they really can't say much.
Now for those who hunt for the thrill??
NO, that is bad and it should be banned...
NO, that is bad and it should be banned...1 person likes this
@eurekafemme (5877)
• Philippines
11 Aug 10
hello.:)Good afternoon to you, MommaOfAllTrades.:)
Just as I was having lunch, I saw in the news how animals in the circus were treated. This is somewhere in China. The animals were beaten (beating them with blunt objects to make them obey), sometimes they were not given food, the cages were in bad condition...
For me, it is VERY WRONG to treat an animal like that. These animals deserve to live in their natural habitat which is the wilderness and they are not suppose to generate income. Even zoos must not be encouraged. Some zoo owners used the animals in pretense of saving them from poachers but if you will look closely, they aren't treated well but instead caged to attract visitors and accumulate revenues for the zoo owners...
There are laws that protect wild animals but the clout of such law isn't that strong and solid enough for tem to really get protected from being abused and used...Sadly, they treat animals as ANIMALS...
@sach143_u (859)
• India
10 Aug 10
I really hate this circuse why because they use to train the animals in such way that animals will follow the guider but for that reason they use to beat animals like anything. I really felt very bad and animals use to cry, i came to know by seeing the tears of the animals in their eyes. I hate this type of circuse.
1 person likes this
@aurorastorm (1131)
• United States
10 Aug 10
I have been a big fan of the circus for years, but that being said, I also have worried about how the animals have been treated or mistreated. They seem to be fine and happy especially the dogs, but I really don't know how some of the bigger animals are suppose to act and whether they seem happy or not. I would like to think a big circus like Ringling Bros. could not abuse animals without people really finding out about it.
@didi13 (2926)
• Romania
1 Jun 11
Circus, the show itself, I was impressed by the acrobatics that and I have deemed impossible for a being like me and yet I have seen on the skills and performing tricks in the arena of me ever even dreamed. Are always the courage of the people circus arenas in their acrobatics. Impresses me and the animals can also see them at shows, just a sense of compassion, grief sometimes makes me refuse to assist at their representations. Watch as these animals can live a normal life is not for them, a life that would not want it if it had been after them, I create a feeling of pity and refusing to see them on stage.
The scene of daily life is full of bipedal animal that makes a pathetic circus that often assist wanting, not wanting.
