Circus Cruelty

Circus Cruelty

Over the years circuses have been considered one of the most entertaining places of all time, but what happens when the show ends and everybody goes home? On the outside circuses seem magical and full of fun. People would think that they are harmless, but in reality they’re filled with abuse, fear, and neglect. While most famous shows claim that the animals are well kept and treated fairly, many sources seem to believe otherwise. Most of the performing animals belong in the wild where they can run free. Circuses are traveling constantly which means that the animals are too. The animals are kept in cages that aren’t even spacious enough for them. Most people would think that the trainers or workers would clean the cages, but they don’t. The cages are filthy and filled with the animals’ own feces and urine. Most of the time, the animals aren’t even provided with access to food or water. They must wait until the train stops to be fed (“Circuses”). Even after they have arrived to their destination they are still kept chained until it is their turn to perform. The chains are kept short and don’t give the animals much room to move around (“Animal Defenders”). A traveling circus isn’t a suitable home for these animals. People would think that the animals would at least be treated with love and fairness, but they are treated quite opposite. Animals in the circus are beaten and abused. It has been reported that trainers use sharp hooks, pitch forks, and even blow torches to train the elephants. Video footage of this cruel nonsense has been released in the past. The videos include large cats being dragged, monkeys being kicked, and elephants being electrically shocked (“Circuses”). The circus is most certainly not a natural environment for the animals. They are taken from the wild by force. Most are even taken when they are just babies (“Animal Defenders”). Even though some would argue that the trainers would take care of the baby animals, they