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The idea that it is funny to see wild animals coerced into acting like clumsy humans, or thrilling to see powerful beasts reduced to cringing cowards by a whipcracking trainer is primitive and medieval. It stems from the old idea that we are superior to other species and have the right to hold dominion over them.
Dr Desmond Morris. One hears the argument that certain animals are ‘show off’ or love the attention or love to act, or that kindness and positive re-inforcement is used and that the trainers love their animals.
WATCH 'THE PERFORMANCE'
That is not the point.
Given the choice, no animal would choose to live an unnatural life of captivity, regardless of the kindness of the treatment and no animal would choose a life that allows none of their natural behaviour. Certainly animals would not choose to be taken from their families to be obliged to amuse us.
The SPCA has recently launched their Celebrate the Wildness in Wildlife camapign in whihc they roundly denounce the use of wild animals in the circus. You can sign the pledge to not support circuses that have animals Circus animals spend months travelling in small, bare cages. The stress of continued confinement as well as the transportation result in long term suffering and a lack of appropriate social interaction, reduction in time spent foraging and the restricted freedom to perform natural behaviours represent stressors for captive animals. A natural environments cannot be recreated in a circusesdue to the travelling, with inadequate acommodation and exercise areas and forced movement, handling by humans,, noise along with the confinement results in both short-term as well as long-term behavioural and psychological effects.  Smiling chimpanzees in adverts are not smiling, it is a fear grin. That is how they express fear. It has been well documented that Chimpanzees only perform under duress, hence the 'surprising' sudden attacks by these 'tame and loving animals' who turn on trainers or actors. Lions and other wild animals do not belong in circuses. Elephants, particularly, suffer terribly from emotional distress and joint and feet pain from spending hours and hours chained and left standing on hard ground instead of travelling many kilometres every day in the wild. Large cats spend mopst of their lives in cages that would never be considered acceptable in a zoo. These animals can provide no educational value despite the arguments to the contrary; what can you possibly learn from an animal in a cage or a circus ring? With documentaries and the plethora of visual information available today a child can learn far more than by seeing a sad replica of what should be a magnificent proud animal in their own habitat.
 Putting animals in human clothing is pathetic at best, and what does it say about those of us who find this cruel, human imitation amusing? (this does not include the necessary clothing for little dogs who may otherwise suffer the cold)
We can say with certainty that we agree and know that slavery was wrong, even though it is maintained that some of these slaves were genuinely cared for by their 'owners' and were kindly treated. There were generations of people who knew no other life. Did that however mean it was acceptable?
Animals are forced into entertainment industries by being trapped, torn from their mothers or born into entertainment slavery. This includes television advertisements, magazine shoots, films, circuses or canned hunting; there is, for some at least, ‘entertainment’ value to be had in hunting, as there is in rodeos, tag fishing, bullfights and other entertainments that involve the inclusion of animals. Horse and dog racing does not benefit horses and dogs; if people wish to gamble, let them indulge their need in human or car races instead.
 There are those sensitive to the use of the words animal slavery, as they feel that that Man has been reduced, in this example, to that of animals. Far from it. The similarity lies in the forced use and abuse of those who had and still have, no voice, regardless of their form. The acceptance of violence, abuse and enslavement toward some means the acceptance of violence, abuse and enslavement toward all. And surely if one has been at the receiving end of abuse one would be in the forefront of those fighting this, regardless of the victims?
 Greyhound kept in an inadequate cage For us to continue to use animals to entertain us when we know they have very complex lives, emotional needs and social behaviours, especially when we have so many technologies and non animal amusements to keep us occupied is our shame.
LION CUBS Most people don't consider having their photo taken with a cute cub or having a cuddle as harmful. The truth is that they are the product of factory farming where the cubs are removed so that the mother can produce another litter in six months time, as opposed to two years time, if she had the opportunity to raise her own offspring. These factory farmed cubs are often kept in unsuitable cages with little regard for their social requirements. What happens to these human imprinted animals when they have outgrown their cute factor? They cannot be rehabilitated or sold to game reserves. Visit www.lionrescue.co.za for more information.
This mindset of continually wanting to show that we dominate and are stronger smacks of serious insecurity issues on our part and belongs in the dark ages. There is no place for institutionalized cruelty in the form of performing animals in the 21st Century. It is time we evolved.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
LIST OF INTERNATIONAL ANIMAL FREE CIRCUSES- here in South Africa we have the South African Circus and the Zip Zap Circus Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Circus Garden Circus Italiano Circus Millennia Circus Oz Circus Smirkus Cirque du Soleil Cirque Eloize Cirque Ingenieux Cloud Seeding Circus Earth Circus Fern Street Circus Lazer Vaudeville Les Productions Cirque Éos inc. Little Russian Circus Mexican International Circus Moscow State Circus Neil Goldberg’s Cirque The New Pickle Circus New Shanghai Circus Russian American Kids Circus Gamma Phi Circus The Great All-American Youth Circus Gregangelo & Velocity Circus Troupe Hiccup Circus Make*A*Circus The Flying High Circus Circus Ethiopia Circus Zapparelli Cirque Lili No Fit State Circus Swamp Circus NOT ALL CIRCUSES ADVERTISE ANIMAL FREE, so there are more! Jan Smuts Street, Cape Town 8001 021 421 8622
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