Animals are very magnificent creatures. We, as a civilization, learn from them. We base inventions and protect ourselves in similar ways to them. In fact, when analyzing animals you can see that we share many things with these wild creatures. This begs the question then, why do we feel the need to use these beautiful creatures for our entertainment? When visiting the circus you can see people parading around on top of elephants, tigers jumping through hoops, and horses running around a ring with people standing on their backs. Many people do not the animals being trapped in cages or being tied up for hours at a time. They do not realize that the animals are constantly on the move for nine months out of the year in small cages where they cannot lay down. People cannot begin to imagine the suppression that these animals face on a day to day bases. This has to change though, the legal regulations of animals as circus performers should change because they endure abuse, emotionally and physically, which has negative effects upon their instincts causing danger for themselves and the people around them.

Upon hearing this, some people express rage and concern for the future of the tradition circus. Dea Birkett is a previous employee of the circus and she expresses a deep concern for the circus. Birkett sees the circus is a fantasy dreamland. Birkett worked as a circus showgirl who rode on the backs of elephants for years. Birkett lived on the site of her circus that was placed in England with the animals and other performers. Unlike traditional circuses, Birkett's circus did not travel the country. This is a unique case, in other circuses the animals have to deal with traveling conditions that leave them confined in small containers for weeks at a time. While the animals had some room to roam it still is not the kind of space the animals would have if they were not in the circus. Animals in the wild have miles to roam to where they choose and in their own time. Despite the fact that Birkett's case is unique, she explains that circus performers are unfairly accused of abusing the animals that they work with. She claims that the elephants she worked with were often treated better than her. Birkett gives a full account about how happy the animals she worked with were and even states how much love there was between the animals and trainers. This could be a true statement, however, just because it is true that one circus treats their animals fairly given the conditions, it does not mean that other circus follow this and cares for their animals as generously as Birkett claims her circus does.

 One of the major issues when looking into the care of the animals in the circus is the fact that it is never clear how the animals are treated. For example, in the article, "Caring for Circus Animals Carson & Barnes Circus." Barbara Byrd explains how the circus that she works for cares for the animals. Byrd states, "Animal safety procedures and security are provided around the clock for the protection of our animals, our employees and our patrons" (Byrd ppt 2). This statement is never expanded upon or proven with examples of how the animal's safety is insured. The entire article is filled with claims of good treatment and positive reinforcement of the circus but no examples are given on how this is executed. It is hard to trust articles like this after watching the video, Stop Circus Suffering, USA  you see circuses forcing animals to live in cramped spaces with no natural light, animals tied up to various trailers with no chance of moving or any chance of being comfortable. This is not the kind of environment that any animal should be forced to live in. This video by the Animal Defenders International shows worker in the circus giving no respect for the animals or their natural instincts. Profiting on the newborn tigers when the breeding of any animal in the circus is against the law. This video impacts it's viewers to see behind the sense at circuses. The sights are unsettling and the viewer begins to mistrust all of circus statements and claims of good nature.

A major problem with the circus is that there is never a guarantee that the animals in the circus would be treated well. There are many circuses all over the world and countries have many different laws and regulations. There is no way for the authorities to check if these regulations are being followed for every circus. This makes every situation different and complicated for the authorities. Since the authorities cannot always double check that the rules are being followed, it falls on the audience to see injuries and unfair treatment towards the animals. This means that the audience would have to go to the police station and file a report on the circus with the specific injury or account. Many people would not do this, choosing not to act against such a force as the circus, especially when it is just their word to support the abuse. Even if the audience was willing to report mistreatment to the police, the audience only sees the animals under flashing lights with bouncing colors swirling all over the place. With these conditions it is impossible to see injuries, and the audience is so distracted by the tricks and lights they cannot see the crack of the whip or the swing of a bull hook let alone any injuries that have marked their skin.

A bull hook is a tradition tool used to train elephants. It is made up of a sturdy wooden handle that acts as an extension of the elephant handler's hand. The nasty part is the handle ends in a wicked metal hook that is used to strike the elephants and can cause cuts and bruises. In an article written by PETA, they explain how they recorded a video providing evidence of the animals being physically abused when being trained for their performance. In the video you can see various animals screaming and running from a bull hook, often times questioning why the men keep hitting the animals over and over despite the animal's distress. This is not the only tool used in the circus' cruel training program. PETA also describes some circuses using electric probes to shock the animals until they preform correctly (Circuses ppt 2). In between the horrific training and routine circus performances the animals are locked up in small areas. Sometimes they are just tied up outside or chained in a barn. Corrine Henn in "How Life for a Circus Tiger Compares to the Life of a Wild Tiger" explains how small confined spaces have negative effects on a tiger's natural instincts. Henn states that the tigers in the circus are kept in close capacity with other tigers, unnatural compared to their natural habitat where they usually have miles to themselves. Wild tigers are not naturally a pack animal, being close to other tigers makes them aggressive, while the limited space to roam makes them depressed. These emotions cause the animals to act unpredictably which can lead to incidents in the future causing the handlers harm. 

A documentary called "Tyke Elephant Outlaw" follows exactly what harm causing animals under emotional stress can lead to. In Honolulu, Hawaii Tyke was an elephant apart of a circus performance who escaped in the middle of the act after mauling her handler and killing her trainer. Tyke ran rampant through the streets of Honolulu till she was shot down by the local police. As Tyke stopped her rampage after being shot eighty-seven times. As Tyke lays on the ground bleeding out slowly and painfully, many people look on in horror. This was the spark that lit a fire under the bed to ban animals from the circus. After this incident, the city of Honolulu tried to ban the performance of any circus that had animal performances after this. The city law lost by one vote, because a supporter of the ban could not show up. However, no circus with animals has performed in Honolulu since this event. Any circus with animal performers would not be supported by the audience in Honolulu, after they have seen such a tragedy from the circus before. This story gets sadder as you learn that Tyke was captured at a young age to perform in the circus. She was taken and separated from her family, which can cause depression in elephant, who are community based animals. You learn that she had lashed out to her handlers before the incident in Honolulu, and these handlers had advised the man who was last in charge of Tyke to not use her. His decision to use her in her final performance, cost him his life. This incident highlights that in a circus society, the animals are not put first. 

Another example of this mistreatment can be seen in the article "The Cruelest Show on Earth".  This article explains how a young Asian elephant's health was put on the back burner in order to perform the show. This young elephant, named Kenny, was clearly listless as the article states. He had avoided his food and water long enough to cause concern. Federal regulation states that sick elephants have to receive medical evaluations and a veterinarian's consent before performing in the circus. However, this did not happen and Kenny went on to perform in the morning show. By the afternoon, the article states that Kenny could hardly stand on his feet and had bloody diarrhea. After noticing these symptoms, the circus called a veterinarian to see Kenny. Upon inspection, the veterinarian suggest Kenny did not perform in the evening show. This veterinarian's advice was ignored and Kenny went on to perform in the circus for the evening show. Less than two hours after the performance, Kenny was found dead, shackled in his stall. Not only was a majestic animal's life sacrificed for a silly show but his last hours were spent shackled alone in a dark barn. 

All this death and destruction could be avoided if we did not choose to mistreat these powerful animals. Susan Nance discusses how we see elephants specifically, saying that they are viewed as such a loveable and kind animal but we see elephants as a powerful creature in a different situations. In "Entertaining Elephants: Animal Agency and the Business of the American Circus" Nance talks about how we have such contradicting views of the elephant. This makes a situations, such as the circus, much more dangerous. We see them as kind and caring when they are in the circus performing tricks, yet they are two tons of power waiting to burst. For example, many circuses display their animals as kind and willing to do all these tricks. Some circuses even place their animals where they can be touched by the crowded. This is a recipe for accidents that could involve the crowd and injuries that could vitally hurt a young child. When leaving a wild animal such as an elephant out in a flimsy pen where the audience can feed him and touch him there are countless things that can go wrong. The elephant could lash out and injure the audience. The circus may then decide to punish the elephant for doing nothing wrong but being a natural wild animal. This situation is a very slippery slope that can cause harm to the animal and the audience. A situation like this only comes from people thinking wild animals are actually tame.  We need to stop seeing wild animals like our pets and see them as what they are capable of doing. 

Bears, tigers, elephants, horses, and all the way down to the dogs running on and off rams, these are majestic animals that the circus uses purely for entertainment. They deserve our respect, our love, and our protection. Many of these animals are being threatened in their natural environment. Some of the animals you see working for the circus are heading towards extinction. There are only a few thousand tigers left in their natural environment (Henn ppt 11). In fact, there are more tigers in captivity than are in the wild. Meanwhile, in the wild, tigers are being hunted to become rugs, while some are just hunted for the sake of the hunter saying they killed a tiger. Elephants are being hunted for their horns for the ivory trade. Even though the buying and selling of ivory is illegal, the trade is still going on in the black market. Bears are being hunted for their fur and even worse, being hunted for sport alone. There are thousands of horses sent to the slaughterhouse every year. Stray dogs are killed in a dog killing festivals in Asia. Is this how we want to remember ourselves? That we killed off another species for sport or because we just could not care for them. We should protect them in their natural environment to ensure their future as a species. Instead of paying for tickets to see these animals humiliated with silly hats and tricks, we should donate to efforts protecting these animals. These animals deserve a better life, not in cages or being killed for sport. Life in captivity can sometimes ensure a horrible life for the animal.

When animals are captured or if an animal is bred in captivity, they cannot be released into the wild. This restriction, in addition to the fact that the animals are becoming scarce in their natural environment means we should call for the immediate ban of the capturing of animals. Animals that are already captured or have been bred in captivity deserve a chance to live a life similar to the one they would have in the wild. The author of "Beast Under The Big Top" states that the ban of animals in the circus is creating a pressure on sanctuaries and zoo to give these animals a home. However, this pressure is a good thing. This pressure will increase the demand for sanctuaries and zoo urging more people to create them. Animals that are currently in the circus could be relocated into zoo and animal sanctuaries. "Beast Under The Big Top" discusses how animals being taken from the circus need to rehabilitated, the perfect place is in a sanctuary. The author talks about how this is a long, expensive process that means that the caregivers have to be dedicated individuals who really care about the animals, ensuring that the animals get the time and attention they need. Animals need individuals that care for their wellbeing, instead of people who work for the circus and only care about their profit.  This article contains quotes from sanctuary caregivers who discus that even though this is a long expensive process, it is worth it to give these animals the life they deserve. Plus, when animals are placed in the care of people who respect them and their abilities as a wild animal both the animal and the caretakers are in a safer situation. 

Not only is it dangerous for the animals to remain in the circus, but the trainers and workers in the circus can be harmed as well. As previously discussed, in "Tyke Elephant Outlaw" the elephant, Tyke, ended up killing her trainer during the circus performance, in front of young children and many concerned parents. The elephant handler was also attacked but only sustained minor injuries before Tyke ran off to the streets. After escaping, Tyke caused damage on the streets, mostly to vehicles, no other humans were harmed. As stated in the documentary by several people, it seemed as though Tyke was targeting both her trainer and her handler. Tyke wanted to hurt these people. Animals in captivity can hold grudges and can carry out these grudges if given the opportunity. In addition, according to Henn, the author of "How Life for a Circus Tiger Compares to the Life of a Wild Tiger.", tigers are force to interact with each other during circus performance. This leads to aggression between tigers, especially males, which can lead to harm for the tiger trainer. The report states that an estimated there are around nine fatal and one and three fourths fatal interactions between tigers every year (Henn ppt 10). If these tigers were in the wild and had the space that they naturally need, this would not be a problem and there would be no unnecessary deaths.

One thing many people do not realize is that it is financially smarter to not include animals in the circus. Take for example Cirque Du Soleil, who has reinvented a version of the circus without animals. Cirque Du Soleil hires people to amaze and excite the audience. In the article "This Is How Cirque Du Soleil Reinvented the Circus." the authors discus how Cirque Du Soleil took the clowns, tent, and acrobatics of a traditional circus and turned it around to create something that could surpass the most traditional of circuses in just a matter of years. Cirque Du Soleil turned the circus into a more sophisticated place where not just the kids can enjoy the entertainment but the parents can as well. One of the things that makes Cirque Du Soleil popular is their dramatic shows with lights and amazing action scenes that put their acrobat's talents in the light. A traditional circus relies on animals to impress, but after a few shows it becomes predictable and very washed out because you already know what to expect. Traditional circuses spend the majority of their budget on the animals housing and food. Without animals to worry, Cirque Du Soleil has a massive budget that allows them to do entire shows under the water. If the animals were cut from the equations, circuses would have more room in the budget to entice their audience and improve their show. The circus would not disappear if the animals were cut from the situation. If anything the circuses would be able to expand their audience to older ages and create a classier show, such as the one that Cirque Du Soleil possesses. 

 While the circus may seem like a dream for people like Dea Birkett, it is a nightmare for the animals who are involved in it. Animals deserve to be respect in their natural environment where they can be truly wild as they were meant to be. There needs to be a change in the way we see animals. We should not see them as a source of amusement for ourselves and we should definitely not see an animal like elephants or tigers as things we can play with. These animals are intelligent and require space to roam and be free. They deserve a chance to create their own families and live in a herd if they wish or to have miles to themselves if they chose to. Without animals the circus will live on, but it will have to evolve with its audience. The animals will be relocated to sanctuaries and zoos to be rehabilitated and live out a life closer to the one they would have in the wild. Let's stop the capturing of animals and start to protect them in their natural environments. Animals can live peacefully with us, we do not have to control and cage them for our amusement.

