The Show Must Not Go On

When children are taken to a circus or a theatrical show that uses animals at a young age, it is imprinted into their minds that animals are for our entertainment. That’s what they are for. To please humans is their main purpose. The bright lights and exciting music makes these few hours of fun and laughs seem that that is all there is to it. That when the curtain falls, everyone packs up and goes home with smiles on their faces.

As Peter Singer, Author, Philosopher and Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University stated, “When children see animals in a circus, they learn that animals exist for our amusement. Quite apart from the cruelty involved in training and confining these animals, the whole idea that we should enjoy the humiliating spectacle of an elephant or lion made to perform circus tricks shows a lack of respect for the animals as individuals.”

This misconstrued idea of how animals are treated in the entertainment business is detrimental to the wellbeing of animals and the mistreatment and inability to reach animals basic needs needs to become common knowledge. Theatrical shows with the inclusion of animals come in many forms. Most commonly known forms of the use of animals in entertainment would most likely be animals in circuses, which is displayed in “Stardust Circus”, Australia’s largest animal circus. Using lions, monkeys, horses and ponies to put on a show for families around Australia, they travel around the country using these animals as a selling point. On the Stardust Circus website in their animal welfare information, it is stated that in a 2007 investigation in the UK by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that no scientific evidence was found to demonstrate that travelling circuses could not meet non-domestic animal’s welfare needs. Yet in a 2009 study done by the University of Bristol, “Are wild animals suited to a travelling circus life?”, “confirms that it is impossible to satisfy the behavioural and welfare needs of exotic animals in travelling circuses” (Animals Australia, n.d). The confinement of animals into trailers when they are being transported to then be forced into tricks by fear is so inhumane. Although this torture is still occurring, with a growing list of countries banning animals in circuses, the progress is clearly evident (http://www.stopcircussuffering.com/circus-bans/ ).

SeaWorld is one of the most commonly mentioned when discussing animals in theatrical shows. When “Blackfish” aired in 2013, it brought light to the abuse and confinement that whales in SeaWorld faced that lead to unnatural behaviours and unnatural adaptions such as intense irritable behaviour and collapsed dorsal fins. With this incredible awareness, SeaWorld’s visitations dropped massively and earlier this year in March, SeaWorld announced that there would be no more theatrical shows and orca breeding ( https://seaworldcares.com/Future ) . With SeaWorld being so well known, this was a massive step for animal rights activists but there is still so much to be done.

Tigers and lions being drugged to be photographed with tourists in Thailand and Indonesia. Dolphins being confined into chlorinated pools in Bali. So much more that the media sheds no light on.

Whether you believe animals are treated this way or if you believe that their basic needs are met when they are confined to this lifestyle, I think we can all agree that animals deserve the best life possible. They deserve to be able to explore new places every day. They are not ours, and we need to give them their lives back.

Bibliography

Seaworld. (2016). A Vision for SeaWorld | SeaWorld Cares. [online] Available at: https://seaworldcares.com/Future [Accessed 4 May 2016].

Stardust Circus. (2016). Animal Welfare - Stardust Circus. [online] Available at: http://stardustcircus.com.au/animal-welfare/overview/ [Accessed 11 May 2016].

Calderwood, I. (2016). Shocking video shows tourists posing with a ‘drugged’ lion. [online] Mail Online. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3527973/Shocking-video-shows-tourists-posing-drugged-lion-holiday-snapshots-Indonesian-zoo-proud-beast-rolls-appears-fight-stay-awake.html [Accessed 10 May 2016].

Stop Circus Suffering. (2016). Circus bans - Stop Circus Suffering. [online] Available at: http://www.stopcircussuffering.com/circus-bans/ [Accessed 3 May 2016].

Animals Australia. (2016). Exotic animal circuses. [online] Available at: http://animalsaustralia.org/issues/circuses.php [Accessed 10 May 2016].

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