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Circuses: No Fun f or Animals

‘But for the use of physical punishment by, and fear of, their oppressors, animals would never be a part of a circus.’ - Richard Pryor, American actor and
comedian
For more on animal
experimentation,
Animals forced to travel and perform with circuses lead lives of misery. Unlike the human artists, the animals do not choose to spend their time please read PETA' s
in this way. Their handlers make them do what they would never normally do through the use of fear, pain and hunger. When animals are not Fact she e t s.
performing, they are confined to cages barely larger than their own bodies. When they become ill, they rarely receive proper veterinary care
—not one circus in India has a veterinarian travelling with it.

Lif e in a Travelling Circus

In their natural homes, animals spend much of their time travelling, hunting or foraging for food, taking care of their
young and spending time with members of their families. All this is denied them in circuses. Instead of being in
charge of their own movement, they are chained and caged for most of the day and night. Their only exercise is
during training sessions and performances, when they are intimidated into doing acts that are unnatural to them.
Chimpanz ees are forced to ride bicycles, bears are made to ‘dance’, elephants are made to stand on their heads
and tigers are frightened into jumping through flaming hoops.

When the show is over, the animals are shoved back into their cages or shackled, loaded onto lorries and taken to
the next town. There is never a break from the endless travel.

Z o o s and Aq uaria:
Humane organisations investigating circuses have found that trainers starve and beat animals to make them do what they
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want. Whips and electric shock prods are used to keep animals under control. Bears may have their noses broken or their
Sanct uarie s
paws burned to force them to stand up on their back legs. Trainers sometimes starve animals for days before a performance
to make them willing to work for food. The animals go from fear and pain during performances and training to the
excruciating boredom of their cages. This terrible pattern causes neurotic behaviour patterns, such as endless pacing, self-
mutilation and constant rocking.

Cruelt y t o Animals in Indian Circuses

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 • R ajkamal C ircus, B ang alo re : According to People for Animals Bangalore, in 2002, animals were found crammed
inside rusted cages, filthy with their own waste. One lion was missing an eye, and several animals had untreated
wounds.
• G rand N at io nal C ircus: In 2002, PETA India inspectors found that animals were kept in small cages with no
space to move around. Four lion cubs were all crammed into a small cage. Elephants were driven mad by being
constantly chained. None of the animals had access to food or water.
• T he Emp ire C ircus: In 2002, it travelled with 10 tigers, 10 lions and a Himalayan bear in violation of the Supreme
Court ruling banning the Circus Federation of India from using lions, tigers, panthers, bears and monkeys in their
shows. Elephants were forced to spend all their time shackled by three feet; horses were kept tied with short ropes
and unable to move freely; dogs lived miserably in tiny cages and cockatoos were kept in small cages without even
a perch so that they were forced to cling to the sides of the cage. PETA India filed a report on all this cruelty with the
Animal Welfare Board of India immediately.
• K o hino o r C ircus : In 2002, animals were found with injuries from transport in cramped, unsafe cages, and there were endangered
animals, including a pregnant Royal Bengal tiger, in violation of a Supreme Court ruling that bans the exhibition and training of
endangered animals.
• G re at R o yal C ircus: Of this circus’s four chimpanz ees, ranging in age from 10 to 43 years, who were
forced to travel and perform, two were found this year to be suffering from injuries and illness. One
chimpanz ee, 22- year- old Lakshmi could not sit or stand and was discovered lying in a bloodstained
bed. After she was rescued by Blue Cross Chennai and People for Animals Chennai, a veterinary exam
showed that she was paralyz ed. She died soon after.
• G e mini C ircus: In 2002, this circus kept horses, camels and elephants from moving by tying their hind
legs. Dogs were made to live in cramped wooden enclosures, and all the cages and food dishes were
filthy.
• Jumb o C ircus: Inspectors found a chained chimpanz ee frantically pulling and jerking to escape, a hippopotamus with diseased eyes
and Indian parrots kept without proper ownership certificates.

Laws Not Enf orced

There are laws designed to protect animals in circuses, including the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of
1960 (PCA Act), the Performing Animals (Registration) Rules of 2001 under the PCA Act, the Wild Life
Protection Act of 1972 (WLPA) (as amended in 1991), the International C.I.T.E.S. (Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species) treaty that protects endangered animals and provisions under
the Indian constitution. But the laws are rarely enforced. Officials look the other way when circuses come to
town.

The former union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Maneka Gandhi, banned the use of bears, monkeys, tigers, lions and panthers
in circuses in October 1998. Still, most circuses in India disregard this law. Some circuses refuse to give up the banned animals and demand
financial compensation even though they are breaking the law.

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Humane organisations and individuals can force officials to enforce the laws. PETA has filed cruelty and neglect charges against circuses and
has rescued 18 lions, 10 tigers and a liger (lion/tiger cross) from the G rand N at io nal C ircus and the Emp ire C ircus. Follow the links to learn
more.

Circuses Hurt People, Too

Every year, animals in circuses all over the world snap from the stress and pain of their lives and attack their handlers and members of the
audience.

• In January 2002, in Nallasopora, a tiger in the Grand National Circus slapped a small child with his
paws. The circus had set up the cages housing lions and tigers in an open area used as a playground
by children living nearby.
• In March 2001, in Kamarkundu, a tiger mauled a worker at the Olympic Circus while the animal was
being forced to jump through a fireball soon after the show began.
• In December 2000, in West Bengal, a tiger trainer was mauled to death by three tigers during an act
that required nine tigers to jump over her and then pass through a ring.

It is impossible for circuses to keep these animals in such a way that completely protects the audience and trainers.

You Can Help

• Never pay to see a circus with animals.

• Write a letter to the editor of your local newspapers, detailing the cruelty as well as the laws that are
being violated. Call your local television stations and ask them to air messages about cruelty at the
circus.
• Write to the following policy- makers to enforce the ban on the use of bears, monkeys, tigers, lions and
panthers, to ensure that all the rules of the PCA are followed and to stop animals from

a. The Minister, Ministry of Environment And Forests, Paryavaran Bhawan, CGO Complex, Lodi Road,
New Delhi 110 003
b . The Animal Welfare Board of India, Post Box No.8672, Third Seaward Road, Valmiki Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai 600 041; 044-
4454935, 4454958
c. The State Wild Life Departments
d . The Indian Circus Federation, WB 83/C Shalimar Bagh, Delhi
e . The Member Secretary, Central Z oo Authority, Bikaner House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi 110 003

If you learn that an animal circus is coming to your area, contact city officials and the media and ask that the shows be cancelled.
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Find out if banned animals (lions, tigers, panthers, bears) are kept by the circus. PETA can guide you about what actions to take.

Organise a demonstration to educate circus- goers about how animals are treated behind the scenes. PETA can supply posters, leaflets and
video footage to show on a TV screen outside the venue and to give to the media.

C lick he re for a checklist of what to look for when a circus comes to your town.

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