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Circuses: Three Rings of Abuse

Although the issue of animal suffering under the big top has gained much needed attention in recent years, many animals still suffer from a dismal life of domination, confinement, and violent training. As long as these beautiful, intelligent, and social animals are enslaved in a vicious industry that values profit over common decency, organizations such as Mercy For Animals will continue to expose the circus slave trade for what it truly is.

Circus-goers rarely get a glimpse of the harsh treatment endured by animals held captive in the circus. "Trainers" routinely beat, shock, and whip captive animals to make them perform ridiculous tricks that they cannot comprehend. Violence and intimidation are part of everyday life for animals in the circus. In a sworn affidavit to the USDA, Glen D. Ewell, a former employee of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, stated "Randy took a bullhook and began beating Nicole in the head, on the trunk and behind the front foot...until the handle of the bullhook shattered. Adam began beating her on the lumbar and hindquarter area on the right-side." Furthermore, another former employee of Ringling Bros. stated during his congressional testimony on June 13, 1999 "After my three years of working with elephants in the circus, I can tell you that they live in confinement and they are beaten all the time when they don’t perform properly."

In addition to the use of violence and intimidation, the circus also harms animals by depriving them of their basic needs to exercise, roam, socialize, forage, and play. Stereotypical behaviors such as swaying back and forth, head-bobbing, pacing, bar-biting, and self-mutilation are common signs of mental distress displayed by animals in the circus.

Unfortunately, laws protecting animals in traveling shows are inadequate and poorly enforced. The Animal Welfare Act establishes only minimum guidelines, and even these meager standards are often ignored. 

Furthermore, the use of dangerous animals in performances jeopardizes public safety and often puts children at great risk. Since 1990, 57 people have been killed and more than 120 seriously injured by captive elephants. One of the most notorious incidents occurred on August 20, 1994, when Tyke, an elephant with Circus International, killed her trainer and injured a circus groom along with a dozen spectators during a performance in Honolulu, Hawaii. Tyke had run amok just before her performance, breaking out of the arena and leading police on a chase down several city blocks until they shot her to death with almost 100 bullets. 

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