Circus

Animals used in circuses all over the world spend their isolated lives in tiny, arid cages without normal exercise or socialization. They are lugged from place to place in truck trailers and chained for up to 95% of their life.

Many show signs of depression and develop neurotic behavior to compensate for the stress and distress inflicted on them by detention and deprivation. Acts without function or apparent purpose demonstrate chronic suffering due to living conditions that are in total contradiction with the needs of wildlife. For example: felines circle around in their tiny prison, elephants swing endlessly from left to right, monkeys hopping in place, giraffes lick walls, others nibble on bars.

No wild animal does well in a circus. Animals are encouraged to do unnatural, even dangerous things, not for the promise of reward, but because they fear punishment. Indeed, domination, and pain are an integral part of their training. They are beaten, whipped and torn by metal sticks with or without picks, chains and other tools, given electric shocks and deprived of food to force them to perform acts that are meaningless to them.