I am really surprised to still see animals in your circus.
I'm 90% sure none tour with animals in the UK now - certainly not with big cats.

The trend here is definitely human only - the Chinese State Circus sells out wherever it goes.

RBBB makes a big deal out of the fact that they deal with their animals humanely. Their elephants in particular are billed as a conservation effort. I think one would be hard pressed to find animals that are cared for any better than the RBBB animals. After all, they're making money on them, and skimping on the maintenance is a bad idea.

It was the one thing where there was absolutely no protection in case of fall...no way to do it, as far as I could see. If one stumbles while atop one of those cages, one is going to be flung and squished.

I really had my doubts about how they'd come out. My camera is a very poor performer in low light (as evidenced by the lack of crystal sharp focus in some of the shots), but overall, I was really pleased with how they came out. I may try to do some of the video I shot as well and post it later on.

Aren't they mean to the elephants, or something?

For people like PETA, that believe animals should be left in their natural environment, yes. To rational people, no.

Everybody gets to look like Bart Simpson.

I've been waiting for the PETA response. The care of the early circus animals did spark a animal rescue/humane treatment movement, but I do believe they are highly regulated now.

*SOME* circuses are mean to animals - for example, elephants are group animals and to keep an elephant without company is, if not cruel, at least unkind.
Making them do two-leg poses and such puts strain on their joints which causes long term problems.

But then, NATURE is frequently cruel to animals. Is life as a circus animal any better or worse that life as a wild animal, with famines, predators, droughts, rivals, illness, etc?


Oh, and my mate was in a three ring circus once. Him and two other arseholes.
This circus may differ.

I feel sorry for people who cant feel even a tinge of guilt when they see a caged animal.

I feel sorry for people who think that way, and yet think that the tinge of guilt they feel is enough to absolve them of their self-imposed responsibilities.

I just read "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen on the flight here. (I'm in Tokyo). The book is placed in a train circus and shares background stories and histories of circuses. circi? Anyway, great pix & thanks for sharing them. The tiger photo was especially fun.

I do think it is cruel to show big cats in a circus ring.
No matter how well the animals are treated they have to suffer from the life of constant change and appearing in front of noisy crowds on a regular basis.

My cat is fully domesticated from centuries of being kept as a pet and I still feel rotten that my personal circumstances have meant he's been dragged from pillar to post this last year. I take comfort in the fact that we do have a genuine bond (again, due to the fact he's fully domesticated) and I think he knows he's safe with me.

I don't judge anyone else, and so I don't campaign against animals in circuses. But I absolve myself by not going to see any circuses with animals in them. Luckily this is the trend in the UK now.

I went to the zoo recently, about a month ago. I enjoyed it and took lots of pictures, but I also felt an underlying unease and struggled with a few conflicting feelings. I love being able to see animals up close but I also feel sorry for them because they live a 'caged' and limited life. Most of them do not know any better because they have lived their whole life in captivity, but I still feel uncomfortable with the notion that its our 'right' as a species to treat animals this way. I realized that I was contributing to this 'arrogance' by being there with my camera, but I also acknowledged the fatalism of the whole situation....as long as there are animals for humans to catch, there will be zoos to see them in. :shrug:

SG, I think Im going to emulate your approach and just not go anymore.

Yeah, I'm just a conflicted bitch.

Eat them, and put their stuffed hides in the zoo... problem solved. :yum: