Ringling Brothers!

[ZenGum]

*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.

[Pico and ME]

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

[Clodfobble]

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.

[Pico and ME]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

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.

Yeah, I'm just a conflicted bitch.

[xoxoxoBruce]

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

[be-bop]

I know for a fact that no council authority will issue any licence to allow a circus to open and perform in the UK if they have animal acts.
There was an interview from a circus owner in our local paper last year who actually has two versions ongoing 1,people only for the UK and 2 people and animal acts for Europe.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of performing animal acts I feel there's something missing in a circus that has no animals.
But hey times change and today the P C brigade's in charge so the magic for the kids is no longer there..

[sweetwater]

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.

[Sundae]

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.

[Pico and ME]

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

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.

[Chocolatl]

Watching people commit feats of strength and endurance with grace and comedic timing is often just as magical as watching the animals, if not more so. I know as a kid I was always most impressed with the acrobats and trapeze artists, but that's not to say I don't treasure the memory of riding an elephant.