Cruelty in Circuses
In January ’99 the public were shocked when Mary Chipperfield, a famous circus trainer, was found guilty of 12 charges of cruelty to the animals under her care.
During an investigation by animals rights group, Animal Defenders she was secretly videotaped beating an 18-month-old chimpanzee with a riding crop. She later apologised for beating the chimp but ignored the severity of what she had done saying “I hit her a little too hard but I didn’t hurt her”. Yet during the tape the chimp is showed to be screaming and crying in pain.
This has given rise to the big question: should circuses have only human performers or should animals be involved too?
For
- Some people argue that this is a traditional form of entertainment that has brought enjoyment to people for years.
- They also believe that the animals enjoy showing off their tricks.
Against
- Many cases of trainers mistreating their animals have been revealed in recent years.
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Animals have to repeat the same shows daily which they could not enjoy.
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Animals deserve the right to be left in peace without having people staring at them and having to entertain them.
My Opinion
I myself believe that having animals in circuses is not only cruel but also very wrong. Have you ever considered what life is actually like for the circus animals? Is it fair to keep a tiger caged up for hours in a day when in their natural state they would be roaming the African plains? Tigers and lions usually live and travel in cages 4 feet by 6 feet by 5 feet.
Is it right for these animals to be denied proper exercise? It is impossible for circuses to provide acceptable exercise areas for elephants - in fact elephants spend much of their time chained by their legs to boards, sometimes two or three legs are chained. The chains are usually covered by bedding and may not be easily visible. All circuses would have to close if the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 applied to circuses as well as zoos.
Animals in circuses do not encourage children to learn more about wild creatures, instead encourage people to laugh at animals. In contrast to the glitter associated with circuses, performing animals' lives are pretty miserable. Because animals do not naturally ride bicycles, stand on their heads, or jump through rings of fire, whips, electric prods, and other tools are often used to force them to perform.
Removing animals from circuses will not destroy a traditional form of entertainment. The alternative is circuses without animals. People could still go and enjoy themselves, safe in the knowledge that they are not promoting a distressing cruelty to animals.
What do you think?
Should animals be left in peace to enjoy life in the wild or should traveling circuses remain?
If you have any views on this matter email.
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