Why Animals Should Be Excluded From Circuses Essay Example

Animal circuses entail the exhibitions performed with animals for entertainment and profit. Circuses offer the public with amusements and display regarding an array of clowns, daredevils, and acrobatics. It should be noted that animal circuses have existed since the medieval times in various forms. Although not all entertainments involve animals, most of them use animals to create amusement and joy to the public. However, such practices have faced a lot of controversy regarding the manner in which animals are used. Opponents of such entertainment argue that animals are denied their rights. On the other hand, some people say that animal circuses are vital as they create entertainment and joy as a role for animals which means that they must be protected. However, circuses have denied animals important rights implying that most animals obey the rules to avoid punishment hence ends up being mistreated.

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Animals do not just jump through the rings of fire or even perform various acts naturally; they must be trained to do so. In most scenarios, animals go through rigorous processes in training. In this regard, training essentially transpires through negative reinforcement including physical abuse. Although some circuses claim that training ensures positive support, the reality is to the contrary. Considering that animals undergo training in secluded areas, then it is hard to ascertain the conditions in which they are kept (Gary, 1994). In most scenarios, the exercise violates the Animal Welfare Act including the hiring of untrained or unlicensed animals. Studies have indicated that a lack of training has been one of the significant causes of mistreatment (Lee & Waters, 1999). In this regard, animals should be excluded from circuses since most trainers subject them in adverse conditions that violate their rights. It should also be noted that animals are mostly denied time and room for exercise, as well as food and other necessities which depict cruelty to animals that should not be tolerated.

Circuses are mostly traveling in nature from different places for the exhibitions which imply that animals are regularly subjected to road confinement for months in small as well as barren cages. In most confinements, the animals live in filthy as well as dilapidated enclosures and sometimes even being chained in a particular position for a whole day (Tresl, 1998). Such confinements save for denying them freedom, also enhance spreading of various forms of sickness as well as massive temperature fluctuations that can be adverse to them. For example, eight elephants died in 1997 due to heat prostration (Humane Society of the United States). In this regard, while the circus personnel argues that they always maintain good care for animals, most conditions have been intolerable for the animals. The environment that the animals are mostly confined to deny the animals' environment for physical exercise needed, among other social and ecological freedoms that are imperative to the animals. In this regard, animals should be excluded from such torture and denial of fundamental freedom.

Animals used in circuses are mistreated in canned hunt facilities when their servitude ends as they are deemed unprofitable. The canned hunt facilities offer the illusion of hunting the dangerous or even a former circus animal where they are killed at close range (Ireland, 2002). In this regard, the animals live in captivity where they continue to depend on humans for food and other privileges. Such animals cannot escape since there are no escape roots. Therefore, animals used in circuses exist in people's mercy and even their end comes more painfully. Although animal protection through legal means tries to establish anti-cruel means of handling them, most animals are canned hunted thereby impacting on their solitude. Such activities have threatened endangered species as well as others particularly the ones which are not covered by Endangered Species Act legally (Moore, 2007). In this regard, animal circuses should not involve animals so that animals can have their space and freedom.

Finally, circuses pose not only threats to the animals but also a danger to the animal performers. In some instances, animal escapes from the confinement during the entertainment and cause damage and destruction of property and people. In some cases, the rampages caused by the escape are deadly for the circus staff, performers, and even the public circus goers (Girgen, 2003). For example, an elephant killed one of its handlers in 1994 when it escaped confinement. Other instances including situations where chimpanzee bit a child have been reported. Such animals are later killed by officers brutally to avoid further destruction. Such cases demonstrate that circuses are harmful to both the animals and the people around them, hence should be avoided. Most of those instances take place when animals and performers are poorly trained. However, most business people prefer poor training to maximize earnings. Such economic aspects demonstrate that animal circuses should be discouraged.

Conclusion

Conclusively, circuses involve physical punishment to terrify animals so that they can perform thereby violating their rights. From the discussion, it can be concluded that animals are beaten, whipped, and shocked against the secure protection code to implement the tricks. In other instances as noted in the analysis, animals are drugged, and even their claws and teeth removed thereby causing them chronic pain. In this regard, circuses involve barbaric abuse of the animals which should not be tolerated. Despite the establishment of various animal protection acts, globally and locally, animals have been engaged in unethical practices during training as well as actual performances which should be discouraged considering animal rights.

References

Gary, L. F. (1994). Animals, Property and Legal Welfarism: "Unnecessary" Suffering and the "Humane" Treatment of Animals. 46 Rutgers L. Rev. 721-763.

Girgen, J. (2003). The Historical and Contemporary Prosecution and Punishment of Animals. 9 Animal L. 97-129.

Humane Society of the United States, Circuses. Retrieved from: http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/issues_facing_wildlife/circuses/

Ireland, L. (2002). Canning Canned Hunts: Using State and Federal Legislation to Eliminate the Unethical Practice of Canned "Hunting." 8 Animal L. 223-224.

Lee, H., & Waters, H. (1999). From Property to Person: The Case of Evelyn Hart, 11 Seton Hall Const. L.J. 1, 54 n.240 (2000) (citing Helen Johnstone, Chipperfield Admits She was Wrong to Whip Chimp, The Times (London), Home News.

Moore, E. (2007). Note, "I'll Take Two Endangered Species, Please": Is the Commercialization of Endangered Species a Valid Activity that should be permitted under the Endangered Species Act to Enhance the Survival of the Species? , 75 Geo. Wash. L. Rev. 627-635.

Tresl, J. (1998). The Broken Window: Laying Down the Law for Animals, 26 S. Ill. U. L.J. 277, 291-92 (2002) (citing Valerie Stanley, The Animal Welfare Act and USDA: Time for an Overhaul, 16 Pace Envtl. L. Rev. 103-108.