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Hilda Garcia

Mrs. Litle

ENG 121-002

15 November 2018

Secrets Behind the Circus

As a child seeing a circus ad is one of the most exciting things and brings up so much

anticipation: exotic animals, cotton candy, visual enjoyment, and excitement. Not only does the

audience get to see wild animals, but they also get to see them do tricks. As a child, my parents

took me to the circus that included exotic animals. One memory in particular was where I rode an

elephant with my siblings. The line to ride the elephant stretched farther than I could see. It was

scary being so high up and was unlike any other experience I have ever encountered. However, I

now remember it as bittersweet memories due to the realization of maltreatment of circus animals.

I now see that the pointed stick in the ringleader’s hand was a bull hook and was not just leading

the elephant but forcing it to through pain. I can’t speak to all animals but from my research I have

come to believe that wild animals have no home in the circus. That a circus without wild animals

can be just as stimulating.

Although there are many circuses in the United States, not all include endangered animals

or mistreat their animals. People continue to go to circuses because it allows for an opportunity to

see wild animals, this also allows for a circus to prosper. Cirque du Soleil, is a nontraditional

circus that rid away from the use of wild animals. This circus is more financially competitive

“Cirque’s productions to date have been seen by some 150 million people in over three hundred

cities around the world.” (Maborgne pg.1). They don’t rely on revenue coming in from exotic
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animals but rely on their borrowed Broadway acts. They continue to some traditional aspects such

as a tent, clowns, and acrobatic acts. Circus animals can sometimes consist of endangered animals;

these animals not only face abuse but are locked in cramped cages or chained. Like many other

species, animals have emotions, and these harmful habitats and living conditions the animals are

subjected to and forced to endure can cause psychological damage. Due to such a cruel

environment the result can lead to unexpected deaths. None of these animals are endemic to North

America and are solely used for profit. Most live in inhumane conditions until they are no longer

convenient.

Animal rights activists like Claudine Wilkins have been trying for many years to stop

circuses from using endangered animals for the use of entertainment. She published Circus Animal

Abuse in 2016, explaining animal advocates main concerns are the abusive training tactics,

inadequate veterinary care, and the extinction of certain species. Many of these endangered

animals include lions, tigers, and elephants. Although elephants are circuses main attraction,

“There are estimated to be less than 450,000 African and between 35,000 and 45,000 Asian

elephants left in the wild.” (Wilkins para. 2). With the data, this should be an urgency to remove

wild animals from the circus. Without taking action, we will soon live in a world without

fascinating creatures.

Elephants are known to be social and intelligent and often display their emotions. Baby

elephants normally stay with the mother for two to four years. In circuses, babies are forcefully

taken from their mothers and are trained with negative reinforcement such as bull hooks, electric

pods, and whips to learn various circus tricks. Learning tricks such as balancing on a small

pedestal, can cause the elephant knee and foot problems. Unfortunately for tigers, in the United

States there are more held in captivity rather than roaming free, “...Asia, there are estimated to be
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only approximately 3,200 left, whereas in captivity there may be as many as 5,000” (Wilkins

para.3). Lions are like elephants, they are social. At an early age, cubs are ripped from their mothers

to be “socialized to accept human contact” (Wilkins para.4). When the endangered cats are no

longer beneficial or misbehave, circuses sell them to the highest bidder. Typically, these creatures

are sold to trophy hunters “hunts can range from $24,000 to over $71,000 for an African lion…”

(Shultz pg.1)

Within the writing, “The Cruelest Show on Earth”, Deborah Nelson exposes one of the

world’s largest circuses. The Ringling Bros is one of the most successful circuses in the United

States. Their circus has many performances, but their main attraction is the elephants act. Although

they are known for their great show, very few really know what goes on behind closed doors to

their animals. The Ringling Bros, have been under many undercover investigations by animal

advocates. They have released heartbreaking videos (Circus pg.1) showing trainers abusing

elephants. Although there was footage, the USDA demanded there was not enough evidence to

act. Within the text, it also explained how a baby elephant named Kenny suddenly died. Still the

Feld Entertainment did not announce the death until it was a worker who told activist. Elephants

are very similar to humans, they are intelligent and have long memories. They also have the

capability to celebrate, mourn, and empathize. Ringling elephants spend their long lives in chains

or on a train, “…elephants traveled 26 hours on average. Some legs extended past 70 hours without

a break. The longest stretch:100 hours…” (Jones pg.55). The data proves that a circus is no home

for a wild animal.

According to Earth Island Journal, a British circus was fined thousands of pounds in court

costs for abusing their animals. The news outbreak from this situation made the British public very

upset, causing them to demand for changes in human laws. With the help of undercover
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investigators, videotaped footage showed trainers beating elephants, horses, tigers and camels.

Within the text it also states how a chimpanzee named Trudy was terribly treated. Her death was

brought to many attentions. We too can make change through principle by instilling harsher

penalties for those mistreating their animals, and/or by banning the use of altogether.

The objective of this paper is not to push people away from circuses, but to renovate the

treatment of all performers including animals and the way we see the circus. Circus Smirkus,

Cirque du Soleil, Flying Fruit Fly Circus, Circus Varga and many others alike are all circuses

that don’t exploit the use of exotic animals for entertainment. Spinning clowns, double-decker

bikes, flying trapeze artists, and insane death-defying acrobatic stunts intrigue audiences to

where wild animals aren’t even a thought. Reimagine what a circus can be.
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Works Cited

“The Circus of the Scars.” Earth Island Journal, vol. 15, no. 1, Spring 2000, p. 15. EBSCOhost,

libdb.ojc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=2757

186&site=eds-live.

Nelson, Deborah. “The Cruelest Show on Earth.” Mother Jones, vol. 36, no. 6, Nov. 2011, p. 48.

EBSCOhost,libdb.ojc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pw

h&AN=67055265&site=eds-live.-

Wilkins, Claudine. “Circus Animal Abuse”. Animal Law Source , 2016,

animallawsource.org/wpcontent/uploads/2016/09/Circus-Animal-Abuse-

FINAL.pdf.[HG1] accessed 1 Oct. 2018.

Mauborgne, Renée. “This Is How Cirque Du Soleil Reinvented the Circus.” Quartz, Quartz, 20 Mar.

2015, qz.com/366601/this-is-how-cirque-du-soleil-reinvented-the-circus/.

Schultz, Andreas. “Trophy Hunting.” Wild Animal Life Expectancy, Four Paws, www.four-

paws.us/campaigns/wild-animals-/trophy-hunting/.