Circus Owners against French Government Ban of Wild Animal Acts

Instead of embracing a French government ban on wild animal performances, circus operators are crying “crocodile tears” for ending what used to be considered a French cultural tradition, and for sanctuaries allegedly not being equipped to ensure the welfare of  the animals in their care. The accreditation process for sanctuaries is  solidly based on the natural and financial requirements for the animals to be cared for.

In reality, circus owners are more concerned about their own potential loss of material well-being, once they can no longer brutally exploit wild animals. Elephants, big cats and other wild animals are still suffering from the wishful circus thinking that they attract large numbers of paying spectators. Fortunately, the general public has long recognized that trucking wild animals from town too town and forcing them to perform unnatural tricks can only be achieved by inflicting fear through cruel punishment.  27 European countries have banned wild animals in circuses. In November of 2019 Paris was the latest of 384 French communities to ban animal acts in circuses.  The only humane solution to taking care of retired elephants is to transfer them to  accredited sanctuaries.

The accreditation process and standards for sanctuaries are solidly based on the natural and financial requirements for the animals to be cared for. For example, none of the accredited sanctuaries for elephants are suffering from the short-comings and miserable conditions animals have to endure in circuses.

A  Eurogroup  for Animals science based study entitled Wild Animals in EU Circuses concludes:… “Life for wild animals in circuses does not constitute either a good lofe or a life worth living”  The time has come for circus owners to abandon a type of cruel entertainment dating back to Roman times, by retiring wild animals to accredited sanctuaries and by replacing the  exploitation of sentient and intelligent beings with imaginative human performances. If the Cirque de Soleil can do it successfully, there is no need for enslaving wild animals, or indeed any animals, to perform for a public increasingly rejecting this inhumane cruelty.

Photo Credits:  global elephants.org and elephants.com

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