ANIMALS IN ENTERTAINMENT

 

 Animals that are used in entertainments are captives that are forced to endure punishment to perform confusing, painful, repetitive acts. Circuses would lose their appeal if people found out the cruel methods that are used train the animals, cramped confinement, bad travel conditions, and poor treatment that the animals undergo.

Most circuses travel 30,000 miles for 11 months and visits 140 cities in North America. Since circuses are constantly traveling from city to city most animals do not get the necessary care that they should. They probably don’t even get the basic necessities they need to survive very often such as food, water, and veterinary care. Most the animals that are very large and are usually active are forced to spend their lives in cramped cages and trailers used to transport them from act to act. They usually have only enough room to stand and turn around. Most of the animals are only let out of their cages for small periods of the day when they perform. Elephants are often kept in leg shackles so they don’t take more than one step in any direction. The requirements of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) are constantly ignored.

 

Monkeys are even treated very cruelly. Most monkeys are used to living in wild, large communities. They are highly social, intelligent, and caring animals. Monkeys like most of the animals in circuses usually do not perform unless forced. They are often forced to perform by beatings and solitary confinement. Keeping these animals in confinement during season and during off-season can have a huge impact on these animals. Most of the animals will suffer from physical and psychological problems. Unnatural forms like swaying, bobbing head, and pacing show these effects.

Physical punishment is the typical method for training these animals. Animals are beaten and whipped over and over again to make them perform. Some of the trainer’s even use drugs, remove the animal’s teeth and claws to make them more manageable. Former circus employees have reported saying that elephants are routinely violently beaten with bull hooks. Arc hele Hundley who was a trainer for Ringling Bros. circus says that she quit after 3 months after she saw a trainer ram a bull hook into an elephant’s ear because it refused to lay down.

 

These animals usually snap under pressure of constant abuse. Others even make their feeling clear when they get the chance. As more people become aware of the cruelty involved in forcing animals to perform, circuses that use animals are finding fewer places to set up their big tops. The use of animals in entertainment has already been restricted or banned in cities across the U.S. and in countries worldwide. For instance, Bolivia, Greece, Israel, Peru, and Sweden have banned the use of all animals in circuses, and Britain has prohibited the use of wild animals in traveling circuses.

                                               10 TIPS TO PREVENT CRUELTY TO ANIMALS

1.     Be a responsible pet owner. Know about and fulfil the needs of your pet. Don’t just concern yourself with basic needs – give your pet positive experiences that really enhance its well-being.

2.     Be an example of kindness to other pets. Foster a pet that has suffered abandonment. Sadly, many pets are relinquished to shelters for various reasons. Foster homes help these animals to recover and prepare them to move onto a new permanent loving home.

3.     Intervene if you witness animal cruelty, abuse or neglect. Do what you can to stop someone from mistreating an animal. However, be sensible and don’t put yourself in danger. If necessary, seek help from other witnesses.

4.    Report animal cruelty, abuse or neglect. If you witness any form of animal cruelty, report it to the police or other authorities. Act immediately to prevent further cruelty.

5.     Teach your children to have respect for animals. Set a good example by being respectful towards animals. Show children how to treat animals with love and consideration. Help them to grow up to become the next generation of advocates for animals.

6.     Demand stricter laws for the protection of animals. Stronger animal welfare laws and harsher penalties will lead to fewer cruelty cases.

7.     Shelter an animal in need. You can be the helping hand that an animal need. An animal that has been mistreated needs support, sometimes immediately. You can make a real difference by taking an animal out of a harmful situation.

8.     Consider that neglect of animals can be closely linked to domestic violence. Animal abuse and domestic abuse are often closely connected. By reporting your suspicions, you may also be helping both the animal in need and the family concerned. See also “The link between cruelty to animals and violence to humans”.

9.     Educate people around you about the issue. Help people to understand that they can intervene in situations where animals are being neglected or even tormented. Animals have a right to live without fear or pain, and we have a responsibility to step in if their rights aren’t respected.

10. Offer help to people who are overwhelmed with their animal. Animals aren’t necessarily neglected out of a lack of love. An owner may not have the psychological resources to provide an animal with the appropriate care. Whatever the reasons may be, an affected pet must be removed from a place of neglect and given the care it needs to live and thrive. Any help you give to an animal may help a human too.