Paula Fitzsimmon: The Ethical Use Of Circus Animals

“We need to ask ourselves: is it fair to make inherntly- wild animals preform unnatural behaviors- balance on balls, wear huamn clothes, jump out of water on comand… for our entertainment?” This was the question of Paula Fitzsimmons who is very passtionate about saving wild animals. She highlighted one of the serious issues that one hasn’t sat down and thought about. Although circuses have used animals for many years doesn’t mean the animals are treated like they should be. Initially, circuses are saying animals are doing their natural habits but standing on their heads is not anything close to their natural behavior. Additionally, elephants in the circus have also been known to run loose and carry tuberculosis. At the same time, animals in circus undergo horrible lives from the circus caretakers. However, it …show more content…
As a result, circus animals undergo bad lives and terrible conditions. Circus animals spend about 96% of their lives in cages and they travel 11 out of 12 months a year. During travel, animals endure “extreme temperatures” in their cages because there in co climate control. Equally as important, circus animal trainers have and use brutal ways to train their animals to do tricks. The instructors use tools like whips, bats, electric rods, clubs, chains, hammers, torches, pitchforks and many more. Trainers beat animals and hurt them so they will follow instructions and do tricks. To get bears to stand on their hind legs they burn their front paws so they won’t want to stand on them. A serious issue, is that since the animals are forced to follow the trainers they almost always get hurt during performances. Animals get scared to fail because this means being deprived of their limited supply of food or being beaten so they do these painful acts to entertain. Many tigers get burned when they jump through rings of fire. Until circuses change their standards, circus animals will continue to live in poor