Circuses
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Introduction
Many of us grew up enjoying the circus and got excited when our parents announced it was that time of year. But most of us had no idea about the systemic, recurring abuse to the animals that went on behind the scenes in order to get them to perform for our entertainment. But it shouldn't be surprising, as the exploitation of animals is virtually always associated with mistreatment and abuse.
In this article, we give some background about circuses and their popularity. We highlight some of the abuses the animals have been made to endure, and how we know about those abuses. We discuss anti-circus activism and share some information about circuses that have stopped operating and why they said they stopped. Finally, we discuss the success of some alternatives to the traditional animal-based shows.
Background Information
suggestions: * briefly, who are the big circuses, how large are they, and where do they operate * maybe a list of smaller circuses * what circuses are still in business
Abuses
Activism
* organized protests * legal actions? * form of activism 3? * form of activism 4?
An Industry in Decline
Alternatives
* You can discuss the success of alternatives * Cirque du Soleil * Others?
Other Editorial Notes * This is not written in stone. Ping your editor. * It is not necessary to show that circuses and attending circuses are not vegan. * I'm thinking there should probably not be a separate section on investigations; rather, investigations should be mentioned under abuses. * There should be subheadings for many, probably most, of the headings. I'll leave those to the author. Ping your editor if you want guidance or approval for a section's subheadings.
