Circuses
Contents
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 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 also give a bit of history about circuses that have stopped operating and why they did. Finally, we discuss the success of some alternatives to the traditional animal-based.
