Animals in the Circus:

The Cruellest Show on Earth!

What is wrong with circuses?

Did you know that circus animals are chained, caged and transported from town to town? Did you know that circus animals are forced to live in cramped and totally unsuitable accommodation? It is for these reasons that AACT believe animal circuses are the cruellest show on earth!

Stardust Circus which was recently in Tasmania, had performing elephants, lions and monkeys. Large animals require a large amount of space in which to move. In the wild, elephants travel up to 40 kilometres a day. They also have mud baths and live in social groups. In the circus, these majestic animals are chained or confined to a small space and are only able to stand up, lie down or shuffle a few paces backwards and forwards. Lions and tigers are caged over 90 percent of the time. They too need to be able to socialise and roam freely.

AACT is opposed to the use of exotic animals in circuses and believes that it is impossible for the activities of wild animals in circuses to ever achieve any worthwhile goals in education, research or conservation.

In 1990 an animal behaviourist, Dr Marthe Kiley-Worthington published an independent scientific report on animals in circuses based on research largely funded by the RSPCA in the United Kingdom.

The data from the Report shows that in UK circuses wild animals spent the majority of their time in close confinement: big cats (tigers and lions) spent over 90% of their time in their night or travel quarters, which on average provided less than 0.5 cubic metres of space per animal; Elephants were found to be kept in close confinement for over 70% of the time.

The report also found evidence of high levels of abnormal (stereotypic) behaviours. These are defined as behaviours which are clearly not part of the species’ natural behaviour, and include undirected pacing, head-weaving and bar-biting. High levels of stereotypic behaviour are generally accepted as being indicative of stress and suggest that the conditions in which they are held do not allow adequate expression of the animals’ natural behavioural repertoire. All species of wild animals in the circuses studied in the UK report showed abnormal behaviour patterns, occupying up to 30% of their time.

In 1992 the Australian Capital Territory prohibited the use of circuses that contained some animals. These animals include bears, cheetahs, elephants, giraffe’s, leopards, lions pumas and tigers. In the ACT exotic animal circuses are banned!

Circuses are no place for animals! With your support we can have this barbaric practice stopped in Tasmania!

What Can You Do?

• Support circuses that do not have animals
• Write to your local council and/or the Tasmanian Government requesting that they ban animal circuses - email David Llewellyn, Attorney General: david.llewellyn@parliament.tas.gov.au