Circuses don’t meet animals’ needs say researchers
The authors found that there was no evidence to suggest that the needs of wild animals can be met in circuses as “neither natural environment nor much natural behaviour can be recreated”. Despite claims by circuses that training and performing is a source of enrichment, this makes up just 1-9% of the day for animals and performances in particular can cause severe stress because of the noise, lights and audiences. The remaining time is spent in housing or exercise pens. CAPS’ observations of so-called exercise areas reveals that animals have limited time in these and they provide little extra space and stimulation than their normal housing. While the Bristol researchers state that the concerns raised warrant further studies, CAPS believes that sufficient evidence already exists to show that circuses cannot meet the needs of animals and that ethically such performances should not be allowed to continue. (Iossa, Soulsbury and Harris, Bristol University. 'Are wild animals suited to a travelling circus life?' Published in the journal Animal Welfare, March 2009.)
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Researchers from the University of Bristol have concluded that circuses fail to provide some of the most basic welfare needs of wild animals, such as space and social groups. They also found that scientific literature and other data were scarce, even to the extent that the origin of most animals in circuses and precise numbers kept are unknown. 