Existing regulations have failed animals such as Anne, the elephant kicked and beaten in a UK circus. We need a ban now
My Jamaican heritage and African roots make it impossible for me to ignore the historical similarities between cruelty to my own ancestors and cruelty to animals in circuses today. The mindset that has permitted atrocities to be inflicted on humans is the same mindset that allows the abuse of animals to occur. Just as my ancestors were beaten and exploited, so are the zebras, lions, tigers, camels and other animals used in circuses. Just as my ancestors had families, feelings and emotions, so do animals. In fact, when I strip away the material stuff around me, I see that I, too, am an animal. We are family.
Treated as if they were equipment, animals who are forced to travel and perform in circuses are routinely deprived of proper care and become sick, listless and depressed. Many develop neurotic behaviour from the stress and abuse and die far short of their expected lifespan. They spend the vast majority of their lives crammed into transport cages or boxcars and are hauled around from one venue to the next. UK laws require that animals be given a good quality of life. But the rigours of transport, cruel training techniques and other stresses of circus life make that impossible.
Many of my ancestors were imprisoned without cause and spent their lives deprived of everything that was important and meaningful to them: the freedom of choice, independence and autonomy. This is exactly what life is like for animals used in circuses. They have no choice when it comes to their living conditions or what creatures they live and interact with, and they are punished when they don't toe the line. They have no control over any aspect of their own destiny.
Animals don't "get used to" servitude. They know they aren't where they are supposed to be. Animals who perform stunts that they would never do in their rightful homes do so out of fear, not because they want to.
Last year, people around the world were justifiably outraged when video footage of Anne, the last elephant used in a UK circus, was circulated showing a handler as he kicked, beat and stabbed her with a pitchfork – even though she was chained. Anne was finally allowed to retire in the wake of a public outcry. But unless a ban on the use of animals in circuses is imposed, there's nothing to stop a British circus from acquiring another elephant and putting him or her through a life of torment. Elephants have adapted to near-constant movement in the wild, and they walk vast distances every day in order to maintain their health and wellbeing. In circuses, the only "exercise" elephants get is when they perform silly tricks. They need the company and companionship of other elephants in order to thrive. They are members of an intelligent and multifaceted species who, like us, experience a wide range of emotions.
Ninety-four per cent of people who responded to the last government's circus consultation support the ban on wild animals in circuses, knowing that it is not acceptable to subject animals to cruel treatment for our entertainment. Greece recently announced a ban on all animal circuses, and a legal challenge to overturn the Austrian government's ban on wild animals in circuses failed. Bolivia, Finland, India, Singapore and Sweden have all implemented bans on or prohibited animal acts. Around the world, people are speaking out against the shameful cruelty of confining animals to cramped cages, hauling them around in lorries and forcing them to perform unnatural, demeaning and sometimes painful acts. But in the UK, once at the forefront of animal protection, the government is still ignoring the will of both the public and MPs by wasting time talking about a system of "licensing" or "regulating" wild-animal acts. It's not enough.
For the first time since I was a little child, I went to a circus myself earlier this year. The reason I went was because it said clearly that it does not use animals. I had an absolutely great time admiring what human beings can do when they stop exploiting others and use their own free will and creativity. I spoke to many of the performers after the show, and they told me that they would not work with animals. It was inspiring, and I told them that they are great examples of what is possible.
Existing UK regulations have already failed animals in circuses miserably. Anne, for example, spent almost six decades with the Bobby Roberts Super Circus. The welfare problems and abuse that animals in circuses experience are inherent, and it is clear that we can't allow circuses to regulate themselves. Only a complete ban will ensure that animals in circuses are spared further suffering.
It has been 200 years since parliament banned the slave trade. It's about time for that enlightened attitude to be extended to animal slaves exploited in circuses.
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