Wild animals in travelling circuses face welfare problems from transport, training, and performance that have driven widespread bans.
Circus animal welfare has been one of the most successful welfare campaigns of recent decades, achieving bans in over 40 countries. The welfare case is straightforward: wild animals in circuses have inadequate space, are transported almost continuously, cannot express natural behaviours, and were traditionally trained with aversive methods. Even domestic animal use in circuses presents welfare concerns around transport stress, unnatural performance demands, and training methods. The trend toward animal-free circuses reflects genuine welfare improvement.