Animals used in entertainment — from film and television to circuses and shows — face welfare challenges from training methods, transport, housing and performance stress, with regulatory frameworks varying widely between jurisdictions.
Entertainment uses of animals span a wide welfare spectrum — from well-managed trained domestic animals in appropriate roles to wild animals forced to perform under threat of punishment. The welfare case against wild animal circus acts is strong: animals including elephants, lions and bears are poorly suited to the transport, housing and performance demands of travelling entertainment. Training methods for performing animals frequently involve aversive techniques. The availability of high-quality alternatives — both animal-free entertainment and carefully managed domestic animal performances — reduces any social utility argument for welfare-compromising entertainment uses. Regulatory prohibition of the most harmful entertainment uses represents welfare policy at its most direct.