Welfare of Animals in Circuses and Entertainment

The use of wild animals in circuses and live entertainment has declined sharply due to welfare concerns, with bans now in place in over 50 countries for wild animals specifically.

Key Facts

Over 50 countries have banned wild animal use in circuses, including the UK in 2020 following a de facto ban established earlier.
Training wild animals for circus performance typically involves aversive methods in historical and many contemporary contexts.
Animals kept for circus performance spend the majority of their time in transport or confined accommodation between shows.
Big cat, elephant, and primate acts carry welfare costs that cannot be mitigated by improved training methods alone.
Circus attendance has declined significantly in countries where the ethics of wild animal performance has received media attention.

Welfare Considerations

Wild animal circus performance combines multiple welfare insults: confinement in small, mobile accommodation, performance training that historically involved aversive methods, the stress of travel and novel environments, and performance in front of large, noisy audiences. The welfare costs are structural and cannot be adequately addressed within the circus performance model. The global trend toward banning wild animal circus performance reflects growing consensus that this welfare compromise is not justified by the entertainment value provided.

What You Can Do

Do not attend circuses or entertainment events that feature wild animal performance.
Support campaigns for wild animal circus bans in jurisdictions where they remain legal.
Choose entertainment options including human performance circuses and modern theatrical productions.
Advocate for legislation that covers not just circuses but all live wild animal entertainment contexts.