Animals performing in circuses face welfare challenges from transport, housing, training, and performance conditions, and circus animal bans are spreading globally.
Circus animal welfare reflects both the specific harms of circus life and broader questions about using wild animals for entertainment. Frequent transport prevents animals from establishing stable social groups and familiar territories. Training historically used punishment to override natural behaviors, and the behavioral consequences of this training persist even when practices improve. As alternatives have proven commercially viable and public attitudes have shifted, the welfare case for circus animal bans has become compelling across diverse cultural contexts.