Circus animals have long been subjected to training methods that cause suffering, and a global trend toward phasing out animal acts has accelerated significantly in recent years.
Circus animals historically were trained through dominance-based methods involving physical punishment, fear, and food manipulation. The performance behaviors required — standing on small platforms, performing unnatural postures, and tolerating crowd noise and lights — are incompatible with the natural behavior of tigers, elephants, and bears. Transport in small vehicles between venues provides little opportunity for exercise, social interaction, or behavioral expression. The permanent confinement of wide-ranging wild animals for entertainment purposes represents an inherent welfare failure.