Countries Across the World are Saying No to Wild Animal Circuses

So here we are in 2016 – a time of iPhones, virtual reality, and access to pretty much any

kind of entertainment you can dream up. Not only do we have more ways to occupy our minds than ever but we also have access to more information than ever before. And sadly, even with all of the entertainment options we have, we are still allowing wild animals to be tortured so that we can see them perform for us. How is this even possible in a world when anyone who has a social media account has inevitably been exposed to the sad lives of wild animals that are kept in captivity?

Often when we train our pets to sit we do so with a biscuit or some sort of treat as a reward. And that may lead many to believe that that’s how elephants, lions or killer whales are trained. But you can’t train a wild animal with positive reinforcement alone.

In order to make an animal that could easily kill you obey you, you have to make it fear you.  And the only ways to do this are through pain and deprivation methods such as  bullhooks, whips, starvation and taser-like prods that are used to tame animals that in nature would spend their days hunting and moving freely across the earth.

 The news that SeaWorld will no longer have whales performing or Ringling Brothers will retire its elephants certainly is a sign of progress. Yet if you were to look from a global perspective, you would see that the United States, land of the free, is lagging terribly behind in our views on animals in the entertainment business.

So while we may fancy ourselves leaders, we should take a look to the other countries that have recognized wild animal acts for what they are and have banned them. Animal Defenders International highlights all of the countries with nationwide bans on wild animals in circuses, which include: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia – Iran also issued a ban since the last updated list!

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/where-does-the-us-stand-in-banning-wild-animal-circuses/?utm_source=Green+Monster+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=8296098d6c-NEWSLETTER_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_bbf62ddf34-8296098d6c-106919241