New York circuses will be animal-free

The action of activist groups has led to the establishment of legislation to ban wild animal shows, so from now on New York circuses will be animal-free.

For as long as we can remember, circuses have been famous for their shows with wild animals such as lions, elephants and tigers, which are made to exhibit their skills. These animals weren taken from one place to another in large cages waiting for show time.

Many years have passed, and in some parts of the world wild animals are still part of circus shows. In recent years, the action of activist groups has led to the creation of legislation to enforce the protection of these wild animals and to prohibit their participation in the repertoire of circuses.

This new measure, known as Law 1233-A, is based on an initiative that has been promoted for many years and will come into force this year.

Many countries, mostly in South America and Europe, have legislation in this regard.

Why won’t New York circuses have animals?

• They are deprived of their freedom. They spend most of their time in their cages waiting to perform, and are chained or tied up, which ends up causing injuries.
• They are subjected to hard training to enhance their skills. The tricks that animals perform in circuses are not something natural for them, they are things that they do not do naturally when they are in their habitat, they can learn them, but the learning process generates a lot of stress and nervousness, since they have to dedicate a lot of time to it.
• They are constantly transported. They are taken from one place to another crammed in cages and in precarious conditions. These trips can last for days during which they are not eating as they should and without the medical attention they need.
• They can get sick. Constant stress, travel or training are many of the factors that can cause the animal to become ill, injured or even perish.

Should circuses cease to exist?

Not at all, circuses are magical places to have fun and laugh, places to discover wonderful things that everyone should see. But where we can enjoy shows without animal abuse, that a trapeze artist is dedicated to it even with the risks to his life, is a decision that he takes freely, an animal can not decide.

Of course, we are delighted, at least the circuses in New York will be animal-free, let’s hope that many more cities will join in and adopt this legislation.

Let’s enjoy the shows without the suffering of any living being.