Animal Rights and the Circus
Although many people are very familiar with racism and sexism, too many people are unfamiliar with speciesism. Speciesism is the discrimination of one species over another; more specifically, it is the human species in the exploitation of other animals. Animals are forced to participate in many unnatural activities in the entertainment and science worlds. One of the most torturous of these activities is the circus. As a result of inhumane treatment and conditions, animals should no longer be forced to perform in this family event. Instead, people should try alternative means of being entertained.Despite people's awareness of the harsh conditions circus animals endure, the actual freeing of the animals poses a difficult task. In "Animal Liberation," Peter Singer explained, "Animal Liberation will require greater altruism on the part of mankind than any other liberation movement, since animals are incapable of demanding it for themselves, or of protesting against their exploitation by votes, demonstrations, or bombs" (150). Since animals cannot speak for themselves, some people are not aware of their inadequate housing, poor medical care, and abusive trainers. Regardless of the amount of training these performance animals
In addition to the small living space, circus animals are kept in surroundings which may stimulate medical troubles. "Nanaimo, B.C., veterinarian Ken Langelier says that what he sees in circuses often sickens him: malnourished tigers, monkeys with their fingers bitten off and elephants biting one another or pacing nervously" (Brady 48). It is disturbing to know animals have to live in these horrible conditions; however, much worse is the fact that these unhealthy animals are still forced to perform in their acts. James Langton's article "U.S. Faces Big Top Elephant Ban" discussed a number of incidents where sickly elephants, who were forced to perform, died. "Ringling Brothers was also investigated two years ago after a three-year-old elephant called Kenny collapsed with what was later discovered to be a bacterial infection after a show in Florida... Last year a second elephant, Benjamin, collapsed and drowned in a pool, probably as a result of heart problems" (33). Circus officials and even some of the public would like to continue having animals in the circus, so they try to defend circus animal treatment. Ringling Brothers circus claims that "animals are trained slowly using 'positive reinforcement' techniques and that no cruelty is involved" (Langton 33), and "a company statement said that 'at no time has Ringling had an animal-related incident that placed a member of the public at risk'" (McMahon A16). Without arguing these misleading claims, the issue of confining wild animals in unnatural environments and forcing them to perform unnatural acts still remains unanswered by the officials. Obviously, circus officials are avoiding the question of whether it is ethical to include animals in the circus. Millward, David. "Circus Men Beat their Animals on Secret Video." The Daily Telegraph 3 Feb. 1998: 7. 2 Apr. 2000. Brady, Diane. "Animal Farms." Maclean's 10 May 1993: 48. 2 Apr. 2000.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1389
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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