Patience and love in the circus

The story is completely incorrect
and one can clearly see it was written by someone with no knowledge of circus
animals or any animal born in captivity.
Firstly, the writer makes a comment
that the lions and tigers are removed from their wildlife environment. This is
simply not true. All animals in circuses are born from generations of those born
in captivity and are bought from registered breeders in South Africa. No circus
can remove them from wildlife. This is against the law.
This writer states
that they get beaten in order to perform. Completely untrue.
You simply
cannot make any animal do something.
Some people are convinced the circus
must be hurting them in order to train them. All circus animals are trained by
means of positive reinforcement, patience and love. They receive a reward and
praise for positive actions displayed. Negative behaviour is simply ignored.
With time and patience, they will understand the command and reward. Animals are
also trained using their own natural abilities observed by the trainer. These
are developed to become the act seen by the public. An abusive, cruel trainer is
either seriously stupid or has a death wish.
The reason for lions and Bengal
tigers being on the verge of extinction in not because of circuses. They are
illegally killed in game parks each day for their bones. The writer, however,
did not mention the important part that breeders, zoos and circuses play in the
conservation of these animals. If it was not for breeding programmes, the
African lion would have been extinct some 35 years ago.
Circus animals have a
role to play in exposing people to animals which rely on humans for their
ongoing conservation. Many people have no other opportunity to experience them,
and an encounter may spawn a fascination and love of nature.
The presentation
of animals has always been an important part of the circus tradition. Stringent
regulations and inspection systems make it possible to protect the classical and
traditional circus as a cultural institution, while simultaneously ensuring that
animals’ health and welfare needs are met. In South Africa, the exhibition and
training of performing animals are regulated by The Performing Animal Protection
Act.
This is important because circus is a very special kind of performing
art. It offers not only the possibility for high-quality artistic expression,
but also a performance that families can experience and enjoy
together.
People will probably always go to circuses for recreation and to
see the animals, so in the process they should be educated also, and it is the
behaviour of the animals that provide this education.
The writer of the
original letter should have done some research before writing such an uninformed
letter to the paper. We would have welcomed them to an educational animal tour
and to attend a training session at the circus.