How the Daily Mail reported the return of elephants to the Great British Circus in 2009 |
The first calls to ban performing animals were made 100 years ago. In this article that originally appeared in The Stage, I untangle the history of opposition to animals in entertainment.
Animals have been entertaining us for as long as we’ve had professional entertainment. The word ‘circus’ dates from Roman arenas such as the Circus Maximus, where the spectacle ranged from chariot races to exhibitions of exotic breeds from across the empire. The circus as we know it was founded in London in 1768 by trick horse-rider Philip Astley, who augmented equestrian displays with clowns, acrobats and strongmen.
The PG Tips chimps were among the most popular TV stars of the 70s, but times change and the long-running advertising campaign was eventually dropped. |
Part of that tradition seemed destined to disappear when the government announced its plans to ban wild animals in circuses from December 2015. But that now looks unlikely to happen after the much anticipated Wild Animals in Circuses Bill failed to appear in the list of legislation to be brought before Parliament before the next election.
The campaign to outlaw performing animals is not new, however, and neither is the phenomenon of actors and other celebrities using their fame to endorse animal rights groups such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).
The formation of the world’s oldest animal welfare organisation, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), in 1824, led to the Cruelty to Animals acts of 1835 and 1876. The latter was intended to regulate experiments on animals. But concern over the use of animals in science spread to questions about their treatment in entertainment and led to the Wild Animals in Captivity Protection Act, 1900.
Jack London - Pulp novelist who called for direct action against circuses with animals |
The first attempt at a government ban came in 1921, when Liberal MP Joseph Kenworthy introduced the Performing Animals Prohibition Bill. The bill was unsuccessful, but a select committee was set up to investigate the issue and led to the Performing Animals (Regulation) Act of 1925 which to this day requires that anyone who wishes to perform with an animal in public must possess a licence.
Calls for a ban continued and in 1927, the RSPCA wrote to the Times, asking “Will the public help to abolish this painful form of amusement by refraining from patronising exhibitions in which performing animals have a part?” The letter was signed by a list of public figures and celebrities including playwright George Bernard Shaw and the actress Sybil Thorndike.
Billy Smart's poster from the heyday of animals in the circus |
Against that background, the Captive Animals Protection Society (CAPS) was founded in 1957 to campaign and demonstrate against the use of animals in circuses and the exotic pet trade. In 1965, CAPS president Lord Somers sponsored a bill in the House of Lords to prohibit the use of performing animals. It was defeated by just 14 votes.
The 1970s saw the emergence of a new animal rights movement spearheaded by philosopher Pete Singer. Whereas previous campaigners had focused on animal welfare, the animal rights lobby sought to end the ownership of animals for entertainment, food, experimentation and products such as leather, by granting them equal rights to humans.
Since the 1980s, around 200 local authorities have banned performing animals from council-owned show grounds. Circuses were forced to use private land in less accessible locations where animal rights activists often demonstrated at the gates. By the late 90s, most circuses had responded by dispensing with animals. The all-human Moscow State Circus and Chinese State Circus became the most successful big top shows in the UK, while Canada’s globally successful Cirque du Soleil, which had never featured animals, became the biggest producer in circus history.
An audience for animal acts remained, however. Zippos toured for ten years as an all-human circus but eventually introduced horses and dogs because of public demand. More recently, Ashleigh and Pudsey - a dancing dog - was a hit with the public on Britain’s Got Talent.
Dr Marthe Kiley-Worthington's report on circus animals Click here for more. |
In 1999, undercover film made by Animal Defenders International (ADI) led to the conviction of Mary Chipperfield for cruelty to a chimpanzee at the Hampshire farm where she was training animals for film work.
Under pressure to ban circuses from using animals, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) set up the Circus Animals Working Group. The resulting report by Mike Radford, in 2007, concluded that circuses were as capable of meeting the needs of their animals as other captive environments such as zoos, and that there were no welfare reasons for a ban.
My report in The Stage on the Great British Circus elephant controversy |
Following the large scale media outcry over Anne, animal welfare minister Lord Taylor announced in March 2012 that the government would ban wild animals in circuses from December 2015, with a new licensing and inspection scheme introduced in the interim. Only two companies, Peter Jolly’s Circus and Circus Mondao, applied for and were granted licenses, with shows such as Zippos unaffected since they use only domestic animals.
The Stage - The issue this article originally appeared in. |
After a hundred years of controversy, however, calls for a ban are unlikely to go away, and Britain’s stance on the matter will be closely watched by animal trainers and animal rights groups around the world. Both sides believe a ban in Britain, where circus was invented, could create a domino effect in Europe and America. And with the film and television industries largely dependent on circuses for their trained animals, that could have implications for the future of all animals in entertainment.
The 100-Year Battle To Ban Performing Animals - Timeline
1914 - Performing Animals Defence League founded.
1921 - Joseph Kenworthy MP introduces unsuccessful Performing Animals Prohibition Bill.
1925 - Performing Animals (Regulation) Act introduces licenses for performing with animals in public.
1957 - Captive Animals Protection Society founded.
Born Free The film about a lion that gave its name to an animal rights group. |
1980s - Many local councils ban circus animals from municipal show grounds.
1999 - Mary Chipperfield convicted of cruelty after undercover investigation by Animal Defenders International (ADI).
2000 - The Performing Animals Welfare Standards International (PAWSI) founded to promote animal welfare in audio-visual industries.
2006 - Classical Circus Association founded to represent circuses with animals.
2007 - DEFRA-commissioned Radford Report finds no welfare grounds to ban animals in circuses.
2009 - ADI releases undercover film of elephants being hit at Great British Circus.
2009 - Bolivia becomes first country to ban all animals in circuses.
2011 - Media outcry over ADI film of Anne the elephant being beaten at winter quarters of Bobby Roberts Super Circus.
2012 - Animal welfare minister Lord Taylor announces ban on wild animals in circuses in 2015 and Circus Licensing Scheme in interim.
2013 - Peter Jolly’s Circus and Circus Mondao become only two UK circuses licensed to use wild animals.
2014 - With the Government's proposed ban on hold until after next year’s general election, Labour MP Jim Fitzpatrick introduced a private member's bill under the 10-minute rule on September 3. It was blocked for the 12th time on March 6, 2015.
2015 - Thomas Chipperfield takes to the road in Wales with An Evening With Lions and Tigers.
2016 - The Welsh Assembly promise a ban on wild animals in travelling shows and appoint Professor Stephen Harris to carry out a study, which is expected to be complete by February 2016.
2016 - 10 February. Conservative MP Christopher Chope provides first public indication that the government may be reconsidering a ban, when he tells the Commons that the existing licensing regime has rendered a ban unnecessary. (Details here)
2nd Edition out now! |
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Douglas,
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting. My thinking concerning which way the issue will go wavers back and forth. At the moment, I believe that science and fact and research are working in favor of rather than against performing animals.
This depends, of course, on the ethical and humane conduct of animal trainers, and I have no doubt that many, if not most of them, subscribe to reassuring modes of training and presentation that the public can and will accept. But it's the occasional evidence of brutality that keeps the jury out. Circuses need to monitor themselves and their hired presenters, and they need to take action when action is called for, if they are really serious.
The new UK licensing scheme seems to be a positive thing. They get six or seven inspections a year, half of them unannounced, and the reports are published online so there's complete transparency. In the first 18 months Mondao and Jolly's have been given a clean bill of health, which is good PR for them.
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