Stop Circus Suffering

Animal Defenders International (ADI) was not a party in the lawsuit recently settled between Feld Entertainment and other animal rights groups. ADI’s evidence was not used in the suit, and the court’s decision in no way affects our evidence. ADI’s evidence has been tested in courts and used by public prosecutors to secure convictions for cruelty. It has also been used to inform development of public policy and regulations on the use of animals in traveling circuses.

ADI’s evidence has been used around the world to secure national prohibitions on the use of wild animals in circuses, and we have provided technical background briefings to governments on the economic, legal and enforcement issues, as well as evidence of animal suffering. National restrictions on the use of wild animals, or selected species/uses have been adopted in over 27 countries, and in the United States, 45 cities/counties in 21 states have taken action to restrict wild animals from traveling circuses. Worldwide, hundreds of local ordinances are in place, including in the UK, Europe, and South America.

Our ongoing studies on this issue have highlighted that these animals suffer deprived, barren environments, unnatural social groupings and often, violence. Our investigations have shown that, in the main, any discipline or abuse of captive animals used for entertainment tends to occur off set and behind the scenes, while the animals are being trained. This makes it almost impossible to ensure that a performing animal has not suffered during a lifetime of training.

We invite the public to review our evidence, watch our ‘Stop Circus Suffering USA’ video and decide for themselves. The video can be viewed on our website athttp://bit.ly/stop-circus-suffering-us. They can also watch the ‘No Fun for Elephants’ video at: http://bitly.com/NoFunForElephants.

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