Journal of Animal Behaviour and Biometeorology
https://jabbnet.com/article/doi/10.31893/jabb.22021
Journal of Animal Behaviour and Biometeorology
Review Article Open Access

Circus Animal Welfare: analysis through a five-domain approach

Daniel Mota-Rojas, Marcelo Daniel Ghezzi, Adriana Domínguez-Oliva, Leonardo Thielo de la Vega, Luciano Boscato-Funes, Fabiola Torres-Bernal, Patricia Mora-Medina

Downloads: 56
Views: 4089

Abstract

This study aims to review the current available literature regarding circus animals from the perspective of the five domains proposed for evaluating animal welfare to identify the critical points in the use of these animals and understand how circus spectacles affect their mental state and health. Exhibiting animals in circuses continues to be a popular practice today in some countries such as Germany, Spain, or Australia. However, animals’ biological needs are not always prioritized due to the inadequate diets, reduced housing spaces, deficient social interaction, and handling that predisposes them to develop stereotypies and alter mental states due to chronic stress. Animal circuses are considered a controversial practice that can decrease the welfare of animals. Understanding the possible negative consequences on animal welfare (mental state and physical health) could contribute to planning strategies to improve the quality of life of wildlife animals exhibited in circuses worldwide.

Keywords

animal ethics, keeper-animal relationships, mental alteration, pathological behaviors, stereotypies

References

Agnew DW, Munson L, Ramsay EC (2004) Cystic endometrial hyperplasia in elephants. Veterinary Pathology 41:179–183.

Agoramoorthy G, Hsu MJ (2005) Use of nonhuman primates in entertainment in southeast asia. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 8:141–149.

Allen W (2006) Ovulation, pregnancy, placentation and husbandry in the African elephant (Loxodonta africana). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 361:821–834.

Asi  MN, Lodhi LA, Mughal MN, Abbas G, Muhammad G, Saqib M (2014) Nutritional Secondary Hyperparathyroidism in an African Lion Cub (Panthera leo). Pakistan Veterinary Journal 34:554–556.

Bansiddhi P, Brown J, Thitaram C, Punyapornwithaya V, Nganvongpanit K (2020) Elephant tourism in thailand: a review of animal welfare practices and needs. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 23:164–177.

Berger A (2011) Activity patterns, chronobiology and the assessment of stress and welfare in zoo and wild animals. International Zoo Yearbook 45:80–90.

Berridge KC, Kringelbach ML (2015) Pleasure systems in the brain. Neuron 86:646–664.

Birnie-Gauvin K, Peiman KS, Raubenheimer D, Cooke SJ (2017) Nutritional physiology and ecology of wildlife in a changing world. Conservation Physiology 5:30.

Bradshaw GA (2007) Elephants in circuses: analysis of practice, policy and future. Animals Society Institute, USA.

Brando S (2016) Wild animals in entertainment. In: Bovenkerk B, Keulartz J (eds) Animal ethics in the age of humans, lurring boundaries in human-animal relationships. Springer, Sweden, pp 295–318.

Breton G, Barrot S (2014) Influence of enclosure size on the distances covered and paced by captive tigers (Panthera tigris). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 154:66–75.

Browning H, Veit W (2021) Freedom and animal welfare. Animals 11:1148

Bryan K, Bremner-Harrison S, Price E, Wormell D (2017) The impact of exhibit type on behaviour of caged and free-ranging tamarins. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 193:77–86.

Cai P, Chen L, Guo YR, Yao J, Chen HY, Lu YP, Huang SN, He P, Zheng ZH, Liu JY, Chen J, Hu LH, Chen SY, Huang LT, Chen GQ, Tang WT, Su WK, Li HY, Wang WX, Yu CX (2020) Basal forebrain GABAergic neurons promote arousal and predatory hunting. Neuropharmacology 180: 108299.

Carlstead K (2009) A comparative approach to the study of keeper-animal relationships in the zoo. Zoo Biology 28:589–608.

Carmeli YS (1997) The sight of cruelty: The case of circus animal acts. Visual Anthropology 10:1–15.

Carmeli YS (2002) “Cruelty to animals” and nostalgic totality: Performance of a travelling circus in Britain. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy 22:73–88.

Clark HW, Laughlin DC, Bailey JS, Brown TM (1980) Mycoplasma species and arthritis in captive elephants. The Journal of Zoo Animal Medicine 11:3.

Clauss M, Hatt J (2006) The feeding of rhinoceros in captivity. International Zoo Yearbook 40:197–209.

Coria-Avila GA, Pfaus JG, Orihuela A, Domínguez-Oliva A, José-Pérez N, Hernández LA, Mota-Rojas D (2022) The neurobiology of behavior and its applicability for animal welfare. Animals 12:928.

Crailsheim D, Stüger HP, Kalcher-Sommersguter E, Llorente M (2020) Early life experience and alterations of group composition shape the social grooming networks of former pet and entertainment chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). PLOS ONE 15:e0226947.

Crissey S, Pribyl L (2000) A review of nutritional deficiencies and toxicities in captive New World primates. International Zoo Yearbook 37:355–360.

Dawson S (1923) Arthritis in animals. Annals of Physical Medicine 5:163–167.

De R, Joshi BD, Shukla M, Pandey P, Singh R, Goyal SP (2019) Understanding predation behaviour of the tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) in Ranthambore tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India: use of low-cost gel based molecular sexing of prey hairs from scats. Conservation Genetics Resources 11:97–104.

De Vries L (2014) An elephant is not a machine a chitwan national park survey into the welfare of private captive elephants in sauraha,. Animal Nepal. Nepal.

Dembiec DP, Snider RJ, Zanella AJ (2004) The effects of transport stress on tiger physiology and behavior. Zoo Biology 23:335–346.

Dias DM, Massara RL, de Campos CB, Rodrigues FHG (2019) Feline predator–prey relationships in a semi‐arid biome in Brazil. Journal of Zoology 307;282–291.

Dorning J, Harris S, Pickett H (2016) The welfare of wild animals in travelling circuses. Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Ireland.

English M, Kaplan G, Rogers LJ (2014) Is painting by elephants in zoos as enriching as we are led to believe? PeerJ 2:471–482.

European Circus Association (ESA) (2007) Code of conduct for animals. https://www.europeancircus.eu/history/. Accesed on: July 30, 2021.

Fazio E, Medica P, Bruschetta G, Ferlazzo A (2014) Do handling and transport stress influence adrenocortical response in the tortoises (Testudo hermanni)? Veterinary Science 2014:1–6.

Fleming PA, Bateman PW (2018) Novel predation opportunities in anthropogenic landscapes. Animal Behaviour 138:145–155.

Friend TH, Parker ML (1999) The effect of penning versus picketing on stereotypic behavior of circus elephants. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 64:213–225.

Gottlieb DH, Coleman K, McCowan B (2013) The effects of predictability in daily husbandry routines on captive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 143:117–127.

Gruber T, Friend T, Gardner J, Packard J, Beaver B, Bushong D (2000) Variation in stereotypic behavior related to restraint in circus elephants. Zoo Biology 19:209–221.

Gupta BK, Chakraborty B (2005) The role of zoos in the rehabilitation of animals in the circus. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 8:285–294.

Harfeld JL (2012) Telos and the ethics of animal farming. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 26:691–709.

Harris S, Iossa G, Soulsbury C (2006) A review of the welfare of wild animals in circuses. Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, United Kingdom.

Hart L, Sundar (2015) Family traditions for mahouts of asian elephants. Anthrozoös 13: 34–42.

Hermes R, Hildebrandt T, Göritz F (2004) Reproductive problems directly attributable to long-term captivity–asymmetric reproductive aging. Animal Reproduction Science 82:49–60.

Hitchens PL, Hultgren J, Frössling J, Emanuelson U, Keeling LJ (2017) Circus and zoo animal welfare in Sweden: An epidemiological analysis of data from regulatory inspections by the official competent authorities. Animal Welfare 26:373–382.

Hoehfurtner T, Wilkinson A, Nagabaskaran G, Burman OHP (2021) Does the provision of environmental enrichment affect the behaviour and welfare of captive snakes? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 239:105324.

Hopster H, de Jong I (2014) Welfare of sea lions in travelling circuses. Livestock Research, Germany.

Hosey GR (2004) How does the zoo environment affect the behaviour of captive primates? Applied Animal Behavior Science 90:107–129.

Ibáñez J, López C, Morgades G, Silba A (2013) Prohibición de los animales en el circo. ¿Persecución legal irracional o un problema real de bienestar animal? Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain.

Iossa G, Soulsbury CD, Harris S (2009) Are wild animals suited to a travelling circus life? Animal Welfare 18:129–140..

Karmacharya D, Manandhar P, Manandhar S, Sherchan AM, Sharma AN, Joshi J, Bista M, Bajracharya S, Awasthi NP, Sharma N, Llewellyn B, Waits LP, Thapa K, Kelly MJ, Vuyisich M, Starkenburg SR, Hero JM, Hughes J, Wultsch C, Sinha AK (2019) Gut microbiota and their putative metabolic functions in fragmented Bengal tiger population of Nepal. PLoS ONE 14:e0221868.

Katole S, Das A, Agarwal N, Prakash B, Saha SK, Saini M, Sharma AK (2014) Influence of work on nutrient utilisation in semicaptive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). Journal of Applied Animal Research 42:380–388.

Kawata K (2016) Wild animal training: a glance at circuses and hediger’s Viewpoint. Der Zoologische Garten 85:261–279.

Kells NJ (2021) Review: The Five Domains model and promoting positive welfare in pigs. Animal in press:100378.

Keulartz J (2016) Towards an animal ethics for the anthropocene. In: Bovenkerk B, Keulartz FW (eds) Animal ethics in the age of humans: blurring boundaries in human-animal relationships. Springer, USA, pp 243–264.

Khalaf S. (1999) Camel racing in the gulf. notes on the evolution of a traditional cultural sport. Anthropos 94:85–106.

Kiley-Worthington M (1995) Animals in circuses and zoos: Chiron’s World?. Little Eco-farms Publishing, England.

Kiley-Worthington M (2016) The welfare of performing animals. A historical perspective. Animals 6:76.

Kim SI (2013) Neuroscientific model of motivational process. Frontiers in Psychology 4:1–12.

Kontogeorgopoulos N (2009) The role of tourism in elephant welfare in northern Thailand. Journal of Tourism 10:1–19.

Koutsos E, Matson K, Klasing K (2001) Nutrition of birds in the order psittaciformes: a review. Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery 15:257–275.

Kraimi N, Dawkins M, Gebhardt-Henrich SG, Velge P, Rychlik I, Volf J, Creach P, Smith A, Colles F, Leterrier C (2019) Influence of the microbiota-gut-brain axis on behavior and welfare in farm animals: A review. Physiology & Behavior 210:112658.

Kranendonk G, Schippers EP (2014) A pilot study on the effects of a change in behavioural management on the behaviour of captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 160:127–137.

Krawczel PD, Friend TH, Windom A (2005) Stereotypic behavior of circus tigers: Effects of performance. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 95:189–198.

Llorente M, Riba D, Ballesta S, Feliu O, Rostán C (2015) Rehabilitation and socialization of chimpanzees (pan troglodytes) used for entertainment and as pets: an 8-year study at fundació mona. International Journal of Primatology 36:605–624.

Lucassen S (2017) El uso de animales en circos y espectáculos en Dinamarca, Suecia, Noruega y Finlandia. Derecho Animal. Forum of Animal Law Studies 8:1.

Lukesova D, Novák P, Bartosek B (2000) Prevalence of parasitic infections as an indicator of welfare in circus animals. Veterinarstvi 50:22–23.

Lyons J, Young RJ, Deag JM (1997) The effects of physical characteristics of the environment and feeding regime on the behavior of captive felids. Zoo Biology 16:71–83.

Maas B (2000) The veterinary, behavioural and welfare implications of bear farming in Asia. World Society for the Protection of Animals, England.

Manteuffel G (2002) Central nervous regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and its impact on fertility, immunity, metabolism and animal welfare – a review. Archives Animal Breeding 45:575–595.

Maple TL, Perdue BM (2013) Psychology and Animal Welfare. In: Maple TL, Perdue GM (eds) Zoo Animal Welfare. Springer, USA, pp 69-94.

Marcondes Ávila PR, Fiorot M, Michels M, Dominguini D, Abatti M, Vieira A, de Moura AB, Behenck JP, Borba LA, Botelho MEM, Réus GZ, Dal-Pizzol F, Ritter C (2020) Effects of microbiota transplantation and the role of the vagus nerve in gut–brain axis in animals subjected to chronic mild stress. Journal of Affective Disorders 277:410–416.

Medina JF, Christopher Repa J, Mauk MD, LeDoux JE (2002) Parallels between cerebellum- and amygdala-dependent conditioning. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 3:122–131.

Meehan C, Mench J (2006) Captive Parrot Welfare. In Luescher A (ed) Manual of Parrot Behavior. Blackwell Publishing Professional, USA, pp 301–318.

Mellor D, Hunt S, Gusset M (2015) Cuidando la fauna silvestre: La Estrategia Mundial de Zoológicos y Acuarios para el Bienestar Animal. WAZA. https://www.waza.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/WAZA-Animal-Welfare-Strategy-2015_Spanish.pdf. Accessed on: July 30. 2021.

Mellor DJ, Beausoleil NJ, Littlewood KE, McLean AN, McGreevy PD, Jones B, Wilkins C (2020) The 2020 five domains model: Including human–animal interactions in assessments of animal welfare. Animals 10:1–24.

Michalak K (1998) Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection as a Zoonotic Disease: Transmission between Humans and Elephants. Emerging Infectious Diseases 4:283–287.

Mikota SK, Maslow JN (2011) Tuberculosis at the human–animal interface: An emerging disease of elephants. Tuberculosis 91:208–211.

Mota-Rojas D, Velarde A, Maris-Huertas S, Cajiao PMN (2016) Editors. In: Animal welfare, a global vision in Ibero-America. [Bienestar Animal una visión global en Iberoamérica]. 3rd ed. Barcelona, Spain. Elsevier; p. 516.

Mota-Rojas D, Orihuela A, Strappini-Asteggiano A, Cajiao PMN, Aguera-Buendia E, Ghezzi M, Alonso, SML (2018) Teaching animal welfare in veterinary schools in Latin America. International Journal of Animal Science and Medicine 6:131–40.

Mota-Rojas D, Broom DM, Orihuela A, Velarde A, Napolitano D, Alonso-Spilsbury M (2020) Effects of human-animal relationship on animal productivity and welfare. Journal of Animal Behaviour and Biometeorology 8:196–205.

Mota-Rojas D, Marcet-Rius M, Ogi A, Hernández-Avalos I, Mariti C, Martínez-Burnes J, Mora-Medina P, Casas A, Domínguez A, Reyes B, Gazzano A (2021) Current advances in assessment of dog’s emotions, facial expressions, and their use for clinical recognition of pain. Animals 11:3334.

Moore D, Doyle C (1986) Elephant training and ride operations, part i: animal health, cost/benefit and philosophy. Elephant 2:5.

Müller DWH, Lackey LB, Streich WJ, Fickel J, Hatt JM, Clauss M (2011) Mating system, feeding type and ex situ conservation effort determine life expectancy in captive ruminants. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 278:1714.

Nevill CH, Friend T (2003) The behavior of circus tigers during transport. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 82:329–337.

Nevill CH, Friend TH (2006) A preliminary study on the effects of limited access to an exercise pen on stereotypic pacing in circus tigers. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 101:355–361.

Ossent P, Guscetti F, Metzler AE, Lang EM, Rübel A, Hauser B (1990) Acute and fatal herpesvirus infection in a young asian elephant (Elephas maximus). Veterinary Pathology 27:131–133.

Padalino B, Riley CB (2020) Editorial: The Implications of Transport Practices for Horse Health and Welfare. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 7:202.

Pasechnik VE (2015) To the epizootology to Trichuris spp. infection and specific composition of Trichuris spp. in small ruminants (sheep, goats) and wild ruminants in the Moscow Zoo and circuses of the Moscow Region. In: 16th Scientific Conference on the “Theory and Practice of the Struggle against Parasitic Diseases” 2015;330–332.

Peng S, Broom DM (2021) The sustainability of keeping birds as pets: should any be kept? Animals 11:582.

Pohlin F, Hooijberg EH, Meyer LCR (2021) Challenges to animal welfare during transportation of wild mammals: a review (1990–2020). Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 52:1–13.

Roadknight N, Mansell P, Jongman E, Courtman N, Fisher A (2021) Invited review: The welfare of young calves transported by road. Journal of Dairy Science 104:6343–6357.

Rollin BE (2014) “Telos” Conservation of welfare, and ethical issues in genetic engineering of animals. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences 19:99–116.

Schmitt D (2020) View from the big top : Why elephants belong in North American circuses. In: Tait P, Lavers K (eds) The Routledge Circus Studies Reader. Routledge, United Kingdom, pp 489–496.

Schreiner M, Liesenfeld O (2009) Small intestinal inflammation following oral infection with Toxoplasma gondii does not occur exclusively in C57BL/6 mice: review of 70 reports from the literature. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 104:221–233.

Seibel B (1993) Historia del circo, 1st edn. Ediciones del Sol, Argentina.

Sørensen DB, Pedersen A, Bailey RE (2020) Animal leraning: The science behind animal training. In: Sørensen DB, Pedersen A, Bailey RE (eds) Animal-centric care and management. CRC Press, pp 73-90.

Sós E, Molnár V, Lajos Z, Koroknai V, Gál J (2013) Successfully treated dermatomycosis in California sea lions (Zalophus Californianus). Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 44:462–465.

Spencer S, Decuypere E, Aerts S, De Tavernier J (2006) History and Ethics of Keeping Pets: Comparison with Farm Animals. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 19:17–25.

Stremme C, Lubis A, Wahyu M (2007) Implementation of regular veterinary care for captive sumatran elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus). Journal of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group 27:6–14.

Sunquist M, Sunquist F. Wild cats of the world. The University of Chicago Press, United States.

Taber KH, Black DN, Porrino LJ, Hurley RA (2012) Neuroanatomy of dopamine: reward and addiction. Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 24:1–4.

Tait P, Farrell R (2010) Protests and circus geographies: exotic animals with Edgley’s in Australia. Journal of Australian Studies 34:225–239.

Teixeira CP, de Azevedo CS, Mendl M, Cipreste CF, Young RJ (2007) Revisiting translocation and reintroduction programmes: the importance of considering stress. Animal Behaviour 73:1–13.

Tiplady C (2013) Animal abuse in hunting, sport, entertainment and art. In: Tiplady C (ed) Animal Abuse: Helping Animals and People. CAB International, United Kingdom, pp 51-60.

Toscano MJ, Friend T, Nevill C (2001) Environmental conditions and responses of circus elephants transported by truck and railcar during relatively high and low temperatures. Journal of Elephant Managers Association 12:115–149.

Turner AS (2001) Animal models of osteoporosis – Necessity and limitations. European Cells and Materials 1:66–81.

Varma S, Sujata S, Ganguly S, Rao S (2008) Captive Elephants in Circus. A scientific Investigation of the Population Status, Management and Welfare Significance. Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA) and Asian Nature Conservation Foundation. http://www.zoocheck.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Captive-Elephants-in-Circuses-India-2008.pdf. Accessed on: July 28, 2021.

Veasey JS (2019) Assessing the psychological priorities for optimising captive asian elephant (Elephas maximus) welfare. Animals 10:39.

Veasey JS (2020) Can zoos ever be big enough for large wild animals? A review using an expert panel assessment of the psychological priorities of the Amur Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) as a model species. Animals 10:1536.

Waiblinger S (2017) Human-animal relations. In: Jensen P (Ed.), The Ethology of Domestic Animals: An Introductory Text, (pp. 135-146). Wallingford UK: CAB International.

Watson MK, Mitchell MA (2014) Viamin D and ultraviolet B radiation considerations for exotic pets. Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine 23:369–379.

West JB (2002) Why doesn’t the elephant have a pleural space? Physiology 17:47–50.

Williams J, Randle H (2017) Is the expression of stereotypic behavior a performance-limiting factor in animals? Journal of Veterinary Behavior 20:1–10.

Wilson DAH (2017) Circus animals and the illusion of wildness. Early Popular Visual Culture 15:350–366.

Zahrah M (2016) Diversity of feed plants of sumatran elephant habitats (Elephas maximus sumatranus) in Jantho Pinus Nature Reserve, Aceh Besar District. Jurnal Natural 16:7–14.


Submitted date:
02/26/2022

Reviewed date:
04/18/2022

Accepted date:
04/19/2022

625f4b23a953953e63176f33 jabbnet Articles
Links & Downloads

J. Anim. Behav. Biometeorol.

Share this page
Page Sections