What the experts have to say.

By their very nature, circuses and traveling shows cannot meet the extensive needs of the variety of wild and exotic animals that they use. They should therefore, not be allowed to keep them. Constant travel, cramped living conditions and lack of interaction with members of their own species, coupled with the stress that can arise from training and performing, make the life of an animal in the circus particularly problematic.

Animals that live in the circus exist in unnatural social groups, amidst unnatural physical surroundings. Many, who are social by nature, live a solitary existence. They are denied the opportunity to engage in many of their natural behaviours (related, for example, to mating, weaning, dominance, hunting and foraging) and frequently assume unnatural, often self destructive behaviours. Each of these factors in itself, and particularly in combination, can be extremely stressful for wild animals. This type of stress can cause the animal to react negatively to their environment and novel situations resulting in escapes and attacks. This can ultimately lead to injuries to both the animals in the circus, people attending the event and/or property damage.