It’s 2019 and we are still looking at animals as a form of entertainment. From elephant safaris and baby elephant massages to tiger petting zoos, we have little respect for them. Not to forget, the uncontrolled poaching of animals that’s leading to extinction of various species in the wild. However, today we saw a ray of hope when the news broke that a German circus has completely eliminated the abuse and mistreatment of circus animals by replacing them with holograms.
Set up in 1976, Circus Roncalli from Germany has become the first in the world to take this step to fight for animal rights. Although they stopped using wild animals in the 90s, Circus Roncalli decided to make a sterner decision this time.
Source: YouTube
The media director of the circus, Markus Strobl, spoke to a German newspaper earlier this year about how they made this decision to replace animals. “Most of the numbers in the show would already be done by the artists and clowns today anyway. The focus of the Circus Roncalli is on poetic and acrobatic numbers,” said Markus. The crowns and trapeze artists of the circus perform alongside holograms. From horses to elephants and even realistic fish, the circus has mastered the art of holograms.
The president of American non-profit, Animal Defenders International, Jan Creamer, shared that this is what the future of circuses looks like. “Thankfully the public is voting with their feet, and increasingly visiting shows where the performers get to choose instead of being forced to perform. This is the future of circus, a performance everyone can enjoy and for which intelligent, sentient beings are not used and depicted as objects of entertainment,” he shared.
Source: YouTube
The Wild Animals in Circuses Bill, recently passed in England, underlines that circus operators in England will no longer use wild animals as part of a travelling circus. The government has said that there is ‘no place in modern society’ for such cruelty against animals. However, if the circus chooses to use other domestic animals such as horses, donkeys, and dogs, it will regularly be inspected by officials.
Source: Circus Roncalli
We hope that we get more sensitive towards animals and stop cruelty against them.
Featured Image: YouTube
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