Ethical Obligations To Circus Animals

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Recommended: Issue of ethical treatment of animals

The morality of using animals for the purpose of human entertainment has long since been a divisive, polarising issue, and one to which there is no clearly defined solution. Debates on this issue commonly question the ethical responsibilities humans have to animals, and, subsequently, whether or not animals deserve to be afforded the same ethical treatment as humans. This is perhaps most evident in the extensive, subjective and widespread debate regarding the ethical acceptability of utilising circus animals for human entertainment. Many would argue that the entertainment benefits gained by humans outweigh the detrimental effects on the animals. However, conversely, it has been proposed that circuses knowingly harm these animals both physically and psychologically. This essay will argue that owning and training circus animals to perform for human entertainment is a blatantly unacceptable practice from an ethical perspective, and, hence, that humans have an obligation to appropriately uphold the ethical rights of circus animals. In doing so, three main points will be argued. Firstly, investigations will be undertaken to gauge the quality of life of circus animals. More specifically, the treatment and training methods of circus animals will be examined to demonstrate that these practices are both unnecessary and cause physical suffering to the animals. Secondly, legislation pertaining to the treatment of circus animals will be explored. Subsequently, human attitudes and behaviours towards circus animals will be investigated, while social ignorance and apathy towards the treatment of circus animals will be discussed, to display that these laws do not adequately protect circus animals. Finally, the sentience of animals will be inve...

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...’, Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law, vol.1, no.13, pp.155-170.
Carmeli, YS 2002, ‘“Cruelty to animals” and nostalgic totality: performance of a travelling circus in Britain’, International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol.22, no.12, pp.73-88.
Garner, R 1993, Animals, politics, and morality, Manchester University Press, Manchester, UK, pp. 92-94.
Nussbaum, MC 2006, ‘The moral status of animals’, The Chronicle of Higher Education, vol.1, no.4, pp. 1-6.
PETA 2012, Circuses; Three Rings of Abuse, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Norfolk, VA.
Roleff, TL, Hurley, JA 1999, The rights of animals, Greenhaven Press, San Diego.
Ringling Bros 2010, Circus Animal Abuse, video, YouTube, October 23, viewed 18 April 2014, .
Serpell, J 1986, In the company of animals, B. Blackwell, Oxford.

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