Ring of shame: Tigers, bears and other animals humiliated in shocking Chinese circus acts

Zoos and parks were exposed yesterday for their barbaric circus-style treatment of endangered animals simply so they
can amuse visitors.

Shameful pictures, taken by an animal rights group, showed Asiatic black bears forced to box one another and ride motorbikes.

http://www.mirror.co.uk?bcpid=18731164001&bclid=0&bctid=524153862001

While tigers, which have had their teeth pulled out, were prodded into jumping through hoops on fire and riding on horses.

Animals Asia slammed China for tolerating the cruelty to the critically endangered bears, but warned shocking treatment of animals was widespread across the country.

David Neale, welfare director, said that many of the animals were beaten during training.

He said: They are housed i n small, concrete enclosures, often in darkened rooms at the back, away from visitors. Many animals have no access to water. Teaching animals to perform inappropriate tricks does nothing to educate the public or foster respect.

The Hong Kong-based group, which investigated the Xiangjiang Safari Park in the southern Guangdong province and 13 other
zoos, found almost 90% kept bears and 25% had trained monkeys or tigers.

The images will increase calls for China to rush through its first animals rights law, which has yet to receive official approval.

In other zoos, elephants were forced to spin on one leg and do headstands while pigs were pushed off a 10ft diving board. Monkeys were also forced to do handstands on goats horns.

Its report said: The techniques used are cruel and abusive.

Showmen whip and strike animals repeatedly, to carry out tricks that go against their natural behaviour.

The report called on China to ban wild animals in circus-style performances and to bring in licensing.

Courtesy of Wayne Jackson and Mark Rosenthal

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"What a brilliant, brilliant video Animals Asia Foundation has just released. To have famed journalist Terry Waite, who was imprisoned in Beirut a number of years ago, as "spokesman" and equate what he unfairly experienced to the world of a performing animal is a stroke of genius. While the comparison, of human captivity and animal captivity is totally invalid, to a lot of the world it will make perfect sense. It should illustrate to our industry that the day's of some goofball on a circus lot, giving a tour of his animals, and explaining that they are "like children to me", and "they are my family" are way long gone, if we are going to hope to even get a toe hold and back on the right track in the battle of animal rights.

There are a number of things disturbing, and insightful about this video. One, the implication and stereotyping of the word "circus" to mean anything awful in the world of performing animals. Two, if you look closely the majority of these animals do not have teeth and/or claws. Whether the teeth were removed surgically, or knocked out with a stick is not known, but the constant use of a stick in a forceful manner, makes it suspect. Three, the inclusion of a cock fight in the video. WTF!!!!! Four, the age and attitude of the "young" people "training" the animals. Most looked like they would rather be somewhere else, doing something else. How in the world can someone this young possibly know anything about what they are going. Is it a similar situation to the young people forced into "schools" and made to learn to be acrobats, jugglers, etc? Five, most disturbing was the footage of the young man attempting to get the bear to jump rope. Even without the sappy music and narration, it was obvious that there were two creatures, one human and one animal, neither one of which had a clue as to what was going one. Six, for the most part all of the animals were young, as you could see by their behavior. You have to wonder how long their performing life was, and if the lack of proper regulations makes it easy to "pound away" and if it fails, replace it with a new, easily accessable youngster. If you think what goes on somewhere else is not our business, contemplate the comments to a video from Asia, released in England:"

This is an absolute disgrace. Animals should not be used for human purposes like this. My heart breaks for these beautiful creatures who are made to suffer so unnecessarily.

But before other countries begin pointing the finger at China, they need to look at their own use of animals.The production of animals for food or clothing is just as heinous as training bears to fight.

("Don't count the vegans or the folks who want to close down bull fighting out. It is very easy to "cross agenda" and get your agenda accepted by knocking hell out of something else."

China's children will never learn to respect animals while they continue to watch this kind of thing.
China must at least bring in basic animal welfare laws, but no country is innocent of animal cruelty.
The west just wrap it up differently:
bull fighting-culture
fox hunting-pest control
fur farming-well the poor little rich girls can't be allowed to get cold can they!
zoo's-education
Its all b**s*it , a different kind but it all smells the same.

(This moron is going to try to take out as many animal industries as they can so they can make for "me" what "they" consider is a right world.)

This is appalling and horrific. Asian circuses and zoos are notorious for their abuse towards animals. But let's not forget the thousands of other perfomring animals all over the world. These animals are beaten, prodded, poked and chained. They are all forced to perform frightening and often painful acts for the enjoyment of people. They live in cramped, barren travel cages and are subject to extreme temperatures. Please don't support circuses anywhere that use animals. www.bigcatrescue.org

(See, even though it is worlds away from us, might as well use the opportunity and the word "circus" to keep pushing your agenda here in America.")

"Folks in the circus better wise up, and quite knocking other animal industries, and/or pointing a finger at how terrible someone else is. It might come back to bite you in the ass!!!!!"