travelling cat circus

The Amazing Acro-Cats: Meet the all-cat circus troupe

The Amazing Acro-Cats, an all-feline circus group founded in Chicago by animal trainer Samantha Martin in 2005, is now a worldwide phenomenon.

Martin first entered the glittering world of animal showbusiness when she began training rats for film, with her small business The Rat Company and Friends becoming the go-to rodent provider for filmmakers. 

Having been bitten by the animal-acting bug (and possibly a few rats) Samantha decided to expand beyond rodent training and find a new four-legged animal to train for the big screen.

Inspired by Tuna

It would be cats, which Samantha has always had an affinity for, that would become her new stars. She gathered an eclectic collection of cats, all of which were rescues and strays, and began booking them for film and advertising jobs.

It wasn’t until Samantha adopted a white cat named Tuna that she truly found the inspiration for what would become the world’s first cat circus. 

In a video released by The A.V Club , Samantha Martin explained how Tuna inspired her to start welcoming people in to witness the tricks that she could teach to cats.

Speaking of Tuna and how she helped to inspire The Amazing Acro-Cats, Martin said:

“She wasn’t a very affectionate cat but she really liked training, so I started to teach her to do some things and then I started taking her places. You know, initially, it was to get more film work for the cats but people were so interested and excited that a cat could do tricks that I ended up putting a whole little show together.”

Hitting the road

Once her fantastic feline troupe had been assembled, Samantha traveled with the kitties from state to state in an R.V, performing up to three shows a day with her talented cats.

It soon became clear to Samantha that her gifted feline stars deserved more comfort and luxury as they traveled than a cramped and aging R.V could offer them. 

So in 2012, she launched a Kickstarter to raise money for a proper tour bus. Within the campaign goals section, Martin wrote that she would be using the money raised to create:

“A lush, plush, safe, and stimulating environment for the cats; everything from built-in perches, posts, catwalks, and toys; and even a nursery for our foster kittens.”

Eventually, Samantha raised over $30,500 dollars and her accomplished kitties were given the tour bus of their dreams.

Promoting cat care

Samantha Martin has shared that the driving force behind The Amazing Acro-Cats has always been the goal of promoting cat welfare.

She hopes that when people see how much a domestic cat can learn through simple click training and how much joy performing tricks gives them, people will be encouraged to build deeper and more meaningful relationships with cats.

The show goes on

Seventeen years later and The Amazing Acro-Cats are still traveling the country and entertaining countless people with their incredible tricks.

The show doesn’t always go smoothly though, as Martin admits that sometimes asking an independently-minded cat to do something can be met with a big fat ‘NO’. She explained to The A.V Club: 

“They’re cats they’re still independent they’re not really out to please you, they’re more out to please themselves. People say it’s one of the best parts of the show when the cats don’t do what I ask them to.”

Despite these occasional setbacks The Amazing Acro-Cats continue to capture hearts and look likely to keep doing so for many years to come!

This Traveling Cat Circus Has Helped Save More Than 200 Feline Lives

Deputy Editor, Trends, HuffPost

It’s tough to imagine anything that could make The Amazing Acro-Cats — a traveling troupe of house cats that ride skateboards, play musical instruments and sometimes get bored and wander off into the audience — even more awesome.

As it turns out, there is something: The group has helped save the lives of more than 200 kittens over the past several years.

“The team [of cats] themselves are all former rescues and strays,” Acro-Cats founder Samantha Martin told HuffPost.

In 2009 — about four years after Martin started the group — she got inspired to take an even more active role in helping felines in need. She was hoping to adopt a kitten she could train as a new member of the Acro-Cats. Her search led her to a crowded, high-kill shelter in Chicago.

A worker there told Martin that several kittens desperately needed foster homes, and that whichever ones weren’t housed immediately would likely end up on that night’s euthanasia list.

“I took all 12,” Martin said, which she called a “life-changing moment.”

Fostering a shelter pet means taking in the animal until it finds a permanent adoptive home. Kittens are usually highly adoptable, but animal shelters are often not well-equipped to care for orphan kittens younger than 8 weeks old, as they need bottle feeding and overnight care. Plus, animals typically find foster homes less stressful than a shelter environment.

Martin didn’t end up making any of those kittens part of her, er, purrr-manent cast, she did help find good homes for all of them. And those first dozen kittens started a lasting legacy for Martin and the Acro-Cats.

These days, Martin, her human assistants and 17 cats — 16 performers plus “Captain Patch,” a one-eyed, non-performing feline who belongs to an assistant — tend to travel the country with a few foster kittens in tow.

The kittens reside in a deluxe three-level space inside a specially outfitted cat bus.

“The foster kittens never have problems adapting to life on the tour bus,” Martin said. “Since they are kittens, they’re much more adaptable to new places and experiences.”

Over the years, Martin and human Acro-Cats team members have fostered an estimated 209 kittens. Most have found new homes, although a few especially promising ones have wound up sticking around to become performers.

Because Acro-Cats tour the United States, their kittens come from all over.

“We try to partner with a local rescue and donate a portion of the [show’s] proceeds,” she said. “Sometimes people just contact us. It can be very random.”

The Acro-Cats are also improving feline lives in another way — by proving that yes, cats can be trained.

“A lot of cats are relinquished because of behavioral problems,” Martin said. “And the reason they have behavioral problems is because they’re bored.”

Of course, not all behavioral issues are due to boredom; owners should check with a vet if their cat is acting in an alarming way. But boredom can often lead to destructive behavior , aggression and even health problems.

“They need interaction,” Martin said. “They need a way to use their brain. Some cats more than others.”

That’s where training can help. Martin stressed the importance of using only positive reinforcement ― that means no punishments ― when working with your cats. She uses clicker training, which involves getting cats to associate a clicking sound with a desired behavior and subsequent reward. (You can learn more about clicker training, and training your cat, here .)

Your cats may never be ready for primetime, but Martin said teaching your pets some basic tricks is a great way to keep them mentally stimulated and strengthen your bond. She recommended starting with short sessions of around 10 minutes a day.

After all, you don’t want to overdo it. Even Martin’s professional troupe has plenty of off-time.

“The cats are my pets,” Martin said, explaining that they roam her home like normal house cats when they aren’t on tour. “People always ask, are they ever allowed to just be cats? They’re always just cats.”

You can see The Amazing Acro-Cats’ tour schedule here.

Before You Go

The Amazing Acro-Cats

From our partner, more in weird news.

The Catington Post

A Traveling Cat Circus Documentary – And the Documentarian who Ran Away with the Circus

For 5+ years, albeit intermittently, I traveled with a cat circus filming a portrait of life on the road. The result is Samantha’s Amazing Acrocats , a feature-length documentary that follows self-taught animal trainer, Samantha Martin and America’s only traveling cat circus, The Amazing Acrocats across the country, and explores the stakes in collaborating with a cast of feline performers.  

The film takes viewers from the early years when Martin traded in her day job to follow her calling and build the life that she always wanted; a life that entails living amongst 14 feline companions and dreaming up new cat tricks with which to amaze live audiences, to present day. The result is a film that will have its New York City film festival premiere in early November as part of DOC NYC.

Although this documentary features an abundance of cats, entertaining circus tricks, and an array of feline hi-jinx, what intrigued me most was the life behind the curtain. While taking a closer look at this traveling act, I observed a touching human-cat story that is as much a part of the circus fabric as the performance itself. What began as a curiosity for life lived on the road with cat circus tricksters and a cat band that play real instruments evolved into a deep respect for a highly skilled and patient trainer.

To be clear, cats often do not like to listen to their humans. Therefore, building a circus with a cast of fickle felines seems like a daunting task. As I watched Samantha train with the stars of the show, sometimes tricks would be executed perfectly, while at other times the cats would miss the mark, or rather ignore the mark completely. I observed that when tricks failed, Samantha would patiently incorporate a margin of error into her act instead of demanding a seamless show from her cat counterparts. Her priorities were articulated in the documentary when she said “What’s the point of having an animal if you don’t spend quality time with it. [Training] is an activity that you and your pet can do together.”

It is arguably a rare feat for a performance act with “circus” in the title to prioritize collaboration and a relationship with feline companions over the success of the tricks. While many circuses are known for utilizing stress inducing techniques to train animals, Samantha and The Acro-Cats reject this model completely.

As I watched Samantha traverse the country attempting to book shows, find her audience, and work her way out of debt that comes with creating a cat circus from the ground up, another conflict presented itself. The film examines how one builds a business when the priority lies in animal well being and camaraderie rather than cat trick precision and whether Martin can make it on her own terms.

Despite these potential financial pitfalls, she uncompromisingly adheres to her principles for better or for worse. Martin is a strong advocate for cat adoption and has found homes for over 200 stray cats. She practices what she preaches and uses her show platform to raise awareness about animal health and adoption.

With her guiding principles in tow when Samantha takes the stage, the outcome is never certain. Every show is a unique event that exhibits her relationship with her capricious cats.

Samantha’s Amazing Acrocats (The Documentary) will have its New York City Premiere at Doc NYC  @DOCNYCFEST on November 10 th 2017 at 7:15 pm.

For Tickets :   https://www.docnyc.net/film/samanthas-amazing-acrocats/  

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccRuNp9-lCw&feature=youtu.be

Website : www.acrocatsmovie.com

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/AcroCatsTheMovie/

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An elephant disembarks a Ringling Bros. train in Washington, D.C., in 2015. Elephants have since been retired from the circus. Today marks the "Greatest Show on Earth's” final bow.

• WILDLIFE WATCH

Why All of America's Circus Animals Could Soon be Free

After 146 years Ringling circus is putting on its final show. Lawmakers may unite to take all traveling exotic animals off the road.

The curtain is about to fall for the last time on the self-dubbed “Greatest Show on Earth,” America’s biggest and longest-running traveling circus. On Sunday, after 146 years, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will pump its caravan brakes permanently. Other traveling circuses may not be far behind.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have joined forces on a bill that would ban the use of exotic and wild animals in traveling circuses and any other entertainment act on wheels. In late March, Representatives Raul Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat, Ryan Costello, a Pennsylvania Republican, and 22 other lawmakers introduced the Traveling Exotic Animal and Public Safety Protection Act (TEAPSPA) in the House. It would require the 19 traveling circuses in the U.S. with performing animals to to use only human entertainers—or shut down.

If the bill passes, it will end life on the road for more than 200 big cats, bears, camels, and elephants still working as circus performers. Thirty-four other countries have instituted similar bans, as have dozens of cities and counties in the U.S., including Los Angeles and San Francisco.

DO ANIMALS NEED TO BE SAVED FROM THE CIRCUS?

The welfare issues affecting wild circus animals are long documented and numerous. Animal welfare experts have found that it's grueling and stressful for animals to always be on the road, confined to tight spaces, and made to perform before screaming audiences.

“Wild animals, even if they're born in captivity, retain all their natural instincts, which are completely thwarted when they are trapped in small cages and shuttled from city to city in trucks and trailers,” says Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States.

These stresses are exacerbated by the fact that the animals must perform unnatural physical acts: bears trained to prance on tightropes; elephants made to balance on chairs; tigers forced to jump through flaming hoops. The training, lifelong and relentless, is especially hard on performing animals.

Ringling elephants get a bath during a break from performing in 2015. Although these elephants are now off the road, around 50 others still perform in circuses across the U.S.

It’s the same with any wild animal forced to interact regularly with humans. For an animal to be tamed, it must be “broken” early. For elephants that means being struck with bullhooks —sharp metal poles—from a very early age, until they’re docile enough to follow commands. For elephants in circuses, the training extends further. They don’t just have to be tame enough to give tourists rides—they need to twirl and balance on their hind legs. Every time an elephant doesn’t complete a perfect turn, it may be hit or otherwise disciplined. If a big cat doesn’t behave, it may be whipped and deprived of food.

FREE BONUS ISSUE

“A hundred years or so ago, when we were ignorant about the intelligence and emotions and ability of a species to communicate, we might have had the excuse of our own ignorance that we treated these animals so badly,” says Jan Creamer, founder of Animal Defenders International and an advocate for TEAPSPA . “But we simply don’t have that excuse any longer. Wild animals in circuses don’t belong in an advanced, civilized society.”

Trainer Alexander Lacey walks his leopard, Mogli, back to his pen after practice at a Fairfax, Va., arena.

Lacey brushes the mane of his lion, Masai, before a performance. Like most circus big cats, Mogli and Masai were born in captivity. To interact safely with humans, they must go through rigorous, long-term training to thwart their natural instincts.

After a 2011 Mother Jones investigation exposed pervasive cruelty toward elephants at Ringling Bros, a number of petitions and public interest campaigns demanded change. Ringling took notice and in March 2015 announced that it would no longer feature elephant acts . The circus since retired its 13 elephants to Ringling’s Florida-based Center for Elephant Conservation . The circus continued to feature big cats and other animals.

RINGLING’S FINAL BOW

In the end, removing elephants wasn’t enough to save Ringling. In January, citing declining ticket sales and high operating costs, Kenneth Feld, CEO of Ringling parent company Feld Entertainment, announced the circus would close this year. It “had become an unsustainable business for the company,” he said in a statement.

Ultimately, Creamer says, Ringling may have endured if it had switched to human-only performances years ago. Cirque de Soleil is an example of a hugely successful circus that has never featured animals, she notes.

THE PEOPLE OF RINGLING

Creamer says that while Ringling’s shutdown is a win for wild animal welfare, the fight continues. It’s why TEAPSPA is necessary, she argues, even after the country’s largest circus closes its doors. According to Creamer, criminalizing the use of wild animals in circuses sends the message that the practice is wrong, and it will create a permanent solution.

“It’s unfortunate such legislation is necessary, but there are findings of systemic inhumane treatment that show a solution is needed,” Representative Costello says.

Abuse allegations continue to surface. A recent Humane Society investigation found that a tiger trainer who works with traveling shows, including the Carden Circus and Shrine Circuses, appears to have mistreated his tigers, potentially in violation of the Animal Welfare Act. The investigation, the results of which were released May 18, reveals ShowMe Tigers owner Ryan Easley on video beating his tigers with whips and sticks. One tiger was hit 31 times in two minutes.

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Congress looks to act.

TEAPSPA, if signed into law, would be a blow to the businesses of Easley and others who supply exotic animals to circuses. Repeatedly introduced in Congress in recent years, the bill has failed to gain broad support. Until now Ringling was the biggest organization lobbying against TEAPSPA, the “political protector of the circus industry,” according to Pacelle. Now that Ringling is out of the mix, the bill could gain momentum.

It has another thing going for it: Animal welfare has emerged as a unifying bipartisan issue in a contentious political landscape. Representative Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon and a co-sponsor of the bill, says working for animal protections is “a little island of tranquility and civility.”

“Animal welfare is bridge-building,” he says. “It’s where our constituents are. It’s where more and more of our colleagues are. It’s hard to describe the satisfaction when you score a victory in this area.”

Opponents of TEAPSPA include The Cavalry Group, an organization that opposes “radical animal rights groups,” according to its website. The organization says the bill “would deprive countless Americans of the ability to experience endangered animals up close such as elephants and tigers.” They argue that doing so “fosters a love of wildlife in children that lasts a lifetime.”

Creamer encourages parents instead to take their children to view wild animals in places like sanctuaries that keep animals in natural surroundings.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE RINGLING ANIMALS?

Feld Entertainment has applied for a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permit to export 15 big cats—eight tigers, six lions and one leopard—to Zircus Krone, a circus in Germany. The cats were previously imported from Germany to perform with Ringling. The Animal Legal Defense Fund objects to the export , calling instead for the big cats to be sent to a sanctuary in the U.S. USFWS invites public comment on this petition until June 26.

The company's 13 elephants have already been retired to Ringling’s Center for Elephant Conservation, not without controversy of its own. Feld Entertainment isn't otherwise publicly disclosing where the Ringling animals are going.

Creamer says that although TEAPSPA has many things working in its favor this time around, people may need to encourage their own lawmakers to sponsor the bill to improve its chances of advancing. Many lawmakers simply don’t know how important animal welfare issues are to their constituents, she says.

The bill’s backers are hopeful. “Animal welfare isn’t a partisan issue, and I am proud to work across the aisle in order to prevent these abusive practices,” Representative Costello says. “Together, we can all take part in ending animal cruelty.”

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bans on circuses 

Countries, states, cities and towns have started restricting the use of wild animals in circuses 

Over the years, there has been growing public disapproval about the use of wild animals in entertainment. This concern is shown by the impact of the film Blackfish  and the decline in SeaWorld attendance after its release, the closing of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and the passage of statewide bans on the use of wild and/or exotic animals in traveling acts in several U.S. states. 

The public's desire for animal-free entertainment is so widespread that Ringling Brothers now plans to relaunch the circus in 2023 and will feature only human performers - a move FOUR PAWS applauds.  Lions, tigers, bears, and elephants are wild animals – sensitive species whose needs as mammals no circus can meet. This inability for circuses to properly care for these animals has been recognized in over 40 countries around the world, where (some or all) wild animals have become prohibited for use in circuses and other traveling acts; in Canada, there are local bans on the use of animals in circuses in over 33 municipal jurisdictions.

In the U.S., there are currently eight states and over 150 localities (cities, towns, and counties) in 37 states that have passed various restrictions or bans involving the use of wild animals in circuses. 

U.S. Timeline

In 2016, Rhode Island banned the use of bullhooks, a cruel elephant training device resembling a fireplace poker.

In 2017, Illinois and New York banned the use of elephants in traveling shows. 

In 2018, New Jersey became the first state in the nation to ban the use of wild and exotic animals in traveling shows, and less than a week later Hawaii passed a similar groundbreaking rule. 

In 2019, California banned the use of all animals in circuses, except for dogs, cats, and domesticated horses.

In 2021, Colorado banned the use of elephants, big cats, bears, and other animals in circuses and other traveling shows.

In 2022, Kentucky banned the use of both endangered species in circuses and exotic animals in county fairs, including a ban on elephant rides.

Below, FOUR PAWS gives you an overview of U.S. states and other countries that have already passed restrictions or bans on the use of all or certain wild animals in circuses and traveling shows.

UNited States

• Arkansas: Eureka Springs
• California: Statewide ban on the use of all animals in circuses (except for dogs, cats, and domesticated horses)
• Colorado: Boulder, Loveland, Timnath
• Connecticut: Bridgeport, Stamford
• Florida: Citrus County, Destin, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Margate, Mary Esther, Miami Beach, Okaloosa County, Panama City, Pompano Beach, Sebring
• Georgia: Baldwin County, Coweta County, Fulton County, Union City
• Hawaii: Statewide ban on importing dangerous wild animals for circuses or carnivals
• Idaho: Blaine County, Boise, Ketchum
• Illinois: Statewide ban on the use of elephants in traveling shows
• Indiana: Beech Grove, Bloomington, Munster, Whiting; statewide ban on public contact with big cats and bears
• Iowa: Ames, Burlington, Roland
• Kansas: Olathe, Wyandotte County
• Kentucky: Grant County, Kenton County, Louisville
• Maine: Bar Harbor, Portland
• Maryland: Gaithersburg, Montgomery
• Massachusetts: Amherst, Braintree, Cambridge, Mendon, Pittsfield, Plymouth, Provincetown, Quincy, Revere, Somerville, Topsfield, Weymouth, Wilmington
• Michigan: Ferndale, St Clair Shores
• Minnesota: Minneapolis
• Mississippi: Statewide ban on temporary exhibits allowing public contact with most wild animals; Biloxi, Brandon, Clinton, Crystal Springs, D'Iberville, Flowood, Gulfport, Horn Lake, Jackson, Meridian, Ridgeland, Southaven, West Point
• Missouri: Richmond
• Montana: Missoula
• Nebraska: Bellevue
• New Jersey: Statewide ban on the use of wild and exotic animals in traveling shows
• New Mexico: Las Cruces, Santa Fe
• New York: Statewide ban on the use of elephants in entertainment acts, statewide ban on public contact with big cats and with endangered or threatened species, including elephant rides; NYC ban on wild animals in circuses
• North Carolina: Asheville, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Orange County
• Ohio: Cincinnati, Delaware
• Oklahoma: El Reno, Mustang
• Oregon: Benton County, Clatsop County, Multnomah County
• Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh
• Rhode Island: Statewide ban on the use of bullhooks or other similar pain inflicting devices on elephants
• South Carolina: Aiken County, Edgefield County, Spartanburg
• Tennessee: Germantown, Oliver Springs
• Texas: Aransas Pass, Austin, Corpus Christi, Denton, Killeen, Marion, Nolanville
• Utah: Helper, Huntington, Layton City, Salt Lake County
• Vermont: Burlington
• Virginia: Charlottesville, Fairfax, King George County, Manassas, Manassas Park, Prince William County, Richmond, Salem, Spotsylvania County
• Washington: Darrington, Port Townsend, Redmond, Snohomish, Spokane
• Wisconsin: Dane County
• Austria: General ban on the use of wild animals.
• Belgium: General ban on the use of wild animals.
• Bosnia-Herzegovina: General ban on the use of all animals.
• Bulgaria: General ban on the use of wild animals.
• Croatia: General ban on the use of wild animals.
• Cyprus: General ban on the use of all animals.
• Czech Republic: Ban on the use of newly born apes, seals, whales (excl. dolphins), rhinoceroses, hippopotami, giraffes. From January 2022, ban on all individuals of wild animal species born, donated, or bought after January 2022.
• Denmark: General ban on the use of wild animals.
• England: General ban on the use of wild animals.
• Estonia: General ban on the use of wild animals.
• Finland: Ban on the use of apes, predators, elephants, hippopotami, marsupials, rhinoceroses, seals, crocodiles, predatory birds, ostriches, wild forms of ruminant or equine animals. From January 1st 2024 a positive list for animals in circuses will come into force which will only allow the use of domesticated species.
• France: Ban on the use of lions, tigers, and bears in circuses and ban on live dolphin shows.
• Greece: General ban on the use of all animals.
• Hungary: Ban on the use of elephants, rhinoceroses and primates. Ban on the use of newly captured animals from the wild. Ban on the use of species mentioned in Appendix I of the CITES Convention.
• Ireland: General ban on the use of wild animals.
• Italy: In July 2022 a law on entertainment was approved by the Italian Chamber of Deputies that abolish the use of animals in circuses and other traveling shows. The enabling act already stipulates that, as of now, circuses cannot acquire new animals or breed their own. But the law still needs to be implemented. 
• Latvia: General ban on the use of wild animals.
• Lithuania: General ban on the use of wild animals.
• Luxembourg: General ban on the use of wild animals.
• Malta: General ban on the use of all animals.
• North Macedonia: General ban on the use of wild animals.
• Netherlands: General ban on the use of wild animals.
• Norway: General ban on the use of wild animals.
• Portugal: Ban on the use of Great Apes. Breeding ban on whales, primate, wolves, bears, big cats, pinnipeds, elephants, manatees, rhinos, hippos, flightless birds, reptiles, constrictors. General ban of wild animals as of 2024.
• Poland: Ban on the use of wild animals that were born in the wild.
• Romania: General ban on the use of wild animals.
• Scotland: General ban on the use of wild animals.
• Serbia: General ban on the use of wild animals.
• Slovakia: General ban on the use of wild animals.
• Slovenia: General ban on the use of wild animals.
• Spain: In March 2023 the new animal welfare law was approved which includes a chapter dedicated the prohibition of the use of wild animals in circuses.  
• Sweden: Ban on the use of apes, predators, rhinoceroses, giraffes, kangaroos, hippopotami, seals, predatory birds, ostriches, crocodiles, fallow deer, elephants and sea lions.
• Ukraine: Ban on taking photos with wild animals on the streets, and a ban on keeping of animals in restaurants and other places of entertainment.
• Wales: General ban on the use of wild animals .
• Bolivia: General ban of wild animals and domesticated species.
• Costa Rica: General ban of wild animals.
• Ecuador: Nationwide ban on the use of native wild animals; restrictions on the use of exotic animals; ban on the import of both native and exotic wild animals with circuses.
• El Salvador: General ban of wild animals.
• Guatemala: General ban of all animals.
• Honduras: General ban of all animals.
• India: General ban of wild animals.
• Iran: General ban of wild animals.
• Israel: General ban of wild animals.
• Columbia: General ban of wild animals.
• Lebanon: Nationwide ban on the use of certain species in circuses.
• Mexico: General ban of wild animals.
• Panama: Nationwide ban prohibiting 'entry of wild animals for use in static and travelling circuses and similar shows'.
• Paraguay: General ban of wild animals.
• Peru: General ban of wild animal.
• Singapore: General ban of wild animals.
• Taiwan: Nationwide ban on the import or export of protected wildlife for circuses.

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Prohibiting Circuses and Traveling Acts that Use Animals

Using Local Legislation to Protect Animals

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Wild animals used in circuses and traveling acts endure severe abuse and neglect. Help protect these animals by passing a ban on the use of animals in circuses and traveling acts in your own city and county!

As of 2022, eight states have already banned or restricted the use of wild animals in traveling exhibitions:

• Rhode Island (2016) – banned the use of bullhooks
• Illinois (2017) – banned the use of elephants in traveling shows
• New York (2017) – banned the use of elephants in traveling shows
• New Jersey (2018) – banned the use of wild and exotic animals in traveling shows
• Hawaii (2018) – banned the use of wild and exotic animals in traveling shows
• California (2019) – banned the use of all animals in circuses, except for dogs, cats, and domesticated horses.
• Colorado (2021) – banned the use of elephants, big cats, bears, and other animals in circuses and other traveling shows.
• Kentucky (2022) – banned the use of both endangered species in circuses and exotic animals in county fairs, including a ban on elephant rides.

Additionally, more than 150 cities and counties across 37 states have restricted or banned the use of wild animals in circuses and traveling shows with more than 1/3 of those laws passing since 2014. Your city could be next.

Watch our webinar on passing local legislation!

Circus Ban Factsheet

Circus Ban FAQs

The Animal Legal Defense Fund is here to help you enact a ban in your city or county! Review these resources to get started. Fill out the contact form on this page for further assistance .

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Search form, circuses and traveling shows.

The ASPCA is opposed to using wild or exotic (non-native wild) animals, whether taken from the wild or captive-bred, in circuses, carnivals and other traveling animal shows because of the stress, cruelty and physical, social and psychological deprivations that the animals inevitably suffer, many as a direct result of extended confinement and being on the road much of the year. The ASPCA rejects the claim that there is educational value in seeing wild animals perform unnatural or dangerous behaviors, as well as the claim that large, wild animals such as elephants, bears, lions and tigers can be trained without cruelty to perform these behaviors. Furthermore, exotic animals in these venues are not bred to propagate the species for return to their native habitat, but rather to provide a steady supply of young animals who are subsequently trained to perform. Note: Performing companion animals who accompany their guardians on the road are an exception, as these animals can be accommodated humanely.

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Full Title Name:  Overview of Animals in Circuses and the Laws Governing Them

This overview outlines the chief threats facing circus animals in the United States. It also discusses the dangers facing the circus-going public due to animal rampages and provocation. The main legal protections for circus animals are also summarized.

Circuses have been a historic source of animal-based entertainment for centuries. However, many threats exist to both the circus-going public and the circus animals themselves such as wild animal escapes, mistreatment, the sale of circus animals to “canned hunt” facilities, and more. Three types of animals most commonly used in circuses, elephants, big cats (e.g. tigers), and primates (e.g. chimpanzees), often face greater, more specific threats. Not all circuses use animals in their exhibitions, but where circuses do use animals, controversy and concerns abound.

The chief threat to animals in the circus is mistreatment and neglect by circus staff.   Circus animals do not naturally jump through rings of fire, balance on stools or perform the various acts that circuses require them to do.   Those animals must be trained to perform, and circus animal training often involves negative reinforcement (abuse of animals).   Abuse in circuses takes many forms, including physical abuse with hooks or rods to compel circus animals to perform, confinement and chaining in harsh and potentially deadly weather conditions for long periods of time, and withholding food or proper medical care.   Every year, many circus animals, including some endangered species, die from a form of this inhumane treatment.

Physical threats to the health and safety of circus animals are particularly troubling when considering that many animals in circuses are members of endangered species. While many circuses obtain permits to keep and breed endangered animals in circuses, claiming that they are enhancing the survival of the affected species, many endangered animals are lost each year because of their captivity and treatment by circuses.

Another threat to circus animals’ well-being comes after their servitude comes to an end in the form of “canned hunts.” Canned hunt enterprises offer patrons the opportunity to kill a tame former zoo or circus animal at close range, usually from a tree stand or off-road vehicle.  Even if such an animal did attempt to escape, there is nowhere to run.  Either because a circus deems the animal no longer useful or profitable or for other reasons, many circuses sell their castaway circus animals to these canned hunt facilities.    Thus, the often unfortunate existence of some circus animals sometimes comes to an end in an even more inhumane manner when they are killed in “like fish in a barrel” at a canned hunt facility.

Economics also present a threat to circus animals’ well-being.   The under-enforcement of animal welfare laws often makes lawful, compliant businesses unprofitable when they cannot economically compete with businesses that cut corners and costs by treating animals poorly while escaping enforcement.

Humans also face threats from the use of animals in circuses.   The chief threats to circus staff and circus-goers are from escaped or provoked animals.   To a far lesser extent, animal “activists” or “terrorists” also pose threats to the physical safety and economic success of circus staff and patrons.  

Occasionally, animals escape from confinement at the circus and cause damage to property or persons.   These escapes or “rampages” can sometimes be deadly for circus staff, circus-goers and the public.   Additionally, spectators and trainers often provoke the animals to act or move, resulting in harm to those persons, and yet only the wild animals are usually punished, or are even killed, for acting on their instincts or the provocation.   Unfortunate on all accounts, such incidents usually result in monetary loss for the property owners, costs to municipalities for animal control and police services, injury to persons and usually, physical harm and death for the escaped animal.

Additionally, many circuses claim that animal welfare “activists” or animal welfare-concerned persons risk economic harm to circuses as businesses, and possibly even physical harm to circus staff and patrons. Within the animal rights community, there is a wide spectrum of beliefs held and actions taken, ranging from non-violent, lawful protest to violent, unlawful action taken on behalf of animals.  The latter category can cause economic damage to circuses and pose potential threats to the animals the activists are seeking to protect.  

Since their arrival in the United States, circuses have been governed by federal and state authorities, at the demand of circus-goers and “leisure reformers,” often chiefly concerned with animal issues surrounding the circus. Despite the enactment of legislation aimed to ensure the welfare of some animals in circuses and elsewhere, federal and state-level legislation often fails to protect circus animals, and sometimes even purposefully excludes them.  

At the federal level, the singular and primary piece of U.S. federal legislation regulating the use of animals in circuses is the Animal Welfare Act (AWA).  The AWA is the only federal law that directly regulates circus animals.   Even then, the AWA is not a broadly stated anti-cruelty law.   The AWA’s provisions provide only minimal standards for keeping animals for exhibitions (e.g. the AWA prohibits subjecting animals to “trauma, overheating, excessive cooling, behavioral stress, physical harm and unnecessary discomfort” of animals in circuses and elsewhere, but never defines the terms).  Although well-intentioned, the practical reality when it comes to the AWA is that it is too vague and riddled with loopholes, and that enforcement is too taxed and lacking in resources to adequately protect circus animals.

Despite the mistreatment of animals in many circuses, state anti-cruelty laws do not always cover these animals.   In 23 states, circuses are specifically exempted from these provisions. However, where states do have such laws on the books, the laws vary widely from state to state.   Some state laws only mention circuses or circus animals just to say that they are excluded from animal anti-cruelty laws that would otherwise protect those animals.

Even where violations of other state and federal laws occur in circuses, litigants face other obstacles in bringing lawsuits against circuses.   Most notably among the challenges is standing to sue, or who is injured and can bring suit for redress of their injuries.   Since the United States considers animals property, and does not grant them rights or status as sentient beings, standing can be a tricky and often disappointing barrier to animal advocates’ attempts to improve conditions and treatment for circus animals.

There are also international laws in many countries governing animals in circuses. Overall, while the United States could definitely stand to improve the effectiveness, inclusivity and comprehensiveness of its laws, domestic laws are far from the best or the worst of the world’s countries’ laws on circus animals.

For a detailed legal analysis, see the Detailed Discussion

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Travelling circuses: wild animal performance and exhibition

Wild animals cannot be exhibited or used in a performance as part of a travelling circus in England.

Applies to England

• Guidance for Scotland

Under the Wild Animals in Circuses Act 2019 , you must not exhibit wild animals or use them in a performance as part of a travelling circus in England.

You could get an unlimited fine and a criminal record for allowing wild animals to perform or be exhibited in a travelling circus.

Definition of wild animal

A wild animal is any species not commonly domesticated in Great Britain, including:

• big cats, like lions and tigers

The definition of wild animal for this act does not include commonly domesticated species such as dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, pigeons or doves.

See page 29 of the Zoo Licensing Act guide for more information about species that may be classed as wild animals.

Definition of a travelling circus

A travelling circus is a circus which travels from one location to another, regularly or not, to provide entertainment. It can still be considered a travelling circus if it is not moving around frequently, for example where the circus remains in one place after the touring season has finished.

The word ‘circus’ does not need to be in the name.

A circus permanently located at one single site with fixed buildings and structures is a static circus and not covered by this law. However, the rules for wild animals will apply to a static circus if it:

• sends some or all of its acts to put on a circus show anywhere other than its official location
• permanently relocates several times

Prevent the public viewing your wild animals

If you’re the owner or manager of a travelling circus with wild animals, you must make every effort to prevent the public viewing the animals.

You may travel with your animals, but you must not:

• allow the public to view wild animals carrying out tricks or manoeuvres
• allow the public to see wild animals while the circus is performing or before a show when the public are allowed on the site
• house, keep or transport wild animals in a way that encourages viewing by the public or promotes the circus
• use wild animals in displays, photo opportunities, parades and animal rides
• use imagery or footage of wild animals to promote your activities, including on printed materials, websites and social media

These rules apply even if you are not asking for payment or a donation.

You would however not commit an offence, for example, if the public saw a wild animal grazing in a paddock if you’d made no active effort to encourage viewing, or promote the circus.

Permitted wild animal performances or exhibitions

Animal performances or exhibitions which do not form part of a circus or are not used to promote a circus, are not included in this ban. This includes:

• bird of prey displays
• festive reindeer displays
• school or educational visit
• animal encounters and handling sessions or parties
• animals used for television, film or advertisements
• zoo and safari park outreach activities
• mobile animal exhibits

Transporting wild animals

Travelling circuses are still allowed to transport wild animals while they are in England.

For example, you can transport wild animals:

• for veterinary treatment or for re-homing
• as part of a travelling circus passing through England on tour but not used in performance or exhibited
• considered as pets and transported with the travelling circus

Read guidance on the welfare of animals during transport .

Protect animal welfare

If you choose to keep wild animals with your travelling circus, you must continue to comply with animal welfare and public safety regulations.

Read guidance on animal welfare , and check if you need to apply for a licence to keep a wild animal .

Inspections

An inspector appointed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) may inspect your travelling circus to check that you do not have wild animals performing or being exhibited.

You could get an unlimited fine if you do not assist or you intentionally obstruct an inspector.

The inspector can bring up to 2 other people with them to help with their inspection. These can include a police constable or a person from the local animal health office.

An inspector must show identification and explain why they are carrying out an inspection. They can bring appropriate equipment and materials with them.

If they’re entering under a warrant, they must produce a copy of the warrant and leave a copy with either the person in charge or on the premises.

An inspector can seize any item, other than a wild animal, if it helps to prove that you or your circus has committed an offence.

Report complaints

If you have concerns that a travelling circus is exhibiting wild animals or using them in a performance, you should email your complaint to Defra at [email protected] .

Added email address for reporting complaints.

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Spooked circus elephant roams Montana streets before being recaptured

An elephant escaped the confines of a traveling circus and roamed the streets of Butte, Montana, on Tuesday before it was recaptured without incident, NBC Montana reported.

Sheriff Ed Lester of the Butte-Silver Bow Law Enforcement Department said by email that the elephant was “spooked by a vehicle and escaped briefly.”

Images from Butte showed the animal walking around Harrison Avenue, dwarfing vehicles.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the animal welfare group, identified the elephant as Viola, who has escaped her confines at least twice before, in 2010 and 2014, spokesperson Nicole Perreira said by email. The group described the elephant as "elderly."

NBC Montana reported that Viola escaped from a traveling circus called Jordan World Circus when she was spooked by the sound of a vehicle. Viola was getting a bath at the time, the station said.

Jordan World Circus did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"The elephant was walking in the street for a block or two but was then loaded into a trailer by circus staff," Lester said.

The elephant was rounded up by handlers within about 20 minutes of having escaped early Tuesday afternoon, NBC Montana reported. No damage or injuries were reported.

“Glad it ended well," Lester said, "and as far as I know, the show went on as scheduled."

Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. 

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Flying With Dogs or Cats? These Are Airlines’ Pet Policies

American recently relaxed its rules for pets traveling inside the cabin with their owners. Here’s what the major U.S. airlines require to travel with a pet.

By Jesus Jiménez

Flying with a pet can be expensive and confusing, with fees, weight limits, carrier size rules and the need to make sure there’s no loud barking (or meowing) on board.

Recently, American Airlines relaxed its pet policy to allow passengers to bring a carry-on bag in addition to a pet in a carrier, and more private flight options have been emerging in recent years for pet owners who can afford them.

Still, flying with large or medium-size dogs can be tricky, and many travelers are wary of leaving a pet in the plane’s cargo hold.

For those traveling on the major carriers with their pets as carry-ons, here’s what to know about each major domestic airline’s policy.

Southwest Airlines

On Southwest, a Dallas-based carrier, two checked bags can fly at no cost, but not pets. Southwest charges $125 per pet carrier on its flights.

Dogs or cats are allowed to travel below a seat in an approved carrier — up to 18.5 inches long by 8.5 inches high and 13.5 inches wide — according to the airline .

Southwest has a few caveats for those traveling with pets: The pet must stay in its carrier during the flight, and the carrier is considered a personal item or carry-on bag.

Up to six pets are allowed on Southwest flights. Once six pets are booked onto a flight, no further customers may add a pet companion to their booking.

United Airlines

United Airlines has no weight or breed restrictions for cats and dogs as long as they are in an approved hard or soft-sided carrier, measuring 17.5 inches long by 9 inches tall and 12 inches wide for a hard carrier, or 18 inches long by 11 inches tall and 11 inches wide for a soft carrier.

United charges $125 each way for travel with pets. There is no fee for service animals on United flights, but some forms are required before the flight.

The carrier must fit under a seat, and where a passenger is allowed to sit can vary according to the type of aircraft. For example, people traveling with pets cannot sit in emergency rows. If you’re traveling with two pets (the maximum allotted), you are required to book two seats.

Delta Air Lines

Small dogs and cats can travel on Delta Air Lines flights as long as they can fit inside a carrier stored below the seat. The size of the carrier depends on the aircraft, but in general the airline recommends a soft-sided carrier no larger than 18 inches long by 11 inches tall and 11 inches wide.

Your pet must be at least 8 weeks old and small enough to have some room to move around in the carrier, which must have ventilation openings on three sides.

Delta charges $95 for pets traveling as carry-on companions, and the passenger can bring only one personal item along with the pet. Certain seats cannot be booked for travel with an animal, such as those in an emergency exit row.

American Airlines

American Airlines allows cats and dogs to travel in a carry-on container, which must remain under the seat in front of the pet owner throughout the flight. The airline recommends a soft-sided carrier that measures 18 inches long by 11 inches tall and 11 inches wide.

The fee for a carry-on pet on a domestic American Airlines flight is $150.

Flights are limited to seven carry-on pets, not including service animals, and American Eagle flights are limited to five carry-on pets, with one in first class. There is no charge for service animals flying on American flight, but the airline requires forms to be filled out in advance.

The airline said in a statement that it had recently changed its cabin pet policy to allow customers with a pet to also bring either a personal item or carry-on bag stowed in the overhead bin (but not both).

“We made the change to provide a more convenient and comfortable experience to customers whose pets fly American,” the airline said.

Spirit, JetBlue, Frontier and Alaska

Spirit allows dogs and cats on its flights in a carrier no larger than 18 inches long by 14 inches wide and 9 inches tall for a fee of $125. The weight of the pet and the carrier cannot exceed 40 pounds, according to the airline .

Small dogs and cats can fly on JetBlue for fee of $125 each way , in an approved carrier. Up to six pets are allowed on JetBlue flights.

Frontier allows pets on board for a $99 fee each way, as long the pet fits in a carrier. Passengers can have only a personal item or carry-on in addition to their pet carrier.

Pets can travel in a carrier on Alaska Airlines flights for a fee of $100 each way. A passenger can travel with a pet carrier and a personal item, or a carrier and a carry-on bag.

Private or charter flights

Those who take their pets on private or charter flights, which can cost many thousands of dollars, have much more leeway. Dogs that weigh less than 150 pounds can sit on seats.

BarkAir, a charter operator tailored specifically for those flying with dogs, charges about $6,000 for a dog and its owner to travel, with flights between New York and Los Angeles and New York and London. Carriers are not required, and dogs can sit on laps, seats or beds.

Jesus Jiménez covers breaking news, online trends and other subjects. He is based in New York City. More about Jesus Jiménez

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Cat lost at Toronto airport finally found on runway after multiple days

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A cat that somehow escaped after landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport has finally been reunited with his owners after running free at the travel hub for days.

Kevin, a smoky British shorthair, had just completed a long-haul flight from Scotland on Sunday, but was nowhere to be found when his owner picked up his tragically empty carrier at their Air Transat flight's luggage carousel.

After many hours of searching, the woman — who lives in Whitby, Ontario and had taken Kevin with her on a move overseas — gave up both the hunt and her hopes of ever finding her pet (who just happens to share a name with the Macaulay Culkin character who was also once lost in an airport).

What was especially difficult to cope with was the fact that she had taken extra care to ensure Kevin could ride in the cabin with her, but the airline told her upon her arrival that there was an issue with the soft carrier she had specially purchased for the trip.

So, he rode in the cargo bay, and was lost in transit — every pet owner's worst nightmare. 

Still, against all odds, Kevin was eventually found roaming the airport's tarmac alone on Wednesday, his owners told CP24 , adding that it was a happy ending after what was originally a very heartbreaking situation.

After being picked up and put into the care of the Canada Border Services Agency, the worse-for-wear, famished Kevin was rejoined with his family after his three-day mystery tour.

Per their interview with the news outlet, the family is considering taking legal action against Air Transat, who said that they regretted the incident and tried their best to find the kitty.

Kevin's saga isn't the only one of its kind to happen at Pearson recently, either: a tabby lost during a layover at the airport in 2021 somehow managed to survive on his own for 24 days before being found and taken home .

A year later , a dog carrier was misplaced with a glut of unclaimed luggage in the baggage area and left for almost a full day without food and water.

Davslens /Shutterstock

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