«No Wild Animals in the Circus»: Calls Grow Louder

Under circus conditions, both the welfare and the dignity of animals — which is expressly protected under Swiss law — are severely compromised solely for the purpose of entertainment.

The new campaign by VIER PFOTEN, Tier im Recht and ProTier reinforces the demand for a legally enshrined ban on wild animals in circuses.

The 2019 circus season is underway, and once again big cats have found their way back into the ring against their will. Although Switzerland prides itself on having an exemplary animal welfare law, it lags far behind in international comparison: as many as 28 European countries have already significantly restricted or even banned the use of wild animals in circuses.

In this country, circus operators are even permitted to fall drastically below the minimum requirements of animal welfare legislation that zoos, for example, must comply with. Questionable training methods and degrading performances round off the everyday reality of circus life.

Dubious training methods as well as unnatural and often degrading tricks violate the dignity of animals.

Vanessa Gerritsen of the Foundation for Animal Rights in Law

Instead of providing these animal species — which are often severely threatened in their natural habitats — with the urgently needed protection, they are anthropomorphised in circus performances and presented as clowns, beasts or cuddly toys.

That wild animals in circuses are no longer ethically justifiable is demonstrated by the petition with over 70,000 signatures that we submitted to the Federal Council in March 2018. This petition calls for a national ban on wild animals in circuses in Switzerland at long last.

Monika Wasenegger of ProTier

In its response letter, the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) stated that, due to strict legal regulations, animal welfare in Swiss wildlife facilities is sufficiently taken into account, and therefore there is no need to ban wild animals from circuses. Thus, it remains up to circus companies to meet their animal welfare obligations — from an animal protection standpoint, this is simply unacceptable.

Breeding wild animals such as lions and tigers specifically for the entertainment industry is definitively unjustifiable from an animal welfare perspective. The concern raised in the petition is by no means off the table, but will be pursued with renewed vigour.

Lucia Oeschger from FOUR PAWS

With an expressive campaign created through a collaboration between Viva Colores Switzerland and Nachtlicht Creative GmbH, the three animal welfare organisations want to once again underscore their demands this year. The public and parliament are to be further informed about the suffering that wild animals endure in circuses — for life — so that a legislative ban can finally be implemented.