An old video showing a bear attacking its handler during a circus performance is going viral again, sparking renewed outrage over animal abuse in circuses. Animal rights groups have long advocated for banning animals in circuses, zoos, and other entertainment venues, arguing that wild animals are tortured to teach them tricks and held captive in small enclosures, leading to lives of distress.
The Incident
Circus Bear attacks handler pic.twitter.com/TOJJVlfskB
— Nature is Amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) July 17, 2024
The video, reportedly from 2019 in Olonets, a town in northwest Russia, shows the bear performing a trick called “Clubfoot and the Garden Wheelbarrow.” The bear snaps and attacks the handler after the handler grabs its snout and pulls it, prompting an aggressive reaction. Another circus staff member intervenes, hitting the bear to subdue it, while the frightened audience flees the venue.
Public Reaction
That bear did the right thing animals don’t belong to the circus they belong to live in freedom with nature
— Sadia S (@SadiaShaukat10) July 17, 2024
The resurfaced video has reignited debates about animal abuse in circuses. One X user commented, “We put them through something unnatural and foreign, and we wonder why they lash out?” Another person wrote, “Circuses that abuse animals need to be banned. Animals do not exist for our entertainment. An abused animal fighting back is justified.”
Progress in Animal Rights
As a result of advocacy by animal rights groups, many prominent circuses, like the Ringling Brothers, have re-launched their shows without animals. Many countries have also announced full or partial bans on using wild animals for entertainment.
In 2017, the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) cancelled the recognition of all circuses using wild animals. Similarly, in 2019, the mayor of Magas, a city in southern Russia, banned circuses that use wild animals. Mayor Beslan Tsechoyev justified the ban, stating, “Circuses are the cruellest form of animal exploitation. No spectacle using animals will ever be allowed in Magas.”
This viral video highlights the ongoing fight against animal abuse in circuses and the need for more stringent regulations to protect wild animals from exploitation.
