Background: Husbandry of elephants in circuses

Food intake

It is not unusual for adequate elephant husbandry to fail because even the most basic needs such as those for food, care, etc., cannot be met. Furthermore, food intake, which constitutes an important aspect of the appropriate occupation of the animals, is not given sufficient consideration in circuses. Not only are the elephants sometimes given too little food with the composition of the rations often being inappropriate, they are also not given sufficient food to keep them preoccupied, i.e. branches.

Social behaviour

Circuses are not in a position to meet the social needs of elephants. This is particularly true of the following aspects which are practically non-existent in a circus: social groups in the form of family groups, breeding and raising of offspring. In the wild, it is the social hierarchies and the care for the offspring which form the basic elements of the elephants’ behaviour. In the circus, the giant animals are denied this fundamental behaviour. Elephants are the animals with the closest social ties we know of. And there can be no doubt, whatsoever, as to the fact that elephants can miss their fellow species. Solitary housing of animals as highly social as elephants can be equated with cruelty to animals. Unfortunately, there are still a number of circuses where the elephants are kept solitarily. Circuses, however — even those where the circus guidelines are complied with – cannot provide the elephants with the appropriate social structures and, thus, the prerequisites for the social behaviour typical of their species. Since elephants do not propagate in circuses, no establishment of normal family relations is possible, even with group keeping. Taking into consideration the natural species-typical social behaviour, thus, in a circus no elephant husbandry in accordance with the animals’ natural behaviour is possible.

Need for movement and comfort behaviour

Further points of criticism are badly ventilated or heated stable tents, unstructured or rarely used external paddocks and the fact that, in many cases, the animals are chained almost permanently. As a result of chaining, all circus elephants are hindered in their free movement and species-typical behaviour for 16 to 24 hours per day, adding up to almost 300 days per year. This can by no means be compensated for by the time spent in the paddock. Thus, as far as the comfort behaviour and movement patterns typical of their species are concerned, no husbandry of the pachyderms in accordance with their natural behaviour is possible in travelling circuses, since minute paddocks with electric fencing and “laundry lines” do not permit any serious elephant husbandry. The frequent transportation and the resulting travel stress are further factors speaking against elephant husbandry in circuses.

Occupation / Training

Compared with their free-range behaviour, the “behaviour-compatible occupation by means of training and performance”, stipulated in the “Zirkusleitlinien” as a compensation for the lack of self-initiated occupation and movement, has to be regarded as non-appropriate for the natural behaviour of the animals. Instead, degenerative diseases, causing many circus elephants considerable permanent pain and suffering, can clearly be ascribed to the training in the circus (head stand, standing on the front legs, standing on the hind legs, etc.).

Consequently, in travelling circuses, no behaviour-compatible occupation of elephants can be ensured either by means of training/performance or outside the time spent in the arena.

The consequences: almost all elephants kept in circuses suffer from severe physical and mental problems which are often obvious even to non-experts.
It seems that it is particularly the African elephants who find it hard to cope with the husbandry conditions in circuses. Furthermore, often the life expectancy of African elephants kept in circuses is shorter than that of their counterparts in the wild. Frequently they suffer from growth disturbances and deformed hind legs. In many circuses keeping both elephant species, in most cases the Asian elephants are clearly larger, something which is in contradiction to biology and confirmed scientific findings of free-range research. Potential causes include premature weaning, unsuitable food, too little sunlight (especially during the winter months), a lack of movement and inappropriate movements (training). What is also striking is the formation of “barky” patches, i.e. horny skin due to a lack of opportunities for chafing and bathing.

Furthermore, both species almost always suffer from severe behavioural problems such as the so-called “weaving”, characterized by the elephants stereotypically swinging their heads back and forth. This repetitive behaviour not aiming at anything nor serving any function is often the result of stressful situations, including boredom. The “weaving” of elephants, however, differs from animal to animal and does not allow a statement to be made regarding the quality of the husbandry conditions. Still, what can be said for sure is that elephants in the wild never “weave”.