Circus Violations and Bans

ANIMAL WELFARE VIOLATIONS

For information sheets detailing a history of circus violations, please click on the name of the circus you are investigating. Information courtesy of PETA.

Every circus has a history of animal care violations noted by the USDA during their inspections as well as other serious incidents involving neglect, injury, and escape. Still, these documents tell very little of the horror story lived by animals who spend their lives traveling around the country for the purpose of giving rides or doing moments of stupid tricks.

A lack of violation from the USDA does NOT indicate that the circus has appropriate animal care, or even decent animal care. Sadly, the Animal Welfare Act is woefully inadequate in terms of offering protections for animals. Where laws do exist, they are only intermittently enforced.

Carden Family (owns elephants)
Carson & Barnes Circus (owns elephants)
Culpepper & Merriweather Circus (owns tigers and a lion)
Franzen Bros. Circus (owns elephants)

Garden Bros. Circus (currently not traveling with wild animals)
Jordan World Circus (rents elephants from Carden or Carson & Barnes)
Royal Hanneford Circus (occasionally rents elephants)
Shrine Circus (click to learn more about Shrine Circuses,)
Tarzan Zerbini Circus (owns elephants)
UniverSoul Circus (currently not traveling with wild animals)

CIRCUS BANS

Circus bans are continually being instituted. This is not a definitive list. Please check with local authorities to find out about bans on the use and abuse of wild animals in your area. To institute a ban, please contact us.

EUROPE

Austria: Nationwide ban on the use of wild animals in circuses
Belgium: Nationwide ban on the use of most wild animals in circuses (Parrots and camels are classed as domestic)
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Nationwide ban on all animals in circuses
Bulgaria: Nationwide ban on certain wild animal species in circuses, variety shows and other entertainment facilities
Croatia: Nationwide ban on the use of wild animals in circuses
Czech Republic: Nationwide ban on the use of certain species in circuses
Cyprus: Nationwide ban on all animals in circuses
Denmark: Nationwide ban on the use of certain species in circuses
Estonia: Nationwide ban on the use of wild-born animals in circuses
Finland: Nationwide ban on the use of certain species in circuses
France: Local bans in more than 30 cities
Greece: Nationwide ban on all animals in circuses
Hungary: Nationwide ban on the use of wild caught animals in circuses, the purchase and training of elephants and primates for circus performances and the purchase, training and use of CITES (Appendix 1) listed species in circuses
Ireland: Nationwide ban on the use of wild animals in circuses
Latvia: Nationwide restrictions effectively banning use of wild-caught animals
Malta: Nationwide ban on the use of all animals for performances, exhibitions, shows or training for the circus
The Netherlands: Nationwide ban on the use and transport of animals in circuses, with exemptions for certain, mostly domestic, species
Norway: Use of wild species effectively banned nationwide - positive list of permitted animals only includes domestic animals (apart from camels)
Poland: Nationwide ban on the use of wild-born animals in circuses
Portugal: Nationwide ban restricting the use of great apes in circuses and the acquisition and breeding of CITES listed species
Slovenia: Nationwide ban on the use of wild animals in circuses
Spain: Local bans on the use of wild animals in circuses in many towns and cities including Barcelona
Sweden: Nationwide ban on the use of certain species in circuses
UK: Nationwide ban on the use of wild animals in circuses

NORTH AMERICA

USA: 173 partial or full bans on circus animals in U.S. based jurisdictions across 37 states. California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Jersey, Kentucky, and Rhode Island have banned the use of wild animals in circuses. Illinois and New York have bans on the use of elephants.
Canada: Local bans on the use of animals in circuses in 28 municipal jurisdictions

LATIN AMERICA

Argentina: Local bans on the use of wild animals in circuses in over 20 cities including a ban in the city of Buenos Aires
Bolivia: Nationwide ban on the use of wild and domestic animals in circuses
Brazil: Local bans on the use of wild and domestic animals in circuses in the districts of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Pernambuco, Paraiba, Rio Grande do Sul, Espiritu Santo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Alagoas and a number of bans in cities within another four Brazilian states
Chile: Local bans on the use of wild and domestic animals in circuses in the city of Santiago
Colombia: Nationwide ban on the use of wild animals in circuses; local ban on the use of animals in circuses in the capital, Bogota
Costa Rica: Nationwide ban on the use of wild animals in circuses
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: Nationwide ban on the “Income, use or abuse of wildlife species in all kinds of entertainment”
Mexico: Nationwide ban on the use of wild animals in circuses
Panama: Nationwide ban prohibiting “entry of wild animals for use in static and travelling circuses and similar shows”
Paraguay: Nationwide ban on the use of wild animals in circuses
Peru: Nationwide ban on the use of wild animals in circuses as well as a local ban on all animals in Magdalena del Mar

OCEANIA

Australia: Local bans on the use of animals in circuses in several towns including Hobsons Bay, Surf Coast Shire, Parramata and Lismore

ASIA

India: Nationwide ban on the use of certain species in circuses
Iran: Use of wild animals in circuses effectively banned nationwide (no permits issued)
Israel: Nationwide ban on the use of wild animals in circuses
Singapore: Nationwide ban on the use of wild animals in circuses
Taiwan: Nationwide prohibition on the import or export of protected wildlife for circuses

Information courtesy of ADI and the HSUS.