This should have stopped long ago.

using animals in circuses is out dated and cruel, and circuses are a thing of the past

Politicians are already performers in their own circus It's called the Houses of Parliament in many countries including the UK The US Congress etc. There even local circuses with a range of clowns from governors and mayors to district, county and parish councillors all getting in on the act. They even broadcast their performances on the BBC and elsewhere sometimes live and all it costs is your tax dollars to keep this entertainment going all over the world! Keep real animals out of the circus ring!

Anna J: I second your suggestion to replace animals with politicians in circuses.

i SOOOO wish we could ban them as a whole in the U.S. -- i believe some cities have already forbade entrance to traveling ones. but it mentally exhausts me knowing that we're only part of the problem. circuses are even worse elsewhere on this globe, as chris b reminds us about the ice-skating bear in russia. i cried when i saw that poor bear on TV. how fkg stupid. i wonder if i'll ever see a humane, compassionate world in my lifetime. for animal-free circuses, i suppose, until there's no audience, this will never happen.

If your children want to see wild animals, take them to a reputable zoo where they can see the animals in somewhat more of a "natural" environment (although some zoos do not provide this). Wild animals were not put on this planet to entertain humans. There's plenty of action with the trapeze, tight rope and clowns...leave the animals out of the picture.

I also love the great idea to use politicians for entertainment in circuses. At least then they would have a purpose other than to torment the rest of us. I do think, however, that all the animals that are being used in circus acts at this time should be given a wonderful, secure, and cushy retirement. Politicians? Not so much.

Politicians are fair game ut animals should never be used or abused for entertainment. I have just read that an ice skating bear was shot in Russia because it dared to kill a circus worker. Of course Russia has no laws governing anmals in circuses, so I'm told and there are over 3000 performing animals working in these hell holes in that country!

As I said before if you want to see "animals" perform and even acrobatics get along to the UK House of Commons or watch the live feeds on your satelite provider and I'm sure the same can be said for any other nations parliament as the elected idiocraty expose their stupity for all to see! Not a whip or trainer in sight all completely natural behaviour and no real animals hurt in the broadcast of these proceedings!

"The idea that it is funny to see wild animals coerced into acting like clumsy humans, or thrilling to see powerful beasts reduced to cringing cowards by a whipcracking trainer is primitive and medieval. It stems from the old idea that we are superior to other species and have the right to hold dominion over them."
—Dr. Desmond Morris, anthropologist, animal behaviorist, author--