Activists are calling for a ban on using animals in Russian circuses after sick footage shows black bears wearing costumes being forced to fight in a ring.
The horrific animal cruelty can be seen in images that show wild black bears, who have been torn from their natural habitats, dressed in shorts and wearing boxing gloves with ropes tied around their waists being forced to wrestle each other in the middle of a circus ring in Russia. Circus shows such as this where animals are forced to perform are popular in some areas of the country, especially in resorts like Sochi on the Black sea.
Wild black bears are dressed in human clothing and being forced to fight for a circus show (social media /east2west news)In one particular sequence, as two bears are made to brawl on the stage, a third bear enters playing the role of boxing attendant, later returning with a bouquet of flowers for the winner of the 'match'. Goaded and spurred on by circus cast and audience members, the bears are reined in by rope if they become too violent.
Now, a prominent animal rights activist, Yuri Koretskikh, from Russia is speaking out against these cruel spectacles and is asking others to do the same. He a started a petition that calls for legislation “to ban the use of animals in circuses” which has now received over 116,000 signatures.
Yuri Koretskikh is calling for an end to cruel animal performances in circuses in Russia (social media /east2west news)The petition elaborates, honing in on one specific performance at the Sochi Circus, saying: "The [circus] trainers considered such an animal fight funny, but the audience did not appreciate their creative idea and on social networks demanded that the organisers be charged with cruelty to animals. This video once again colourfully tells us about the level of degradation of circus art in Russia and about the real attitude of trainers towards animals."
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"The [circus] trainers considered such an animal fight funny, but the audience did not appreciate their creative idea and on social networks demanded that the organisers be charged with cruelty to animals. This video once again colourfully tells us about the level of degradation of circus art in Russia and about the real attitude of trainers towards animals."
The use of animals in Russian Circuses like Sochi has been traditional since the 11th century (social media /east2west news)People were outraged by the video shared on social media, with one survey of commenters showing 349 angry reactions, with 116 upset, and 23 crying in response to the cruel performance. However, circuses remain popular in Russia, and animals are often a central element of performances - a tradition that dates all the way back to the 11th century.
Koretskikh heads the Russian Alliance of Animal Protectors which said: “While modern world circus art is rapidly moving towards humanity, banning the use of animals in circuses, the Russian circus lobby is actively resisting progress, defending its commercial interests.”
Many people are now calling for an end to the use of circus animals such as these black bears (social media /east2west news)Recent polls show that the majority of respondents "no longer want to see animals suffer in circuses”, said the campaign.
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