Request to Tokyo Tachikawa City: “Don’t Cooperate with Animal Circus”

There is a trend in other countries to stop using animals for entertainment, such as circuses, as it is an inappropriate environment for keeping wild animals. In this case, wild animals are those other than domesticated animals. No matter how many generations of wild animals are bred, their innate ecology never leaves them. Therefore, animals bred in captivity in Japan are also considered wild animals and are subject to regulations in 58 countries^*1 worldwide.

There are two directions in which animal welfare problems in circuses can go: problems that cannot always be prevented in the circus entertainment environment, no matter how careful they are, and problems that can occur if animals are not treated properly. If animal circus management companies make efforts to raise animals with care, the suffering of animals due to abuse may decrease, but in the first place, it is impossible to realize an animal welfare environment suitable for large animals in a circus environment where the animals travel by vehicle all year round and perform acrobatics, which are movements contrary to their habitual behavior.

Furthermore, the animals do not enjoy performing tricks; they only do what they are told because they get paid for doing so and are afraid of being whipped.
Any sudden stimulus could cause a runaway accident that could endanger spectators and the public.

The circus in Tachikawa City, Tokyo, which began to be held in the aftermath of the Corona Disaster, has given the Animal Rights Center an opportunity to rethink the issue of animal circuses. On December 20, 2022, we submitted a written request to the Social Education Promotion Division of Tachikawa City, where the circus was held, explaining the problems of animal circuses and requesting that Tachikawa City refrain from active cooperation or involvement in such activities. In other governments that host circuses, circus troupes make courtesy calls to the head of the government, send out “social networking” messages as if they were advertising the circus, and even use circuses for field trips for school children, all of which go against the global trend to abolish animal circuses. Tachikawa city officials responded that they would respond positively. The Animal Rights Center has further requested to meet with local companies that provide the venue for the event.

Forcing animals to perform unnatural tricks is the same as dominating them through starvation and violence. If we affirm a culture that uses force to screw over its opponents, its society will remain barbaric and immature forever. The Animal Rights Center will continue to oppose animal circuses, aiming for a society free of animal exploitation.

【Full text of our request to Tachikawa City】

We are the Animal Rights Center, a non-profit organization that makes various proposals and activities in the hope of improving animal rights and welfare. We would like to make the following requests regarding the cooperation and active involvement of the government in the privately-run circus to be held in Tachikawa City.

Requests

I. Tachikawa City should not cooperate or be actively involved in circuses that use animals.

As of December 20, 2022, 58 countries have banned or restricted the use of animals in circuses. The number of countries that have banned or restricted the use of animals in circuses is increasing every year.

In Japan, although there are no regulations, there is a growing public awareness campaign against the use of animals in circuses.

In the 2019 revision of the Animal Protection and Control Law, the welfare of certain animals such as lions became an issue, and not only was the keeping of such animals for petting purposes banned, but a supplementary resolution was passed stating that “regulations on keeping animals for touching and entertainment purposes should also be considered.

Quoted from the supplementary resolution to the draft law to partially revise the Law Concerning the Protection and Management of Animals (June 11, 2019).

The resolution states: “With regard to the permission for the keeping and keeping of specified animals, from the viewpoint of preventing harm to the human body, eliminating the concerns of residents, and taking countermeasures in the event of a disaster, the desirable form of regulations should be examined, including measures to control the keeping and keeping of animals for the purpose of entertainment, touching, and the like. In addition, not only to ensure the strength of the facility where the animals are kept and take measures to prevent them from running away, but also to prevent inappropriate handling, such as keeping them in mobile cages all the time, and to consider how to guide and monitor the animal welfare of specified animals, and take necessary measures based on the results of the study.”

While the use of dogs and cats in circuses is problematic, the use of wild animals poses even deeper problems. As the example of dogs shows, it takes thousands of years for an animal to become domesticated. Lions and elephants are not domesticated creatures; they have the same strong needs as those in the wild. As the British Veterinary Association states, “The welfare of undomesticated wild animals cannot be met within the environment of a travelling circus. “

Cramped housing, long-distance travel, and forced tricks all pose major animal welfare problems. Some circuses make their elephants stand on their hind legs or walk on their hind legs only, but for elephants of their enormous weight, supporting themselves on two legs is a huge burden. Standing on one’s head, back legs, and kneeling can lead to joint and spinal injuries and claw tears, and balancing can cause elbow and knee problems, experts say.

In light of the above, we are concerned that the cooperation and active involvement of the government in the operation of the circus would hinder the major theme of coexistence with animals and nature in the city government. Therefore, we request that Tachikawa City cooperate in eliminating the use of wild animals in order to realize a sustainable human society and environment.

December 20, 2022

^＊1https://arcj.org/issues/entertainment/horse/circus1255/