Circus animals and the law

There is a Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals in Circuses, which sets out how animals are to be housed and treated. This Code of Practice is law in New South Wales and South Australia, but not in other states.

Here are a few points from the Code:

Animals may not be kept in their travelling wagons without exercise for more than 2 days.
Elephants and hooved animals must be kept insides a fenced area for at least 6 hours a day. Elephants may only be chained up at night, during storms, or when the trainer is absent from the circus. The area for 1 or 2 elephants must be at least 600 square metres, and at least 800 square metres for 3 elephants (eg 20 by 40 metres).
Big cats must be able to use an exercise yard attached to their travelling wagon for at least 6 hours a day. The area for 1 animal must be at least 20 square metres, with an extra 10 square metres for each animal.
Monkeys the size of macaques do not have to have an outside area, provided that the travelling wagon is a minimum of 5 square metres for 1 monkey, with an extra 2.5 square metres for each additional animal. The area is supposed to have climbing structures and playthings to occupy the intelligence of the monkeys.
The Code acknowledges that the size of bear cages will have to be maximised because they are constantly roaming in the wild, but no minimum cage sizes have been set. Bears may not be declawed or detoothed, and may not be muzzled.
Animals must receive at least 45 minutes exercise a day during training or performances.
The use of fire in acts is prohibited.
Physical punishment is not allowed, and animals must not be hit. Elephant hooks (used to grab elephants behind the ears or the knees) must have a blunt point on the hook.

The Code of Practice is an improvement on how animals were kept in the past. However, it still doesn't provide an adequate environment, and can never do so because of the very nature of the travelling circus. The exercise areas are rather like the exercise yard in a prison. It's better that prisoners have this area to stretch their legs and get outside, but there isn't much you can do there, and it certainly isn't an adequate living environment.

Exercise cages and pens are still pitifully inadequate for a lion that can charge at 50 kph, a tiger that roams 10-20 km per night, monkeys and bears who are constantly active and curious in their search for food, and elephants with their close-knit and complex social structure.

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