You are part of the show
Imagine you are sitting in a circus and a man is standing by a lion in front of you. The lion is calm and you are waiting to watch an exciting show and have fun. The lion opens his mouth then the man puts his head in the lion’s mouth.
Getting excited, you admire his courage. But you feel confident that this lion is trained and there is no danger. Right at that moment, the lion closes his mouth.
Everyone shouts and wants to help. Finally, a soldier in the circus raises his weapon and shoots the lion. The trainer survives.
This incident is not imaginary, it happened fourteen years ago in a circus in Mashhad. The lion, that had repeated the exciting show over and over, suddenly closed his mouth. He had acted according to his nature.
We have seen animals performing in circuses for years. Elephants stand on their back feet, tigers jump through rings of fire, bears ride bicycles, and other unexpected acts make up hours of entertainment.
Animals do things they do not like
But what happens behind the scenes in the circus? Is it as entertaining as the bright scenes with the dazzling lighting? And how do these animals do these things?
Elephants, lions, tigers, bears, and other animals did not choose to be in a circus. The circus owners force them to do things they do not want to do. This training is mandatory for them because the circus owners want to make money.
The trainers use whips, electric prods, and other tools to control the animals, which have to endure violent training, sometimes getting hurt and injured. In some circuses, the owners do not even try to treat these animals’ injuries and leave them with their wounds.
These animals are subjected to forced training, away from nature and their own lands, and remain in cramped spaces and small cages for the rest of their lives. Later, when they grow old and cannot perform, they are killed because maintaining them increases the cost.
But there are other ways for circuses to operate, and entertaining people should not come at the expense of hurting animals.
A new solution
When we go to the circus, we just want to have fun. We don’t want to watch the torture of other creatures. Fortunately, technology can save these animals and save them from this cycle of violence.
Just as we no longer use horses and camels in the transportation industry, and our lives have changed, so will the circus business.
Bernhard Paul, co-founder of the Circus Roncalli, took the first step. The BBC reported that:
“During the performance, Justin Timberlake was seen singing alongside a hologram of the music legend Prince, who had passed away two years earlier.
“After the show, Bernhard Paul was determined to find a way to make the technique work within his circus.”
Roncalli contacted Bluebox to install the holographic display system. This system helps people see the hologram animals, like the hologram of Prince. 11 projectors are used to make these 3D holograms and could fill an arena spanning 105 feet wide and 16 feet deep.
“Throughout its history, the circus has always been modern in its approach. I think nowadays, it is more appropriate to show holograms instead of real elephants,” Paul said.
In an interview with the Rheinische Post, Markus Strobl, media director of Circus Roncalli at that time, said the focus of the Circus Roncalli is on poetic and acrobatic numbers and they have decided against having the animals for the benefit of the animals.
Is it worth it?
There are no losers in this game.
Most importantly, the animals are released from captivity. With the spread of this technology and the changes in procedure in circuses, thousands of animals are saved. Recently, almost 30 countries have banned the use of animals in circuses. So we can hope for more restrictions in the coming years.
This change also works in favor of the circuses. In 2016, when Roncalli was still using animals in shows, a single trip cost about $90,000. It is certainly more economical for them to use hologram animals, because they do not need care and food and cages. In addition, imaginative shows can be made the way that no animal can perform. So the circus owners can entertain more people.
Even the audience may benefit. People, especially children, are no longer witnessing animal abuse. Watching such shows may mislead children and teens into thinking that they have the right to force other animals to do things or to hurt them.
Image credit: Peter H