Circus fun

I watched a Bollywood film where the two lead actresses played the role of animal rights activists. They carried out sting operations at a circus to prove that the trainers used to torture the animals in the name of training them. They returned with the authorities who seized the animals from the circus.

It reminded me that there was barely any animal act at the circus which I recently saw during the Sharjah Water Festival.

I was impressed to see the dancers and acrobats who simultaneously performed acts in water, on the land and in the air, while the jokers made us laugh.   But what amazed me at the circus was the feats by a few dogs as they performed according to their ringmaster’s direction.

But I missed other animals as I had read that the animals used to be an important part of a circus.

Later, I learnt that circus is a declining art, mainly because of the animal rights activists who keep complaining that the circus trainers torture animals.

Agreed, we should save animals. We must respect their rights and stop animal abuse. Because Mahatma Gandhi had once said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

I think there should be other ways to protect them, instead of closing down the circus and depriving people of enjoying the unique art of acrobats.

(Published in The Gulf Today on January 5, 2013)