“I love seeing animals at the circus, and they don’t seem to mind performing, so why is PETA against the use of animals in circuses?”

In his book The Circus Kings, Ringling Bros. founder Henry Ringling North noted that at circuses, tigers and lions are “chained to their pedestals, and ropes are put around their necks to choke them down and make them obey. All sorts of other brutalities are used to force them to respect their trainer and learn their tricks. They work from fear.”

He also wrote that trainers commonly break bears’ noses or burn their paws to force them to stand on their hind legs and that trainers beat monkeys and chimpanzees while they scream in pain.

Animals do not naturally ride bicycles, stand on their heads, balance on balls, or jump through rings of fire. To force them to perform these uncomfortable tricks, trainers use whips, tight collars, muzzles, electric prods, bullhooks, and other painful tools.

“Don’t zoos teach children important lessons about wildlife?”

No. Zoos claim to educate people about animals, but their tiny cages and enclosures don’t allow animals to act the way that they would in the wild, and signs usually only tell visitors the names of the animals, where they can be found, and what they eat.

Even zoos with habitats that are similar to animals’ natural environments lack important things. For example, at zoos, many animals who live in large herds or family groups in the wild are kept alone or, at most, in pairs. Animals’ natural hunting and foraging behaviors are eliminated because the zoo staff develops schedules for them. And because animals at zoos lack privacy and have little opportunity for mental stimulation or physical exercise, many develop a mental illness called zoochosis, which leads to self-destructive behaviors.

Often, zoo officials focus on profits rather than the well-being of animals. A former director of the Atlanta Zoo once remarked that he was “too far removed from the animals; they’re the last thing I worry about with all the other problems.” Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals in captivity, where they are bored, cramped, lonely, far from their natural homes, and at the mercy and whim of people.

“Don’t zoos help preserve endangered species?”

Most animals in zoos are not endangered, and they aren’t being rehabilitated so that they can be released back into their natural habitats. In fact, it is nearly impossible to release captive-bred animals into the wild.

Instead of giving animals natural settings, zoos place very unnatural restrictions on them. For example, polar bears are usually confined to spaces that are only a millionth the size of their minimum home range in the wild. When placed in zoo enclosures, animals who roam long distances in nature often pace endlessly or swim in circles from boredom.

We will only save endangered species by preserving their habitats and protecting them from hunters—not by breeding a few in captivity. Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups and organizations that work to preserve habitats and help nonprofit sanctuaries that rescue and care for exotic animals without selling or breeding them.