How is society protecting circus animals?
The care and well-being of elephants in captivity are the focus of increasing debate.
This shift in awareness has come because of:
- 1. The growing public concern for animals rights and welfare
- 2. Changes in public perceptions of zoos and circuses
- 3. Precarious status of free-ranging elephants
- 4. New data and information that indicate that captive environments are inadequate for providing and supporting animals
There are two federal legislations protecting elephant welfare:
“To legally use an animal covered under the Animal Welfare Act for the 
purposes of public display and entertainment, a license must be obtained as an exhibitor”
“Once a species is listed, any person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States is prohibited from ‘taking’ that species as well as banned from possessing, selling, delivering, carrying, transporting, or shipping any endangered species that is unlawfully ‘taken’ or from delivering, receiving, carrying, transporting, or shipping in interstate or foreign commerce”
These two laws are design to protect elephant welfare as well as the safety and health of humans.