A few days ago, Spanish society was shocked to learn that an elephant had died and four others had been injured in a traffic accident. The truck transporting them overturned while traveling along the A-30 near Pozo Cañada, in Albacete. The pachyderms belonged to the Gottani Circus.
The people responsible for the Gotanni Circus maintain that all the mandatory European documentation required to travel with animals was in order. The trailer was also approved, and its driver tested negative for alcohol and drugs in the tests carried out at the time of the accident. Therefore, by all appearances, this was a tragic accident, from which both the elephants and the circus members, who have been deeply affected emotionally, will take time to recover.
Although it is true that this is not about demonizing anyone, this tragedy has reopened the debate about animal circuses. It is an issue that concerns a large part of Spanish society and that political parties -with a few exceptions- continue to fail to address adequately at the national level. In some autonomous communities and many cities, circuses of this kind have been banned, but circus associations can appeal these decisions because of the lack of official regulation.
And that is where things stand in Spain. Meanwhile, not far from here, our European neighbors continue to make progress in animal protection. The latest to set an example has been the United Kingdom, which recently announced that the end of circus performances featuring wild animals is very close. It is giving the industry two years to adapt.
Let it be clear that these decisions are not made to sabotage an industry, but with animals in mind -animals who have been completely overlooked for decades- and with their well-being and safety placed above economic interests. Because... how does life in a circus affect wild animals?
As its name clearly indicates, a wild animal is not meant to live in confinement, but for the exact opposite. A wild animal is not meant to do whatever humans want, but to follow what its true nature dictates. Captivity deprives them of their freedom and condemns them to spend most of their lives in cages or in chains. Captivity restricts them. Their natural needs, instincts, and behaviors are constrained and weakened by the lack of space and interaction with others of their species.
As if that were not enough, they are subjected to very harsh training and questionable conditioning techniques -not in every case, of course, but in many. Behaviors are forced through endless repetition. Their behavior is modified. This is the only way to get them to do things they would never do throughout their wild lives, such as walking on two legs, jumping through rings of fire, or riding a bicycle...
Ultimately, by exploiting them for commercial purposes, camouflaged as entertainment, wild animals are turned into objects. It does not matter if they become frustrated, alienated, depressed, or even suffer from mental disorders and illnesses.
That is why the era of circuses with wild animals is drawing to a close in many European, South American, and Asian countries, as well as in many U.S. states. Meanwhile, in our country, some of us continue to grow angry, lament tragedies such as the one involving the Gottani Circus, and throw our hands up in dismay at the passivity of the institutions. And that is where we remain: with the right to complain, in the absence of a General Law agreed upon by all political parties that would finally put an end to this drama, which says a great deal -and nothing good- about our country.