Q&A :: Circus – a life inside a cage

Whips, spikes, rods and electric devices are part of everyday life for hundreds of animals kept in Polish circuses, and as animal rights defenders argue there is no such thing as a happy animal in a circus.

“Of course, trainers would say that they don’t use such instruments, as they motivate animals with food, or other forms of positive reinforcement, but it’s not true,” says Cezary Wyszyński, head of the Viva foundation in Warsaw. “You can see for yourself on the internet footage of real training when the tamers don’t know that someone is recording them – then you can really capture the reality,” he told Q&A host Alicja Baczyńska.