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Dear Reader,
I was in my early 20s when the circus came to town. People lined the streets when it arrived, awed by the elephants trundling down the avenue — a parade of giants joined by trunk and tail. The elephants then performed tricks — sitting up on their hind legs, for instance. Though I was fascinated, it all also felt humiliating. These were creatures of jungles and forest, not urban city centers. I left feeling disgusted — with the circus organizers and with myself. And I vowed never to attend a circus again. But that resolution might be behind me now that I’ve learned about cruelty-free hologram circuses, which are gaining popularity in Europe.
“Circus Roncalli, which was founded in 1976, introduced the holograms in 2019 when they partnered with a German firm specializing in augmented reality,” reports the Washington Post. “Other acts have followed suit, including the French circus L’Écocirque, which features holograms of a lion, an elephant, and beluga whales, accompanied by a live orchestra blaring rock music.”
The article notes that “the use of circus animals for decades has raised concerns of exploitation and cruelty. In the United States, more than 150 cities and counties across 37 states have limited or barred them, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund. And in … Italy, the lower house of Parliament has advanced legislation to ban the use of circus animals.”
Three cheers for the (hologram) circuses that truly celebrate magnificent creatures.
Pachydermally,
Dot
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