If you imagine a classic circus spectacle, one of the first images that pops into your mind is animals performing. The traditional circus includes shows that feature exotic animals, such as elephants and lions. They may appear to be harmless family fun at first glance, but the reality isn’t so simple.
At the RCIC, we are aware that the public’s opinion about animal shows has changed. For a variety of reasons, the RCIC has not utilized exotic animals in our shows in the past three years.
There are certain questions regarding the impact this has had on our show. Does a traditional family circus go on without any animal performers for any reason? We think the solution is yes. Recent success and surveys after the show confirm this. The show has received such a large amount of popularity that we’ve been able to grow and even move internationally.
Here are a few points we’d like our fans to be aware of: how our show has evolved and what exciting summer activities for families we will continue to provide.
1. Why Not Animal Performers?
There was a time when many circuses utilized animals from exotic species as one of their most popular performances. While it was fine back at the time time, it has changed. Although we have always applied the highest level of care and consideration towards any animal employed for circus entertainment, we were aware that people were not comfortable with the usage of animals, and we listened.
As a result, The Royal Canadian Circus has embraced this notion and totally gotten rid of the idea of exotic animal performers in all our shows. We want to set an example the other shows and circuses can follow to make sure that all our entertainment is enjoyable, safe, clean, and ethical.
2. Public Opinion and How It Affects Us
In an entertainment company of a modest size like our family circus, our interaction with the general public can be vital to our business’s success. In addition to the fact that people are seeing circus animal acts as negative, we decided in 2017 to eliminate any exotic animals from our circus performances.
At the RCIC, we conduct post-show surveys that tell us what people are thinking. In our study from 2016, the year that we last utilized any exotic animal performers, Our surveys revealed that a majority of our patrons would tell us their support without animal performers.
We’re happy to announce that since we’ve eliminated animal shows, our admissions have set new records every year. So, removing these kinds of activities in favor of more enjoyable summer activities for families is an ethical and business choice.
3. Our Replacement Acts
As a family circus, we have long shows that allow plenty of time for presentations. Since there are no animal shows within RCIC, what’s the next step the chaos has to take? We’ve spent many hours making plans and preparing shows to fill the void left due to the absence of animal shows that have added value to the show, according to our polls of opinion.
We aim to shift toward fun summer activities for families, including Acrobatic and adrenaline-filled shows. We want to show a variety of cultures across the globe coming into our circus to provide our guests with a unique experience.
Fun Summer Family Activities | Royal Canadian International Circus | Ontario
If you’re in search of something exciting summer family event for both of you, There’s no better option than the circus experience for authenticity and excitement. The Royal Canadian International Circus believes in offering an authentic show that is enjoyable for all. That’s why we do not let our shows employ animals or performers.
We strive to bring you the shows you love to preserve the long-standing tradition of the family circus despite the new obstacles. We collaborate with many charitable organizations to provide a helping hand to the local communities that fund our chaos. If you’re interested in learning more about our work, please get in touch with us today.
The public’s opinion has changed away from exotic animal performances to circus performances.* We attempt to keep up with the public’s opinion and have eliminated any animal show that is exotic at the beginning of the year.
* At RCIC, You can have stress-free summer activities for the whole family without worrying about animals being injured in the background.