The director of a circus in Yekaterinburg spoke about the idea of ​​banning animals from performances

It is impossible to imagine a circus without animals, and the popularity of this type of entertainment is confirmed by sold-out performances. This is how the director of the circus in Yekaterinburg, Tamara Bortnikova, commented on the results of a survey of the SuperJob service, speaking at a press conference in TASS.

During the study, analysts found that 41% of Yekaterinburg residents believe that it is necessary to ban the participation of wild and domestic animals in circus performances. Also, 12% of respondents are against using only wild animals.

“The best answer to this question is sold-out performances. Go to the website of any Russian circus, even the big top attracts full houses. And this is the best survey, and the best indicator of the love of the audience and the demand for our circus shows. And I can add one thing: a circus without animals is not real,” says Bortnikova.

Her opinion was supported by Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Anatoly Sokol, who is sure that the circus should have animals, and besides, the heritage of the Soviet and Russian circus is a large galaxy of unique artists. “Now they showed photographs of the Filatov dynasty. She has always been the driving force of the bear circus. How will we cope without bears in the circus? The circus should only be with animals,” Sokol objected.

Criticism about the use of animals in performances has arisen repeatedly. For example, in October 2023, deputies from the New People party, led by Alexei Nechaev, called for the creation of animal-free circuses in Russia. Nechaev compared the life of an animal in a circus with the life of a person in a pre-trial detention center. Also, the leader of “New People” believes that circuses set a bad example for children, where animals are presented as toys for entertainment.