Why Would Anyone Think This is Okay?! Circus Tiger Tied to a Bench so Visitors Can Sit on Top for Photos (VIDEO)

The circus was a place of magic and wonder for many of us growing up. Wild beasts, dressed in their best-sequined outfits, would perform tricks and dangerous feats like leaping through flaming hoops, all for our entertainment. We looked forward to the heart-pounding thrill that would come from a lion tamer putting their life at risk in order to subdue a group of vicious big cats. However, once you learn the truth about life for performing animals, all the appeal disappears.

The video above, featuring an endangered Siberian tiger who is being exploited in a Chinese circus, illustrates the reality of life for these animals. As you can see, although there is some slack in the rope that circus officials have used to tie the tiger down, the animal is very subdued. As guests take turns putting their weight on the tiger’s back, the animal’s head remains lowered, as if he’s given up all hope. It is not uncommon for circuses to beat or starve their tigers in order to subdue them, so it is likely that this tiger is behaving this way only out of fear of physical punishment. While the name of the circus where this took place is unknown, it is  believed that the circus was in Yiyang city, Hunan in southern China.

According to an article in India Times, “as children are straddled onto the animal, a trainer is heard saying: ‘Isn’t it cool to sit on a tiger? It can keep you away from the devil and earn you promotions and wealth.'” We should be teaching our children respect and compassion for other living creatures, not that they exist for human entertainment – or even to be used as charms that will get us things like promotions and wealth. Unfortunately, this moment is not exclusive to this particular circus — all across the United States, you can find roadside zoos where, for a fee, visitors can pay to take photos with vulnerable tiger cubs.

If this upsets you, you can stand up for tigers, and all performing animals, by vowing to never attend shows where animals are forced to perform. Share this video and encourage others to learn the truth behind circuses.