Lioness Rescued From Circus Brought Back To Africa
Nala, a lioness rescued from the circus has returned to Africa thanks to the AAP Primadomus rescue center in Alicante, Spain.
The case of the lioness Nala is another striking example of the need to save animals from the cruelty of circuses.
Primadomus to the rescue
Primadomus is a center belonging to the Dutch non-profit organization AAP (Animal Advocacy and Protection), whose goal is to combat the illegal trafficking of exotic species.
The Villena Rescue Center is one of three primate sanctuaries in Spain, which also cares for big cats, such as Nala.
This lioness rescued from the circus in France led a life similar to many other felines forced to participate in circus shows.
After being locked up in an illegal breeding center, Nala was confiscated along with other big cats and luckily made it to the rescue center in Alicante.
The story of Nala, the lioness taken away from the circus
Nala’s is one of many cases of wild animals exploited by the circus. Circus shows are not educational; moreover, the animals live in terrible conditions given the itinerant nature of the shows.
Furthermore, the circus is dangerous both for the people and for the animals involved: these, in fact, are forced to face exercises that scare them.
Nala’s journey, however, did not end in Alicante: in fact, the lioness landed in South Africa, where she will be taken to the Lionsrock sanctuary, to try to make her live with Saeed, a male lion rescued from one of the razed zoos at soil in Aleppo during the war in Syria.
The need to end the exploitation of animals in circuses
The history of circuses in Europe is long and complex. More and more often there are protests and refusals against the exploitation of animals for this type of shows; Nonetheless, the abuse continues and it is still possible to see tigers abused with whips or monkeys wearing suits and entertaining the public.
Rescue cases like Nala’s are becoming more frequent because nowadays the laws of many countries prohibit circus performances with animals.
Unfortunately, there is no such law in Spain, however many municipalities do not allow circuses that use wild animals to perform on their territory.
The reasons are numerous. First, it is necessary to clarify that zoos and circuses are not the same thing.
While both businesses benefit from animals, zoos have associations and controls that impose higher welfare standards for animals.
In addition, the animals of these centers often participate in conservation programs: for example, there is a zoo that plans to reintroduce endangered felines to Russia.
Furthermore, circus performances have little educational function.
Animals are forced to live in extremely small spaces, forced to constantly move from one place to another.
Differences between zoo and circus
Although zoos and circuses both train animals, in zoos training is done in a way that does not cause stress to the animals.
Circus specimens are forced into unnatural behaviors that often frighten them, resorting to punishment to force them to obey.
Joint action by zoos and centers like Primadomus is needed to save the hundreds of wild animals still forced to perform in circuses across Europe, despite growing rejection of this exploitation.
These animals finally deserve dignified treatment after the injustices that have been inflicted on them throughout their lives!
