The Grand Circus of Rome and the mistreatment in show

In the centre of the ring, a man, standing straight as an arrow and wearing a sequined suit. At his feet, two macaques, decked out in ridiculous costumes, they follow him attached with a leash. Their backs bent; they are ready to obey the craziest of orders. Here we present the sparkling ringmaster and his pathetic slaves. Here we see the great ape displaying its superiority over the other smaller primates. The act can now begin.  

Domination, humiliation, applause

The trainer gets everything he wants from his living puppets. They start the show at the wheel of a motorized children’s cart. A simple snap of the “chef’s” fingers and they follow up with other well-prepared duties. The first macaque, wearing a frilly robe, must play as a tightrope walker and adopt an upright walking position on a beam. For a brief moment, he seemed to rebel. But he quickly swallows his exasperation and performs. There is no other choice.

So, this poor little man runs and tries to find his balance, at first with his arms free, then by adding weighted pendulums on which float three-coloured flags or equipped with small buckets … It’s the second monkey’s turn. Wearing red overalls and with a matching umbrella, it is subjected to similar exercises. Before being forced to ride on the ground on a scooter, then pedalling on a tricycle… The spectators rejoice as the sad little clowns are greeted by their applauding.

For on this evening, is it the end of their torments? Though it appears not. A little later, during the performance of a young Circassian of ten years old, two macaques – apparently the same – are still seen still tumbling and performing under the big top … This time it is four members that are tied to ponies and then these unfortunate beings must endure the ultimate torture: riding at speed, jumps and other antics, all to the clack of the whip…

An alarming evaluation

These surreal scenes seem straight out of a bad movie. However, this is the sad reality of these monkeys who are forcibly recruited by the Grand Circus of Rome. Our investigators followed several representations of this establishment last October and collected videos, each more appalling than the other.

We submitted the images to Dr. Siân Waters, a leading specialist in captive and wild primates. His alarming report concludes that the well-being of these animals is seriously compromised physically and psychologically.

The expert stressed in particular that bipedal walking is not a natural behaviour in macaques and that forcing them to perform abnormal movements can put unnecessary pressure on their bodies, leading to deformity, lameness and injury. She also recommends a rapid examination of one of the primates by a veterinarian. In addition, she denounces the compulsory wearing of clothes which obstructs gestures while causes itching and irritation.

As for the riding act, he is particularly concerned:

«Getting used to such movement restriction is impossible and these monkeys have no control over what happens to them, which seriously affects their psychological well-being. Their physical safety is also greatly compromised when a pony stumbles and falls: bound by their arms and legs, they are sure to be injured. »

Finally, the scientist points to the endangerment of the public when the macaque’s approach them by walking on the surrounding spectator barrier.

The filing of a complaint

At the end of the show, when the lights go out, it is in the shade and behind fences that we find the little monkeys lying flat on the floor. They, as well as other animals, all sequestered in cages and enclosures devoid of any enrichment, where their physiological needs are flouted. On visiting the premises, we noted numerous breaches of legal regulations by the Grand Circus of Rome.

While its owner is strutting around in the media accusing animal advocates of their “fantasies”, we are filing a complaint against him based on facts, nothing else but the facts.