While animal rights organizations around the world tirelessly used the use of wild animals, including elephants, in circuses for decades, there was once a time when the now problematic entertainment shows were a typical pastime for children and families.
In the course of the 20th century, elephants were often used in parades, advertising campaigns and events in Toronto, which attracted large amounts of viewers.
The Bros Circus garden is perhaps one of the most remarkable circuses that appeared in Toronto and North America, and played an important role in the city's entertainment history with its programs full of exotic animals, acrobats and clowns.
Elephants in the Toronto town hall with the Bros Circus garden after marching the Yonge Street in May 1971. Photo: Toronto Star Archives.
The Circus Vargas, based in California, was also known to operate a tent of 315 by 165 feet in the city center of Scarborough in 1975, where children of all ages are surprised by trapezoidal artists, Sword Swallowers and Lion Tamers.
Circus Varga's elephants were fed in the Scarborough Town Center in July 1975. Photo: Toronto Star Archives.
As a result, there are countless impressive pictures of elephants that march down remarkable streets into Toronto, including the Yonge Street or stationed outside of attractions such as Roy Thomson Hall and the Skydome.
A stunning photo from the 1920s shows Circus Elephants, which the Brock Avenue walk along the way to the former Dufferin Park racetrack, in which the Duffer Mall is now located.
Conductor Andrew Davis with Rex, the elephant outside of Roy Thomson Hall in 1986. Photo: Toronto Star Archives.
Despite their beauty and spectacle, the treatment of circus animals, including animals, was often far from being human. As one of the most intelligent and social animals on the planet, elephants were often exposed to hard conditions during their time in circuses.
As a circuses from city to city traveled all over the continent, the sensitive creatures spent most of their time on cramped, barren cages or pendants, where they had little space to move and were often contained with legs, which limited their movement to a single step in any direction.
Mayor Art Eggleton with an elephant outside the Toronto town hall in 1987. Photo: Toronto Star Archives.
It was also known that coaches used methods such as Billhooks to cause pain and force elephants to carry out tricks. As a result, it was not unusual for elephants to show signs of aggression or need, which was often due to the traumatic and unnatural conditions that they endure.
A particularly heartbreaking incident in Ontario in 1972 emphasized the dangers of using elephants in circuses. The Canadian International Circus in Sudbury was supposed to appear this August, but shortly before the show, a deputy coaching chest Longe from Tresham, Oregon-von, was kicked with feet.
Longe was three elephants when the circus was unloaded for the weekend stand when it was fatally injured. This Saturday Tina was brought to a dump in the city, where she was shot by an officer of the Ministry of Natural Resources and buried in a large pit.
A trio of elephants with the shrine circus at Nathan Phillips Square in 1990. Photo: Toronto Star Archives.
While the use of wild animals in circuses was largely – but not completely – around the world, the Federal Government took an additional step to protect animals such as elephants in December 2023.
The Senate has submitted BILL S-15 (a law on the change of the Criminal Code and the wildlife and crop protection and regulation of the international and interprintial trade law), which would prohibit the use of elephants in captivity and large monkeys for entertainment in a performance. The criminal offense of the Criminal Code would be punished with a fine of no more than 200,000 US dollars. The Senate officially adopted the legislation in December 2024.
Photo: Toronto Star Archives.
“Bill S-15 can and should achieve the worldwide nationally prescribed expression of elephant captivity, as recommended by scientists,” said Senator Marty Klyne, an independent Senate sponsor of Bill S-15.
“Canada leads to the protection of the elephants and the big monkeys in captivity and builds on our groundbreaking whale and dolphin prison laws that were adopted in 2019.”
While once an integral part of circus performances is, the overwhelming consensus is that elephants like all animals deserve to live free of exploitation and abuse that often goes hand in hand with the entertainment industry.